Smoky Cape is a headland in Australia on the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Mid-North Coast. It lies just east of the town of

South West Rocks South West Rocks is a town located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, near the mouth of the Macleay River. It is approximately from Kempsey. Jerseyville is located nearby. The population of South West Rocks is 5,313 peo ...

, and within the Hat Head National Park.

Cape

The cape was named ''Smoky Cape'' by

Captain Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

when he passed it on 13 May 1770, writing of "a point or headland, on which were fires that Caused a great Quantity of smook, which occasioned my giving it the name of Smooky Cape". ''Smook'' was his usual spelling of ''smoke'', the spelling for the cape now follows the modern spelling. The hills there were an important meeting place for aboriginal people from various surrounding areas, it's possible Cook saw fires from such a gathering. A lighthouse was proposed for the cape in 1886 and completed in 1891. Known as the Smoky Cape Lighthouse it was built from concrete and local granite aggregate in an octagonal shape at the highest point on the cape.

Fish Rock

Fish Rock is a small bare rock which juts out of the sea just south-east of the cape. It's a noted

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

location and home to various fish species. A 120-metre cave runs right under the rock and there are various gutters nearby where

grey nurse shark The sand tiger shark (''Carcharias taurus''), gray nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy sho ...

s live. The area is one of about a dozen in New South Wales recognised as critical for the shark, so fishing in the vicinity is restricted.

Green Island

Green Island is a small island close to the coast just north of the cape. It has also been categorised as a critical habitat area for the grey nurse shark.

References

External links

Smoky Cape Lighthouse page
at the

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is a directorate of the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment responsible for managing most of the protected areas in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Despite its name the ...

* For photos of the area see th
South West Rocks Photo Gallery
{{1stVoyageCookAus Headlands of New South Wales Mid North Coast Kempsey Shire