Cape Naturaliste is a
headland
A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...
in the south western region of
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
at the western edge of the
Geographe Bay
Geographe Bay is in the south-west of Western Australia, around southwest of Perth.
The bay was named in May 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin, after his ship, ''Géographe''. It is a wide curve of coastline extending from Cape Natur ...
. It is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, which was named after the cape. The
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, the
Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and the
Cape to Cape hiking track were also named after this location.
Settlements
The nearest settlement is Bunker Baya community that evolved from holiday shacks to very expensive housing for wealthy residents as well as featuring a popular beach resort. Further east, across the Bay, is
Dunsborough, a much older settlement.
Busselton
Busselton is a city in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destin ...
is located still further east from there.
History
The first people in Cape Naturaliste were the
Wardandi Aboriginal people, who called it , meaning "the place with the beautiful view". In 1801, the French navigator
Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 175416 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. He carried a few corms of Gros Michel banana ...
stopped here on 30 May during his
exploration of Australia.
The French were mapping the coast of
New Holland. Baudin named the bay they found Geographe Bay, after his flagship, ''
Géographe''.
Later, the cape was named after the expedition's second ship, ''
Naturaliste''.
Climate
Cape Naturaliste has a
warm-summer mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Csb'', with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters).
General references
* Marchant, Leslie R. ''French Napoleonic Placenames of the South West Coast'', Greenwood, WA. R.I.C. Publications, 2004.
*
References
External links
Lighthouse visiting information
{{AusplacesnamedbyFrench , state=expanded
Naturaliste
Cape Naturaliste, Western Australia
Cape to Cape Track