Cape Solander is a natural historic site, located near the small town of

Kurnell Kurnell is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire along the east coast. Cronulla and Woolooware are the onl ...

, New South Wales, situated in the

Kamay Botany Bay National Park The Kamay Botany Bay National Park is a heritage-listed protected national park that is located in the Sydney metropolitan region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately south-east of the Sy ...

. The location is known for

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 20 ...

, the whale species to be seen including the

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hum ...

southern right whale The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...

, and the

grey whale The gray whale (''Eschrichtius robustus''), also known as the grey whale,Britannica Micro.: v. IV, p. 693. gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, Korean gray whale, or California gray whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and bree ...

. Fatalities caused by falling from the cliffs have occurred at this location.

Overview

Cape Solander whale-watching platform and carpark

Cape Solander is located on the Kurnell Peninsula, on the southern side of the

. The cape was named after Swedish botanist

Daniel Solander Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander (19 February 1733 – 13 May 1782) was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil. Biography S ...

who landed with

Captain James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728Old 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 t ...

near the cape's location. It marks the start of the Cape Baily Walking Track, that heads over to the

Cape Baily Light Cape Baily Light is an active lighthouse located at Cape Baily, a headland at the south side of the entrance to Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia. The light serves to help north-bound shipping hug the coast to avoid the strong southerly ...

house. Around the cape, there are several other landmarks such as Tabbigai Gap, Blue Hole Gorge, and Yena Track.

Aboriginal heritage

Cape Solander is home to the

Gweagal The Gweagal (also spelt Gwiyagal) are a clan of the Dharawal people of Aboriginal Australians. Their descendants are traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Country The Gweagal lived on ...

and Goorawal Aboriginal People.

Description

The iconic white rocks that surround the cliffside of Cape Solander, that look like the rocks in

Wedding Cake Rock Wedding Cake Rock, also known as White Rock, is a sandstone rock formation located in the Royal National Park near Bundeena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, accessible via the Royal National Park Coast Track. The rock is one of many ...

, are

Hawkesbury Sandstone Sydney sandstone is the common name for Sydney Basin Hawkesbury Sandstone, one variety of which is historically known as Yellowblock, and also as "yellow gold" a sedimentary rock named after the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney, where this ...

, which is commonly occurring in the Sydney area. At the parking area, there is a $2.5M

whale-watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 20 ...

platform for tourists to use when whales migrate in winter.

Access

Cape Solander can be easily accessed from the

Sydney CBD The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often refer ...

by driving west on

Parramatta Road Parramatta Road is the major historical east-west artery of metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, connecting the Sydney CBD with Parramatta. It is the easternmost part of the Great Western Highway. Since the 1990s its role has been ...

then heading South on

King Georges Road King Georges Road is a major arterial road in Sydney, Australia, running through the local government areas of the Georges River Council and City of Canterbury-Bankstown. King Georges Road begins at a junction with the Princes Highway at ...

. After, turn on Captain Cook Drive and enter Kamay Botany Bay Nat'l Park.

Accidents

2018

In 2018, an American

Mormon missionary Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and commu ...

slipped and fell to his death while posing for a

selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as Fac ...

at the cliffs.

2024

In June of 2024, two women died when they were swept off the rocks near Cape Solander while walking. A third woman managed to climb onto the rocks to safety.

Activities

Cape Solander is a popular place for whale-watching with 300,000 tourists coming from all around the world for this activity. This place is also popular for bushwalking, with the nearby Muru and Yena trails close by, with also the Cape Baily Walking Track, which stretches down to

station, Voodoo Point and Potter Point.

References

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