Cape Otway
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type = town
| name = Cape Otway
| state = vic
| image = Cape Otway Lighthouse south west pano.jpg
| caption = Cape Otway coast
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| coordinates = {{coord|38|51|0|S|143|31|0|E|display=inline,title}}
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| pop = 15
| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2016}}
| pop_footnotes = {{Census 2016 AUS | id = SSC20470 | name = Cape Otway (State Suburb) | accessdate = 17 November 2017 | quick = on}}
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| dist1 = 106
| dir1 = SW
| location1 = Geelong
| dist2 = 171
| dir2 = SW
| location2 = Melbourne
| lga = Colac Otway Shire
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| stategov = Polwarth
| fedgov = Corangamite
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| near-n = Aire Valley
| near-ne = Apollo Bay
| near-e = Apollo Bay
| near-se = Bass Strait
| near-s = Southern Ocean
| near-sw = Southern Ocean
| near-w = Hordern Vale
| near-nw = Glenaire
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}}
Cape Otway is a cape and a bounded locality of the Colac Otway Shire in southern Victoria, Australia on the Great Ocean Road; much of the area is enclosed in the Great Otway National Park. The cape marks the boundary between the Southern Ocean on the west and Bass Strait on the east.
History
Cape Otway was originally inhabited by the Gadubanud people; evidence of their campsites is contained in the middens throughout the region. The traditional Gadubanud name for the cape is Bangurac.{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Ian D. |title=Dictionary of Aboriginal placenames of Victoria |date=2002 |publisher=Victorian Aboriginal Corp. for Languages |location=Melbourne |isbn=9780957936065 |page=53}}
The cape was charted by the British when Lieutenant James Grant sailed through Bass Strait in {{HMS|Lady Nelson|1798|6}} in December 1800. Grant named it Cape Albany Otway after Captain William Albany Otway.
{{cite book |last=Grant|first=James|authorlink=James Grant (navigator) |title=The narrative of a voyage of discovery, performed in His Majesty's vessel the Lady Nelson, of sixty tons burthen: with sliding keels, in the years 1800, 1801, and 1802, to New South Wales |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_PZAvAAAAMAAJ |accessdate=24 January 2012 |year=1803 |page=72 |publisher=Printed by C. Roworth for T. Egerton |isbn=978-0-7243-0036-5}} This was later shortened to Cape Otway.
The British started to colonise the region in 1837 when Joseph Gellibrand and George Hesse became lost in the Otways on an expedition. It was found that Hesse probably died of exposure, while Gellibrand was initially cared for by a local Aboriginal clan but later killed by members of another clan visiting from the Apollo Bay area.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2950714 |title=MESSRS. GELLIBRAND AND HESSE. |newspaper=The Courier (Hobart) |volume=XVII |issue=976 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=9 August 1844 |accessdate=5 July 2021 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} The ship Joanna was wrecked near the Cape in 1843, with several survivors making a difficult journey by foot along the coast back toward Geelong.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94444142 |title=CAPE OTWAY. |newspaper=Geelong Advertiser and Squatters' Advocate |volume=VI |issue=574 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=2 May 1846 |accessdate=5 July 2021 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}} Mr Kearnon attempted to establish a livestock property at Moonlight Head in 1845 but his hut was burnt down and his shepherd supposedly killed by the resident Gadubanud people.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92673967 |title=SUPPOSED MURDER. |newspaper=Geelong Advertiser |volume=V |issue=295 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=5 March 1845 |accessdate=5 July 2021 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}
More detailed exploration occurred in 1846 when a number of surveying expeditions entered the area with the view of placing a lighthouse upon Cape Otway. During these assignments, an Aboriginal man was attacked by colonists with stockwhips, while a surveyor's assistant by the name of James Conroy was killed by the Gadubanud. A reprisal force led by the surveyor and consisting of a well-armed militia of Barrabool men was organised by the district official Captain Foster Fyans. This force exterminated almost completely the remaining Gadubanud population of around ten people.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221207035 |title=REMINISCENCES OF PIONEER DAYS IN VICTORIA. |newspaper=Weekly Times |issue=1,198 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=23 July 1892 |accessdate=5 July 2021 |page=30 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94446886 |title=EXTERMINATION OF THE CAPE OTWAY TRIBE OF ABORIGINES. |newspaper=Geelong Advertiser and Squatters' Advocate |volume=VI |issue=606 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=26 August 1846 |accessdate=5 July 2021 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Cape Otway Lighthouse was built on the point of the cape in 1848. The lighthouse is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.{{cite web | url=http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/result_detail/1914 | title=Cape Otway Lightstation (H1222) | publisher=Heritage Victoria | work=Victorian Heritage Register | accessdate=4 July 2014}}
A telegraph office opened in 1859. The post office opened on 1 September 1880 and closed in 1972.{{Citation | last = Phoenix Auctions History | title = Post Office List | url = http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&filter=*Cape*Otway* | access-date = 7 March 2021 }}
Eight ships were wrecked along the coast of Cape Otway:Australia's Great Ocean Road:[http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/highlights/shipwrecks/shipwrecks.asp Shipwrecks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209132117/http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/highlights/shipwrecks/shipwrecks.asp |date=2007-12-09 }} Marie (1851), Sacramento (1853), Schomberg (1855), Loch Ard (1878), Joseph H. Scammell (May 1891), Fiji (September 1891), and Casino in 1932. The first American vessel sunk during World War II, MS City of Rayville, was also sunk off the cape by a German mine. Following this, the Americans built a radar bunker on the cape in 1942; it is now open to the public.
Commercial fisheries
The hostile seas, where the Southern Ocean meets with Bass Strait, that surround Cape Otway are home to some of the world's most prized marine species, including crayfish and abalone. On calm days, as many as 20 abalone dive boats commonly operate along the shoreline beneath the lighthouse. Commercial crayfishers use baited pots or traps throughout the reef system, with white floats on the surface marking their locations.
Climate
Cape Otway has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with mild summers and cool damp winters, and only 38 clear days annually.
{{Weather box
|location = Cape Otway Lighthouse
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 43.3
|Feb record high C = 42.0
|Mar record high C = 40.6
|Apr record high C = 33.3
|May record high C = 27.8
|Jun record high C = 24.4
|Jul record high C = 21.8
|Aug record high C = 25.0
|Sep record high C = 31.0
|Oct record high C = 34.2
|Nov record high C = 39.4
|Dec record high C = 43.4
|year record high C = 43.4
|Jan high C = 21.4
|Feb high C = 21.5
|Mar high C = 20.4
|Apr high C = 18.0
|May high C =15.6
|Jun high C = 13.7
|Jul high C = 13.0
|Aug high C = 13.8
|Sep high C = 15.2
|Oct high C = 17.0
|Nov high C = 18.3
|Dec high C = 19.9
|year high C = 17.3
|Jan low C = 13.4
|Feb low C = 14.0
|Mar low C = 13.3
|Apr low C = 11.7
|May low C = 10.1
|Jun low C = 8.5
|Jul low C = 7.6
|Aug low C = 7.9
|Sep low C = 8.5
|Oct low C = 9.6
|Nov low C = 10.8
|Dec low C = 12.1
|year low C = 10.6
|Jan record low C = 3.3
|Feb record low C = 2.8
|Mar record low C =-1.1
|Apr record low C = 1.7
|May record low C = 1.7
|Jun record low C = 1.7
|Jul record low C = 0.0
|Aug record low C = 1.1
|Sep record low C = -1.1
|Oct record low C = -0.6
|Nov record low C = 1.4
|Dec record low C = 3.3
|year record low C = -1.1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm =44.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 41.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 55.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 70.7
|May precipitation mm = 91.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 96.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 106.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 104.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 90.1
|Oct precipitation mm = 80.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 62.7
|Dec precipitation mm = 52.5
|year precipitation mm = 894.8
|Jan precipitation days =9.3
|Feb precipitation days = 8.4
|Mar precipitation days =12.0
|Apr precipitation days = 14.8
|May precipitation days = 17.9
|Jun precipitation days =18.4
|Jul precipitation days = 19.9
|Aug precipitation days = 20.1
|Sep precipitation days = 18.1
|Oct precipitation days = 16.3
|Nov precipitation days = 13.5
|Dec precipitation days = 11.8
|year precipitation days =180.5
|humidity colour=green
|Jan humidity = 74
|Feb humidity = 75
|Mar humidity = 75
|Apr humidity = 76
|May humidity = 78
|Jun humidity = 80
|Jul humidity = 80
|Aug humidity = 78
|Sep humidity = 76
|Oct humidity = 75
|Nov humidity = 74
|Dec humidity = 74
|year humidity =76
|source 1 = {{cite web
| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_090015_All.shtml
| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Climate statistics for Cape Otway |accessdate = 6 October 2021}}
|date= 6 October 2021
}}
References
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{{Towns in Colac Otway Shire}}
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