Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, near Dunsborough, has recently undergone a $1 million upgrade. Families visiting the historic southwest WA landmark can enjoy panoramic ocean views from the observation platform, play area and café.
There’s some lovely souvenirs to purchase at the gift shop. Here you can also buy tickets for entry to the lighthouse cottage area and observation platform. To go inside and climb the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse there is an additional fee for the tour.
The area around the original lighthouse keepers cottages has been upgraded with landscaped lawns and a nautical-themed playground. Little Chef enjoyed having a quick play on the boat and climbing rope while we waited for our tour to start.
Lunches and snacks are available from the Little Goose café found in the beautifully restored lighthouse keeper’s cottage. It’s operated by the team behind popular Busselton restaurant, The Goose. The café not only offers drinks and tasty food, but a ‘step back in time’ experience. Here you can enjoy a bite to eat in one of three lovely rooms fitted out with vintage furniture and ornaments. It’s like sitting in your grandparent’s living room!
We were lucky to get there in time for the last tour of the day at 4.30pm. Tours leave every 30 minutes and out tour guide was both interesting and engaging, giving us an insight into working life at the lighthouse, it’s history and ghost stories. Built in 1903 from local limestone, the lighthouse has saved many passing ships from hitting reef. In its early days it was manned by lighthouse keepers, now the light is operated automatically.
The observation deck gives a lovely view of the ocean and surrounding bushland. From September to December you may even spot a whale!
Little Chef helped our guide take down the flag, in very windy conditions!
And he unlocked the door to the lighthouse for us too.
The lighthouse’s winding staircase isn’t too difficult to climb, in the fact that it isn’t a particularly tall lighthouse. It sits at the same level as the huge lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin, as the Naturaliste lighthouse sits atop a hill.
It’s very cramped up the top of the lighthouse, you stand right under where the lighthouse’s light and reflective crystal spins around.
We gingerly stoop through the small door and out onto the top balcony that wraps around the lighthouse. It was SO windy!! My tip would be to take a hair elastic and not wear a skirt haha. Once we’d walked around to the sheltered side of the lighthouse, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean over the Geographe Bay coastline.
The Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse is an easy 13km drive from Dunsborough, there’s some beautiful beaches at Meelup, Bunker Bay and Eagle Bay along the way. A climb to the top of the lighthouse is a must do for families in the area.
Address: 1267 Cape Naturaliste Road, Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, Near Dunsborough, WA.
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Amanda Carlin has her own food and travel blog. Established in 2013, “The Chef, His Wife and Their Perth-fect Life” has enjoyed an exciting name change in 2021, as “The Chef’s Ex-wife” embarks on new adventures with Simply PERTHfect. Amanda loves getting out and about in Perth and WA, as well as brunching, tapas or something a little fancy in equal measures. With her son “Little Chef” in tow, Amanda always has plenty of family friendly eating options to recommend too! Be sure to check out Simply PERTHfect.
