Historic Cape Otway Lighthouse and lightkeeper residence

Cape Otway Lighthouse - Great Otway National Park visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Cape Otway Lighthouse' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Victoria.

The Cape Otway lighthouse is located 222km south west of Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road. Built in 1848 to a design by the Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis, the Cape Otway lighthouse is the second-oldest on the Australian mainland, the oldest on the Victorian coast, and the oldest operational lighthouse with unbroken service on the mainland Australian coast until it was decommissioned in January 1994. It stands on the 100-metre headland, is 15.6 metres high and can be seen for 22 km out to sea.

The western coast of Victoria has claimed more shipwrecks than any other stretch of Australian coastline. The treacherous seas, reefs and hostile weather conditions saw hundreds of lives lost. The ships foundered due to human error, bad weather, lack of local knowledge and as shipping lines vied for the lucrative migrant market - lives were undoubtedly lost due to companies taking cost cutting measures.

Public pressure forced the New South Wales Government to commission a string of
lighthouses in Bass Strait after two major shipwrecks in the area had resulted in the loss of over 600 lives. Cape Otway soon became a favoured site, but decades of logistical challenges lay ahead for the builders, lightkeepers, assistants and their families - not to mention the scores of people who were shipwrecked after the light was operational.

The 84 kilometre gap between, Cape Wickham on, King Island and Cape Otway is known as the "Eye of the Needle". It is the Western entrance to Bass Strait. Sea captains would hug the Victorian coast, to avoid being driven into King Island in bad weather, resulting in many wrecks.

Access was a problem in establishing the lighthouse and after three attempts, the Cape was finally reached by land. A site was selected and after great difficulty a road was cut. Construction began in 1846 with the light being lit in August 1848 making it the second light to be established on the mainland coast. The materials used consisted of stone quarried at the Parker River, 5 kilometres away.

The first keeper was dismissed after only three months for "interfering" with the light. He was replaced by Henry Bayles Ford, a former sea captain tended the light for 30 years.

His son George Ford rode on horseback to Camperdown to get help when the Loch Ard was wrecked nearby in 1878.

The light was extremely isolated. Supplies were delivered every 6-12 months, landed at Parker River and brought overland. The only contact was with the few farmers in the area and rare official visits. Later a road was cut to Colac, but was not passable to motor vehicles until the mid 1930s.

A fixed red light was added in 1881. The power of the light was increased in 1891, in 1905 and again in 1939.