Cape Spencer, Yorke Peninsula
Cape Spencer, Yorke Peninsula
Cape Spencer is near the very southern tip of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.This part of the coastline is windswept and wild. Many ships have come to grief over the years in these waters, especially in Investigator Strait, the stretch of water between the cape and Kangaroo Island. In the photo below you can just see the hazy outline of Kangaroo Island (click on the image to enlarge).
The Cape Spencer Lighthouse is automatic and was built in 1975.
Cape Spencer Lighthouse, Yorke Peninsula
Shipwreck Trail, Stenhouse Bay, Yorke Peninsula
Stenhouse Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
The southern coast of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia is a rugged coastline and has been the cause of many ship wrecks over the years. The rocky coastline, combined with the wild winds and raging seas surging up from the Southern Ocean and all the way from Antarctica, is a potent mixture.
At various places along the coast there are lookouts over the sites of various ship wrecks, like the one where I took these photos at Stenhouse Bay. In fact, there is a well established Shipwreck Trail visitors can follow along this coast. One of the signs is shown below. Some of the wrecks are open to divers as well.
The Investigator Straight is the body of water between the southern coast of Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island to the south. It is named after the ship Investigator, captained by Matthew Flinders, an explorer in Australia’s early history. A staggering 26 ships have been wrecked in this small body of water between 1849 to 1982 with the loss of 70 lives.
Shipwreck Trail, Stenhouse Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Stenhouse Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia