Cape Solander is a natural tourist attraction located near the town of Kurnell, New South Wales, Australia, situated in the Kamay Botany Bay National Park.[1] A whale watching destination, the cape is also a nature preserve for Australian native plant species.
Multiple fatalities caused by falling from the cliffs have occurred at this location.[2][3]
Overview
Cape Solander is located on the Kurnell Peninsula, on the southern side of the Kamay Botany Bay National Park. The cape was named after Swedish botanist Daniel Solander who landed with Captain James Cook at Kurnell near the cape’s location.[4] It marks the start of the Cape Baily Walking Track, that leads to the Cape Baily Lighthouse. Around the cape, there are several other landmarks such as Tabbigai Gap, Blue Hole Gorge, and Yena Track.[5] Cape Solander is a place for whale-watching with 300,000 tourists coming from all around the world for this activity.[6]
Aboriginal heritage
Cape Solander is on Gweagal and Goorawal traditional Aboriginal land.[7] These were the same clans that Captain Cook encountered on his declaration of terra nulius in 1770.[8]
Description
The white rocks that surround the cliffside of Cape Solander, are Hawkesbury Sandstone, which are commonly occurring in the Sydney area.[9][1] At the parking area, there is a whale-watching platform for tourists to use when whales migrate in winter, which the New South Wales Government built for 2.5 million dollars.[6][10]
Accidents
2018
In 2018, an American Mormon missionary slipped and fell to his death while posing for a selfie at the cliffs.[11][2]
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.[3][12]
See also
References
- ^ a b “Cape Solander”. NSW National Parks. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ a b “He Died After Falling Off A Cliff While Taking A Selfie: A Year Later, His Parents Share The Photo”. Maritime Herald. 6 May 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ a b “Sydney’s Indian community mourns deaths of women swept off rocks in Kurnell, Sutherland Shire”. ABC News. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ “Cape Solander | Sydney, Australia – Official Travel & Accommodation Website”. www.sydney.com. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ Chapman, John. Day Walks Sydney. p. 26.
- ^ a b 7NEWS Australia (2022-12-09). Cape Solander’s new whale watching platform | 7NEWS. Retrieved 2024-05-22 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ “Cape Solander | Learn more”. NSW National Parks. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ “What Australians often get wrong about Captain Cook”. ABC News. 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
- ^ Chapman, John. Day Walks Sydney. p. 24.
- ^ author (2023-11-16). “Whale watching platform at Cape Solander”. NSW Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ “Mormon missionary who fell to death while taking selfie was ‘bright light’“. ABC News. 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Rachwani, Mostafa. “Sydney Indian community mourning after two women swept to sea by large wave”. The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2024.