White lighthouse
Red dome.
Thomas Berwing — CC BY-SA 4.0 · David.moreno72 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Danilo Ramirez — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marshlung — CC BY-SA 4.0 · JML1148 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cape Schanck is the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, about 15 km in a straight line south of the town of Rosebud and about 76 km south of Melbourne. It looks out over Bass Strait, and the Cape Schanck Lighthouse and its museum stand on the headland. The lighthouse was built in 1859 as the second coastal lighthouse in Victoria, its 21 m tower made of limestone, with a light 100 m above sea level visible for up to 48 km. It was the first lighthouse tower in Australia with stone stairs, was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 1998, and is still in operation. The white tower with its red dome stands on a green headland, and a long boardwalk runs down from it to a rocky shore of dark basalt, where waves break around Pulpit Rock, a massive basalt stack offshore. From the boardwalk there are views over red and green cliffs and deep blue sea, and at night the sky above the cape is clear. Walking is free, and lighthouse tours are paid. The steps down to the shore are long and the climb back is tiring, and the rocks near the water are slippery, so keep away from the waves.
Red dome.
A basalt stack.
Down to the shore.
Cape Schanck, Victoria, Australia
On paid tours.
Long steps, a tiring climb back.