Cape Bridgewater is a locality in Victoria,
Australia. Cape Bridgewater is located on the
western shore of Bridgewater Bay, 21 kilometres
south-west of Portland, and 383 kilometres
from Melbourne. It lies within the Discovery Bay
Coastal Park.
The Cape Bridgewater area was settled in the
1860s and a post office opened in 1863 (closed
1968) though known as Bridgewater Lower for
some years.
Both Cape Bridgewater and Bridgewater Bay
were named by named after the Duke of
Bridgewater (1756-1829), by Lieutenant James
Grant sailing on the Lady Nelson on 4
December 1800.
Cape Bridgewater is home to a colony of up to
650 fur seals and has the highest coastal cliff in
Victoria. These cliffs are suitable spot to observe
southern right whales in winter and spring. The
cape itself also boasts a large blowhole and
karst solution pipes, colloquially known as the
petrified forest, but now known to be hollow
tubes of limestone, eroded as a result of
millions of years of rainfall. Bridgewater Bay
and
the adjacent Cape form a partially submerged
volcanic caldera. To the west is a large area with
huge sand dunes. For these reasons the Cape
and the nearby coastal area is classed by the
government as the second most important
coastline in Victoria, after the 'Twelve Apostles',
along the Great Ocean Road