Cape Solander is a natural historic site, located near the small town of Kurnell, New South Wales, situated in the Kamay Botany Bay National Park.[1] The place is great for whale watching, with many whale species including the Humpback Whale, Southern Right Whale, and the Grey Whale.[1] Cape Solander is also pretty notorious for several people falling off the cliffs.[2][3]

Cape Solander
A view of Cape Solander
LocationSydney, New South Wales
Nearest cityKurnell
Coordinates34°0′59″S 151°13′54″E / 34.01639°S 151.23167°E / -34.01639; 151.23167
OwnerNSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
Websitehttps://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/lookouts/cape-solander

Overview

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Cape Solander's Whale-Watching Platform and Carpark

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 near the cape's location.[4] It marks the start of the Cape Baily Walking Track, that heads over to the Cape Baily Lighthouse. Around the cape, there are several other ladmarks like Tabbigai Gap, Blue Hole Gorge and Yena Track.[5]

Aboriginal Owners

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Cape Solander is home to the Gweagal and Goorawal People.[6]

Description

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The iconic white rocks that surround the cliffside of Cape Solander, that look like the rocks in Wedding Cake Rock, are Hawkesbury Sandstone, which is commonly occurring in the Sydney area.[7][1] At the parking area, there is a $2.5M whale-watching platform for tourists to use when whales migrate in winter.[8][9]

Access

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Cape Solander can be easily accessed from the Sydney CBD by driving west on Parramatta Road then heading South on King Georges Road. After, turn on Captain Cook Drive and enter Kamay Botany Bay Nat'l Park.[10]

Accidents

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2018

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Several Accidents had happened in this area, including the death of American man, Gavin Paul Zimmerman. It happened when Zimmerman was posing for a selfie, but slipped, an fell to his death. [11][2]

2024

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In June of 2024, two women, belived to be the idenitites of Marwa Hashim and Nirsha Haris died while being swept off the rocks near Cape Solander while walking. Hashim and Nirsha had been also swept with an unidentified woman, who managed to climb onto the rocks to safety.[3][12]

Activities

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Cape Solander is a popular place for whale-watching with 300,000 tourists coming from all around the world for this activity.[8] This place is also popular for bushwalking, with the nearby Muru and Yena trails close by, with also the Cape Baily Walking Track, which streches down to Cape Baily Lightstation,Voodoo Point and Potter Point.[13][1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Cape Solander". NSW National Parks. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b "Sydney's Indian community mourns deaths of women swept off rocks in Kurnell, Sutherland Shire". ABC News. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Cape Solander | Sydney, Australia - Official Travel & Accommodation Website". www.sydney.com. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  5. ^ Chapman, John. Day Walks Sydney. p. 26.
  6. ^ "Cape Solander | Learn more". NSW National Parks. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  7. ^ Chapman, John. Day Walks Sydney. p. 24.
  8. ^ 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)
  9. ^ 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)
  10. ^ Chapman, John. Day Walks Sydney. p. 25.
  11. ^ "Mormon missionary who fell to death while taking selfie was 'bright light'". ABC News. 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  12. ^ Rachwani, Mostafa. "Sydney Indian community mourning after two women swept to sea by large wave". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Cape Solander | What's nearby". NSW National Parks. Retrieved 2024-05-22.

See Also

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