Why Australia's most famous cape is named after a mysterious lost Dutch ship

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Cape Leeuwin marks the south-western tip of Australia, a rugged headland where the Indian and Southern Oceans collide. Named after a Dutch vessel that vanished from history, the cape remains a site of maritime legend, treacherous shipwrecks, and a unique Mediterranean climate that demands respect from all who visit.

Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly point of the Australian mainland, though it is often misunderstood. While many locals consider it the meeting point of the Indian and Southern Oceans, international bodies typically define the Southern Ocean as beginning further south at 60°S. It is also not the southernmost point of Western Australia; that title belongs to West Cape Howe near Albany. The area was originally known as Doogalup by the Wardandi people, the traditional custodians of the land.

The name Leeuwin, meaning 'Lioness', honors a Dutch ship that charted the coastline in 1622. Because the ship's log was lost, the details of that voyage remain a mystery. The land was later documented on a 1627 map by Hessel Gerritsz, though the cape itself was not clearly identified. It was not until 1791 that Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux sighted the headland, mistakenly believing it to be an island. Matthew Flinders, the explorer who surveyed the region in 1801, officially named it Cape Leeuwin, recognizing it as the projecting corner of what the Dutch had called Leeuwin's Land.

The cape's history is etched in the wreckage of vessels like the SS Pericles, an iron-screw steamer that struck an uncharted rock and sank in 1910. Today, the site is managed as a historic precinct, featuring a lighthouse and the remnants of a water wheel. The surrounding Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park protects a diverse heathland ecosystem. For those curious about the name, Rudyard Kipling’s poem associated with 'The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo' provides the key: it is pronounced to rhyme with 'flew in'.

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