A short walk south of Cape Jaffa is the Bernouilli Conservation Park, about 20 kms from Kingston. The park still contains the old lighthouse cottages that provided homes for the lightkeepers of Cape Jaffa. The old lighthouse cottages were built in 1872 for the families of light keeps who lived on the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse platform.
The view to the lighthouse platform, 8 km offshore on Margaret Brock Reef, gives an appreciation of the determination and hardship experienced by the seamen and lightkeepers who lived and worked in these sometimes treacherous waters.
This 266 hectare reserve is named after Cape Bernouilli, the former name of the Cape Jaffa headland. There are many protected bird species living in the area such as the hooded plover, musk duck, superb fairy wren, and singing honeyeater.
If you enjoy maritime history, you’ll appreciate the tenacity and determination of both the lighthouse keepers and seamen. They navigated treacherous waters through Margaret Brock Reef to arrive at Cape Jaffa with seamanship that would make anyone proud. It’s a short easy walk and a nostalgic trip through history.
