Bay of Islands Lookout

Bay of Islands Lookout is a coastal viewpoint near Peterborough, where two viewing platforms face the Southern Ocean and its pale limestone stacks. Park at Bay of Islands Track and follow the short path, about 120 m, to the first timber deck. Continue to the second platform for a different angle; the exposed headland can feel cold and windy, so a windproof layer helps.

There is a car park at the lookout. Treat it as a scenic stop rather than a service stop: carry water and do not count on finding food or toilets on site.

From the platforms, pick out the detached pillars and island-like cliffs beyond the near shore. For a photo with a sense of depth, keep some low coastal scrub or the near cliff along the bottom of the frame instead of cropping to sea and sky. Wind can whip up surf around the rocks, but calmer conditions show more of the water between them.

Stay on formed paths and well back from cliff edges; the limestone cliffs can collapse without warning.

Waves and strong winds have cut softer limestone away from the headlands, leaving stacks, arches and small offshore islands. Rainwater also seeps into cracks and wears the rock back. These shapes are part of an ongoing coastal process that has worked over thousands of years.

Bay of Islands Coastal Park acknowledges Eastern Maar Traditional Owners and their continuing connection to Country across western Victoria. In the wider park, spring wildflowers brighten coastal heath, and Southern Right Whales are often seen offshore near Peterborough from May to October. Treat whale sightings as a seasonal chance along the coast, not a promise from these platforms.