Cape Otway Cemetery

Cape Otway Cemetery is a historic burial ground reached on foot from the far end of the Cape Otway Lightstation car park. The path climbs on gravel to a high point, then descends on sand to the graves. The listed return distance varies from 1.6 to 2.8 km; allow about 40 minutes and follow the marked route. Access notes do not clearly say whether the walk requires Lightstation admission, so check before setting out.

The high point comes before the cemetery and looks toward the lighthouse, the historic telegraph station and the ocean. The route passes through beard heath, then turns downhill on sand toward the graves. You can turn around at the lookout if that is the part you came for.

The cemetery is linked to the people who lived at this remote station: lighthouse keepers, their families and other residents of the Cape in the 19th century. The light began operating in 1848 and was decommissioned in January 1994, after the longest continuous run of any light on the Australian mainland.