Granite Cliffs, Ocean Passage and South Australia’s First Lighthouse

Overview

Cape Willoughby Conservation Park sits at the eastern end of Kangaroo Island, about 27 kilometres south-east of Penneshaw and roughly 155 kilometres from Adelaide. This is a compact coastal park, but it has a strong sense of place, with exposed headlands, steep granite country and open sea on both sides of the peninsula.

The setting is closely tied to Backstairs Passage, the narrow stretch of water between Kangaroo Island and the mainland. The park is also known for the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, first lit in January 1852, which marked one of the key sea routes into South Australia in the colony’s early years.

Highlights

The big draw here is the meeting of land and sea. Clifftop country drops sharply toward the water, giving the park a dramatic edge and long views over Backstairs Passage and the Southern Ocean. The exposed position means the light, wind and sea can change the feel of the place very quickly, from calm and clear to wild and grey.

The granite around Cape Willoughby adds to that character. Near the lighthouse, old quarrying sites are still evident in the rock, and the headland has a rugged, weathered look that suits this far-eastern corner of Kangaroo Island.

Best Time to Visit

The cooler months are often the most rewarding time to be here, when the air is clearer and the coastline tends to feel at its most crisp and expansive. From mid-May to late October, this part of the coast is also a recognised whale-watching season, with southern right whales the species most often seen and occasional sightings of humpbacks, sperm whales, blue whales and orca.

Spring is another good fit if you want milder weather and a greener look across the headland. In summer, the open, treeless parts of the park can feel harsher and more exposed.

Plants and Animals

Cape Willoughby protects a modified but still important coastal landscape, and ecological restoration has been a focus here because of the park’s earlier history of clearance. Revegetation work has aimed to improve habitat for the Kangaroo Island glossy black-cockatoo, one of the island’s best known threatened species.

The wider eastern Kangaroo Island park network also supports important habitat for species such as white-bellied sea eagle and eastern osprey, and parts of this coastline sit within nationally important migratory shorebird habitat. Offshore, whale activity adds another layer to the park’s wildlife interest during the cooler part of the year.

Culture and Heritage

The park has both First Nations and historic heritage importance. Across the eastern Kangaroo Island parks, the landscape is described as culturally and spiritually significant for the Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri peoples, and cultural connections to these places continue.

Cape Willoughby is also one of South Australia’s key maritime heritage sites. The lighthouse tower is on the South Australian Heritage Register and was the first lighthouse built in the state, first lit in 1852. The keeper cottages beside it add to the historic character of the headland and reflect the period when ships travelling from the eastern colonies to Adelaide relied on this coast as a guide through Backstairs Passage.