Cape Liptrap Coastal Park

Stretching along the coast from the sand barrier of Point Smythe to the sheltered waters of Waratah Bay, Cape Liptrap Coastal Park has strikingly beautiful scenery.
The coastal park transforms from being a peaceful coastal area to wild, windy and awe inspiring in stormy weather. Whatever the season, Cape Liptrap Coastal Park is worth exploring.

The small township and bustling port of Waratah (now Walkerville) operated from 1875 to 1926 to supply lime to the Melbourne building industry. Limestone mined from the cliffs was burnt with firewood in brick lined-kilns (resembling up-turned bottles) to produce quick lime. The lime was then bagged and hauled in tram carts along a 350 metre jetty which once stretched out into the bay to waiting ships.

Relics of the lime industry remain in the park including the ruins of the kilns in the cliffs at Walkerville South and the formation of tramways which were once used for hauling firewood to the kilns.

A lighthouse was established at Cape Liptrap in 1913 to improve the safety of coastal shipping. In 1951 the steel tower was dismantled and replaced with the current structure. The light is still in operation and has a range of 18 nautical miles (over 34 kilometres).