The Bluff Summit Walk & Lookout Victor Harbor

The Bluff, also known as Rosetta Head or Kongkengguwarr, is one of Victor Harbor’s favourite tourist attractions offering a fabulous 360 degree view of this picturesque coastal region.  From the top of the rocks you can take in the rugged coastline to the west, gaze for miles out to sea and look back over the landscape of Victor’s sprawling township.

To get to the Bluff take a drive west from the town centre and follow the signs.  As you head up the hill past the old Whalers Restaurant you enter a one way road that will take you to a couple of car parks.  The first carpark looks back over Victor Harbor, but if you continue on to the second car park you can start with a view of the coastline to the west and begin your walk up to the top.  The car parks are often full, but visitors come and go regularly so it’s usually not too long to wait.

The paths are well worn and easy to follow, but are a little slippery in parts with loose rocks underfoot.  The Bluff is approximately 100m high and the walk is graded as medium to steep.  The full summit walk is about 850m in total, but you can just choose to walk up and back down the same path if you don’t want to continue all the way around.

Once at the top the view is spectacular, especially along the coastline to the west where the ocean crashes into the beautiful rugged cliffs.  To the east you can see Granite Island, Wright Island and right out to Seal Rock, home to New Zealand Fur Seals and Australian Sea Lions.  The island to the west is of course, West Island, and below is Petrel Cove which you can walk down to from the lower car park to discover a sheltered beach.  Along the clifftops are walking trails and bike paths – an adventure for another day!

At the summit is a memorial plaque from 1902 with information about the men who explored this region and how the area came to be named Encounter Bay. The huge rounded granite boulders are an amazing feature up here and are a magnet for children to climb, explore and play amongst.  If you take along some binoculars you may be able to spot a sea lion or fur seal over on Seal Rock, or if you visit during whale watching season in the winter months you may be lucky to spot a family of Southern Right Whales (they are often close enough to not need binoculars!)  The Bluff is also home to the remains of the old Coolanine Mine.

There are cafes along Encounter Bay to stop off for a coffee and an ice cream, or you can head into Victor Harbor for a spot of shopping and something to eat.  There are no facilities at the Bluff.  Remember to dress warmly as the weather can be harsh during the cooler months, although you will warm up on the walk.  Don’t forget a camera!

Location:

For more information and all enquiries please visit the City of Victor Harbor website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

Image Source: Play & Go 2014

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