Cape Naturaliste is a headland in the south western region of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

 at the western edge of the Geographe Bay

Geographe Bay

Geographe Bay is located in the South West of Western Australia around 220 km southwest of Perth.The bay was named in May 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin; Baudin named the bay after his ship, Géographe. The bay is a wide curve of coastline extending from Cape Naturaliste past the towns...

. It is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge which was named after the cape. Also the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park

Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park

Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia , 267 km south of Perth.It is named after the two locations at either end of the park which have lighthouses, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste....

 and the Cape to Cape hiking track

Cape to Cape Track

The Cape to Cape Walk Track is a long-distance walk trail located in the far south-west corner of Western Australia, 250 km south of Perth. It meanders along the whole length of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, which forms the backbone of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Its start and finish...

 were named after this location.

Settlements

The nearest settlement is Bunker Bay - a community that evolved from holiday shacks to very expensive housing for wealthy residents. Further east, across the Bay, is Dunsborough - a much older settlement. Busselton

Busselton, Western Australia

-Growth and development:According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Shire had a permanent resident population of 25,950 in 2004 with the town of Busselton accounting for 67% or 17,400 of the total. The Shire's permanent population is expected to continue to increase significantly to...

 is located still further east from there.

Lighthouse

Cape Naturaliste is also the site of a lighthouse which was activated in 1904. It is a 20 m high cylindrical tower built of limestone that still uses its original first order Fresnel lens

Fresnel lens

A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...

 made by Chance Brothers

Chance Brothers

Chance Brothers and Company was a glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands , in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassmaking technology....

. The light characteristic is "Fl. (2) 10 s", i.e. a group of two flashes every ten seconds, the focal plane is at 123 m above sea level. Another precious lens optic is displayed there, the second order Fresnel lens of the Jarman Island Light, as well as the original Great Sandy Islands beacon. Both items were originally used on the Pilbara coast further north.

The lighthouse was constructed of limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 quarried from nearby Bunker Bay, which was also known as the "Quarries".