South West Cape | |
Cape | |
Country | Australia |
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State | Tasmania |
Region | South West |
Coordinates | 43°34′12″S 146°01′48″E / 43.57000°S 146.03000°ECoordinates: 43°34′12″S 146°01′48″E / 43.57000°S 146.03000°E |
Easiest access | South Coast Track |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
Name | Tasmanian Wilderness |
Year | 1982 (#6) |
Number | 181 |
Region | Oceania |
Criteria | Mixed |
National park | Southwest NP |
Location of South West Cape in Tasmania
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The South West Cape is a cape located at the south-west corner of Tasmania, Australia. The cape is situated in the south-western corner of the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) southwest of Hobart in Tasmania, and about 65 kilometres (40 mi) west and a little north of the South East Cape.
The cape is bound to the southeast and southwest by the Southern Ocean and is located south of Low Rocky Point and Point Hibbs.
The South West Cape Range provides a buffer between the cape and the inland wilderness area to the east and north, and the next range to the east is the Melaleuca Range. The high point of the southern end of the range, closest to the cape is Mount Karamu at 439 m. The mount is named after the USS steam ship which foundered off the cape in 1925
Wrecks and foundering of boats up to 500 kilometres (310 mi) away in distance, are usually referred to this cape as an identification point, and mapping of the area usually uses the cape as a boundary between sections of the coast.