Cape Jervis, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Cape Jervis is a town at the southwestern tip of Fleurieu Peninsula
in South Australia
, approximately 108 km south of Adelaide
. The population is approximately 300 people and growing rapidly, with a new estate (Cape Jervis heights) situated behind the main town. Cape Jervis falls under the local governance of the District Council of Yankalilla
.
Matthew Flinders
named Cape Jervis after John Jervis
, the British First Lord of the Admiralty in 1802.
Cape Jervis marks the beginning of the famous Heysen Trail
walking track which extends all the way to the Flinders Ranges
. It is also close to Deep Creek Conservation Park
and Talisker Conservation Park.
There are two nearby beaches - sandy Morgan's Beach, and pebbly Fisheries Beach (with remains of an old whaling station).
The waters surrounding Cape Jervis are part of Backstairs Passage and have excellent fishing.
Vehicle ferries use Cape Jervis as the mainland port for the crossing of Backstairs Passage
to Penneshaw
on Kangaroo Island
.
Fleurieu Peninsula
The Fleurieu Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia. It was named after the French explorer and hydrographer Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin as he mapped the south coast of Australia in 1802.Towns of interest in the...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, approximately 108 km south of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. The population is approximately 300 people and growing rapidly, with a new estate (Cape Jervis heights) situated behind the main town. Cape Jervis falls under the local governance of the District Council of Yankalilla
District Council of Yankalilla
The District Council of Yankalilla is a Local Government Area centred on the town of Yankalilla on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula. The council was established in 1854, two years after legislation was passed allowing the formation of District Councils in South Australia.The district has a rich...
.
Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
named Cape Jervis after John Jervis
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
, the British First Lord of the Admiralty in 1802.
Cape Jervis marks the beginning of the famous Heysen Trail
Heysen Trail
The Heysen Trail is a long distance walking trail in South Australia. It runs from Parachilna Gorge, in the Flinders Ranges via the Adelaide Hills to Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula and is approximately 1200 km in length....
walking track which extends all the way to the Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
. It is also close to Deep Creek Conservation Park
Deep Creek Conservation Park
Deep Creek Conservation Park is 45 square kilometres of natural Australian bush land located at the southern end of Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, 11 km east of Cape Jervis. It has spectacular cliffs fronting the Southern Ocean. The total of 18 km of coastline include views across...
and Talisker Conservation Park.
There are two nearby beaches - sandy Morgan's Beach, and pebbly Fisheries Beach (with remains of an old whaling station).
The waters surrounding Cape Jervis are part of Backstairs Passage and have excellent fishing.
Vehicle ferries use Cape Jervis as the mainland port for the crossing of Backstairs Passage
Backstairs Passage
Backstairs Passage is a body of water lying between Cape Jervis on the Australian mainland and Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It disappeared under the rising sea around 13,000 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene era....
to Penneshaw
Penneshaw, South Australia
Penneshaw is a township on the northeast coast of the Dudley Peninsula on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, and is the island's main ferry port with regular services from Cape Jervis. Penneshaw features a Maritime and Folk Museum, and evening tours to a colony of Little Penguin, the only species...
on Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
.