Cape Pembroke Lighthouse

The archipelago ends eastward at Cape Pembroke, and the lighthouse holds the point: first lit in 1855 and rebuilt in 1906, an eighteen-metre cast-iron tower set against the constant wind, warning shipping off the approaches where the offshore Billy Rock had claimed some fifteen ships. The cape's heath walks to the tower past wind-carved heath and the odd sheltering penguin, the museum in Stanley arranges access to the tower, and the top's panorama - ocean three ways, Stanley's colour behind - explains the site's purpose at a glance.

Highlights

• The cast-iron tower - the point's sentinel since 1855, rebuilt 1906.
• The wreck-chart waters - the approaches that earned the light.
• The cape heath - wind-carved walking to the point.
• The tower panorama - ocean three ways by museum key.

When to go

November to February for kindest walking; the wind attends all seasons as principal resident. Tower access arranges through the museum - ask ahead.

What to expect

The cape is exposed utterly - wind discipline in clothing and footing; the track suits 4x4 or a committed walk. The tower opens by arrangement, not schedule.

Nearby

Stanley, Gypsy Cove and the Surf Bay coast.