Cape Naturaliste facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cape NaturalisteWestern Australia |
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Picture of Cape Naturaliste, WA
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Cape Naturaliste is a headland in the south western region of Western Australia at the western edge of the Geographe Bay. It is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge which was named after the cape. Also the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and the Cape to Cape hiking track 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 as well as featuring a popular beach resort. Further east, across the Bay, is Dunsborough, a much older settlement. Busselton is located still further east from there.
History
The first peoples in Cape Naturaliste were the Wardandi Aboriginals, who called it "Kwirreejeenungup", meaning "the place with the beautiful view". In 1801, the French navigator Nicolas Baudin stopped here on 30 May during his exploration of Australia. The French were mapping the coast of New Holland (Australia). Baudin named the bay they found Geographe Bay, after his flagship, Géographe. Later, the cape was named after the expedition's second ship, Naturaliste.
Climate
Cape Naturaliste has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb; with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
| Climate data for Cape Naturaliste (33º32'S, 115º01'E, 109 m AMSL) (1903-2024 normals and extremes) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.6 (105.1) |
39.4 (102.9) |
37.4 (99.3) |
32.1 (89.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
24.3 (75.7) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.6 (74.5) |
27.5 (81.5) |
31.7 (89.1) |
36.7 (98.1) |
38.5 (101.3) |
40.6 (105.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.6 (78.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
24.6 (76.3) |
22.0 (71.6) |
19.3 (66.7) |
17.4 (63.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
16.5 (61.7) |
17.4 (63.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
21.6 (70.9) |
23.8 (74.8) |
20.8 (69.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) |
15.7 (60.3) |
15.1 (59.2) |
13.9 (57.0) |
12.6 (54.7) |
11.5 (52.7) |
10.5 (50.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
10.4 (50.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
12.5 (54.5) |
14.0 (57.2) |
12.7 (54.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) |
8.9 (48.0) |
6.4 (43.5) |
5.1 (41.2) |
6.1 (43.0) |
4.2 (39.6) |
4.1 (39.4) |
3.7 (38.7) |
3.8 (38.8) |
4.6 (40.3) |
5.2 (41.4) |
7.5 (45.5) |
3.7 (38.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 10.6 (0.42) |
11.7 (0.46) |
22.9 (0.90) |
44.2 (1.74) |
113.6 (4.47) |
160.2 (6.31) |
158.8 (6.25) |
112.2 (4.42) |
75.1 (2.96) |
48.6 (1.91) |
25.4 (1.00) |
13.1 (0.52) |
793.6 (31.24) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.9 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 6.6 | 12.9 | 16.7 | 18.8 | 16.4 | 12.6 | 8.9 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 107.6 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 57 | 56 | 58 | 62 | 69 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 65 | 61 | 59 | 64 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 14.1 (57.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
13.6 (56.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
11.8 (53.2) |
10.8 (51.4) |
9.8 (49.6) |
9.5 (49.1) |
9.9 (49.8) |
10.6 (51.1) |
11.9 (53.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
11.8 (53.3) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | |||||||||||||
