Cape Bridgewater is a remnant of a volcanic crater overlain by pleistocene sandy limestones and holocene dunes. It lies west of Portland, looking back east to Cape Nelson across Bridgewater bay, with many interesting features. We visitied on a day trip from Portland, dodging a little rain.
Seal Colony
From just up the hill from Bridgewater Bay Cafe a coastal track follows the cliffline and climbs up the 130m high cape. On the rock platforms below the cape are two seal colonies, one Australian and the other New Zealand fur seals. They can be seen on the rock platforms and playing in the waves off the cape.
The walk is a few kilometer each way. We had lunch perched on the end of the Cape and then heade dback for a coffe at the cafe (just as the rain hit). Allow a couple of hours to enjoy the walk.
You can see the and hear the seals on the rocks and see them in the surging sea of the rocks.
Petrified Forest and BlowHoles
The Petrified Forest on the southwestern side of Cape Bridgewater is an area with an unusual landscape of calcified casts of an ancient forest, exposed by erosion. It appears as if the trees were there yesterday and suddenly have vanished to leave their shadows in the sandy calcified casts of all shapes and sizes.
Near the Petrified forest the black basalt rock have eroded into blowholes where the ocean waves crash in.
Whites Beach
Whites beach is on the westenr side of Cape Bridgewater, and has a small intertidal zone. Apparently its popular with divers and surfers but is noted for its strong seas crashing onto the rocks so not advised for swimming. Today in the drizzling rain it was very quiet. Its shows a different coastal landscape from the volcanic cliffs on the eastern side.
We had a good day looking around at Cape Bridgewater and were lucky to do the walk to the seal colony without rain and didn’t get very wet visiting the other attractions.