Cape Northumberland (South Australia)
History
Cape Northumberland was named by the Royal Navy officer, James Grant, on 3 December 1800, when he was mapping the southern coast of Australia in his early-19th century expedition. The headland was named after Hugh Percy, Duke of Northumberland. The cape is near the site of the historic Cape Northumberland Lighthouse, built in 1887. A new lighthouse has been constructed about 700 metres (2,300 ft) north of Cape Northumberland.
Geography
The cape is located on the southeast coast of South Australia. It is the western end of Discovery Bay and its subsidiary, MacDonnell Bay. The cape was described in 2017 in an American source as being "about 30 metres (98 ft) high, is rugged and cliffy, with a hill rising to an elevation of 41 metres (135 ft) behind it. It is the southernmost point on the South Australian coastline.
Climate
| Climate data for Cape Northumberland (1864-2006) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 42.0 (107.6) |
43.2 (109.8) |
41.4 (106.5) |
34.5 (94.1) |
27.9 (82.2) |
22.3 (72.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
25.1 (77.2) |
32.3 (90.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
41.8 (107.2) |
41.2 (106.2) |
43.2 (109.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.7 (71.1) |
21.9 (71.4) |
20.6 (69.1) |
18.8 (65.8) |
16.4 (61.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
13.8 (56.8) |
14.5 (58.1) |
15.8 (60.4) |
17.4 (63.3) |
18.9 (66.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.6 (56.5) |
13.9 (57.0) |
12.8 (55.0) |
10.9 (51.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
7.6 (45.7) |
6.7 (44.1) |
7.1 (44.8) |
8.1 (46.6) |
9.3 (48.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
12.3 (54.1) |
10.2 (50.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) |
5.4 (41.7) |
4.5 (40.1) |
2.4 (36.3) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
1.0 (33.8) |
3.6 (38.5) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 25.4 (1.00) |
24.8 (0.98) |
31.6 (1.24) |
55.0 (2.17) |
77.6 (3.06) |
97.7 (3.85) |
104.5 (4.11) |
94.7 (3.73) |
66.7 (2.63) |
52.2 (2.06) |
38.4 (1.51) |
34.6 (1.36) |
706.3 (27.81) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 7.8 | 6.8 | 9.8 | 13.8 | 17.7 | 19.5 | 21.4 | 20.7 | 17.7 | 15.2 | 11.4 | 10.0 | 171.8 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 73 | 73 | 75 | 74 | 77 | 79 | 78 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 75 | 75 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology. | |||||||||||||
Gallery
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The first Cape Northumberland Lighthouse -
The sign at Cape Northumberland, marking South Australia's southernmost point -
![A satellite image of Cape Northumberland (left) showing its relationship to the coastline to its immediate east including the James Corcoran Breakwater[5]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/CapeNorthumberland_Satellite.png/200px-CapeNorthumberland_Satellite.png)
A satellite image of Cape Northumberland (left) showing its relationship to the coastline to its immediate east including the James Corcoran Breakwater
![A satellite image of Cape Northumberland (left) showing its relationship to the coastline to its immediate east including the James Corcoran Breakwater[5]](/key/File:CapeNorthumberland_Satellite.png)