Cape Otway Lightstation

The first operas were performed in Australia around the time Cape Otway Lightstation was built.

Australians took opera into their hearts when English semi-operas were first performed at colonial theatres in the 1840s and in the next decade large theatres were built to accommodate bigger productions, but it wasn’t until 1861 that Australian audiences saw their first full-scale productions of European operas.

It was in 1848 that Cape Otway Lightstation was opened in response to the Cataraqui founding off King Island – more than 350 lives were lost. Public outcry at the number of lives of free-settler migrant Europeans being lost en route to Port Phillip forced the Government into commissioning a series of lighthouses in Bass Strait.

While cultural life was beginning to flourish in Melbourne, life at Cape Otway was very different for the keepers and their families.

Although Cape Otway is less than a three hour drive from Melbourne today, when the Lightstation was opened there were no roads. The first keepers and their wives had to be resourceful, resilient and hard-working.

Apart from keeping the ‘Beacon of Hope’ operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, they were largely self sufficient, relying on supply ships calling in just twice a year.

By 1854 a Telegraph Station was built in the grounds of the Lighthouse and in World War Two a secret coastal defence radar station was built just metres from the Lightstation.

The Lightstation is approximately 12km off the Great Ocean Road, between Apollo Bay & Lavers Hill – find us on the map. Don’t forget to look out for koalas once you turn off – you’re almost guaranteed to see them.

The Lightstation will be open until after sunset so patrons are encouraged to linger after the opera and enjoy the grounds. The café will remain open, where dinner can also be purchased – please book in advance to avoid disappointment.