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Cape Jaffa Lighthouse

Climb a working piece of history

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schedule 1 min read / Updated Jun 2026

The Cape Jaffa Lighthouse is a rare surviving example of a screw-pile lighthouse that once stood offshore in Lacepede Bay before being relocated to Kingston SE on the Limestone Coast. Now managed as a heritage museum by the National Trust of South Australia, the lighthouse offers guided tours up its 85-step helical staircase to a panoramic viewing platform above the Southern Ocean. It stands as one of the most intact historic lighthouse structures in South Australia.

Originally built in 1869 on a screw-pile platform anchored to the shallow seabed off Cape Jaffa, the lighthouse guided mariners along the treacherous South Australian coastline for over a century. When it was decommissioned in 1973, the structure was relocated to its current position on Marine Parade in Kingston SE and reopened to the public as a museum in 1976 under the care of the National Trust. The 85-step helical staircase leads visitors to the lantern room, from which views extend across Lacepede Bay and the surrounding coastal landscape.

Tours run hourly from 10am to 3pm during South Australian school holidays, with guided visits available by appointment outside those periods. The museum interior documents the lives of the lighthouse keepers and the engineering challenges involved in building and maintaining an offshore structure. National Trust members receive complimentary entry. Kingston SE is approximately 50 kilometres north of Robe, making it an easy day-trip addition for visitors exploring the Limestone Coast.

Scenic views

Lookouts near Cape Jaffa Lighthouse.

All South Australia lookouts east

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