Cape Leveque

Cape Leveque is a remote headland at the northern tip of the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, about 200 kilometres north of Broome. Known for its striking contrast of red pindan cliffs, white sandy beaches and turquoise Indian Ocean waters, it is home to the historic 1911 lighthouse and the Aboriginal-owned Kooljaman wilderness camp. The cape lies on Bardi Jawi country and offers wilderness beaches, cultural tours and camping.

Visitors can expect a remote coastal wilderness where dramatic red cliffs meet long white-sand beaches on both the east and west sides of the cape. The Indian Ocean is turquoise and clear, suitable for swimming and snorkelling in calm conditions. The area centres on the white Cape Leveque lighthouse and the low-impact Kooljaman camp with cabins, campsites and a restaurant. Surroundings are undeveloped bushland with walking tracks, fishing spots and cultural tour opportunities on Bardi Jawi land.

Cape Leveque was named in 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin after hydrographer Pierre Leveque. The Cape Leveque Lighthouse was constructed in 1911 and remains an important navigation aid for the Kimberley coast. The area has long been used by pearling and fishing industries and later developed for low-impact tourism through the Aboriginal-owned Kooljaman venture established in the 1980s.

Cape Leveque lies on the traditional land of the Bardi Jawi people, who are the Traditional Owners of the northern Dampier Peninsula. The cape and surrounding beaches, reefs and bushland hold cultural significance and are managed with Traditional Owner involvement. Kooljaman at Cape Leveque is an Aboriginal-owned wilderness camp that shares Bardi Jawi culture through guided tours, storytelling and sustainable tourism.