The Bluff

The Bluff, also known as Rosetta Head, is a prominent coastal headland and recreation reserve at the western end of Encounter Bay in Victor Harbor, South Australia. Rising about 97 metres above sea level, it offers panoramic views over Encounter Bay, Granite Island, Horseshoe Bay and the Fleurieu Peninsula. The site features a walking trail to the summit, lookout platforms and is a well-known land-based whale watching location.

Visitors can expect a short but steep walking trail from the base car park to the summit of Rosetta Head, with sealed and unsealed sections, steps and lookout platforms. The summit provides 360-degree views of Victor Harbor, Granite Island and Causeway, Encounter Bay and the coastline. The reserve has coastal vegetation, interpretive signage, seating and open grassy areas at the base. The area is exposed to wind and has unfenced cliff edges near lookouts.

Rosetta Head was named in 1837 after Rosetta French, wife of a surveyor. The headland and surrounding Encounter Bay area was an early 19th-century shore-based whaling station. The reserve retains evidence of its natural coastal geology and early European maritime use.

The headland is known to the Ramindjeri people of the Ngarrindjeri nation as Kongkengguwar and holds cultural significance as part of Encounter Bay Country. Interpretive signage acknowledges Aboriginal connection to the land and sea.