Explore Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia, with this interactive street and satellite map. You can “grab” the Cape Otway, VIC map and move it around to re-centre it. You can change between standard map view and satellite map view by clicking the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. You can use the zoom buttons on the lower right side of the map to zoom in or out to street-level detail.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — Geoscience Australia topographic mapping and the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 sheets — plus a labelled MGA grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below. You will find live weather, local and world news further down the page.
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture to zoom in and out.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen for a larger view. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key on your keyboard, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
Drag the map to pan to any area of Victoria or beyond. Switch to Satellite view to see high-resolution aerial photography of Cape Otway and surrounding areas, including streets, buildings, parks and waterways.
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the Geoscience Australia National Base Map — seamless topographic mapping covering the mainland, Tasmania and the external territories. NATMAP 250K shows the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 map sheets, mosaicked nationwide — the printed sheets generations of Australians navigated the outback with. The search box finds any Australian town, suburb or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Cape Otway.
Reading the map like a paper sheet. Click Grid to overlay the Map Grid of Australia (MGA), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as an MGA grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what emergency services and search and rescue work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need mobile coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load, which across much of inland Australia is most of the time.
Map search is available for a limited number of queries per session to manage costs. Be specific — search precisely for best results.
| Locality | Cape Otway |
| State | Victoria (VIC) |
| Local Government Area | Colac Otway Shire |
| Country | Australia |
| Timezone | Australian Eastern Time (AEST/AEDT) |
| Remoteness | Outer Regional Australia |
| Latitude | -38.77925 |
| Longitude | 143.57546 |
| Population | 33 |
| Density | 0.4 /km² |
| Area | 82.2 km² |
| Elevation | 70 m |
| Postcode | 3233 |
| Area Code | 03 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 162 km southwest |
Cape Otway is a locality in the Colac Otway Shire local government area of Victoria, Australia. It is a small community with a population of 33. The locality covers an area of 82.2 km², giving a population density of about 0.4 people per km². It sits at an elevation of around 70 m above sea level. It lies approximately 162 km southwest of Melbourne. Cape Otway is located at 38.7792°S, 143.5755°E. It observes Australian Eastern Time (AEST/AEDT). Postcode: 3233. The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies the area as Outer Regional Australia.
Cape Otway clings to the wild southwestern edge of Victoria, a place where the Southern Ocean asserts its dominion with a raw, untamed beauty. It lies 98.1 km south-west of Geelong, VIC (from Geelong, VIC: bearing 224°T), and is situated 7.4 km south-west of Apollo Bay. Here, the land plunges dramatically towards the sea, a rugged tapestry of ancient temperate rainforest, heathlands ablaze with colour in spring, and windswept cliffs that stand sentinel against the relentless surf. The air, perpetually carrying the tang of salt and eucalyptus, feels clean and invigorating, a constant reminder of the vast, unpopulated wilderness that stretches inland. Towering grey gums, their bark peeling like ancient parchment, dominate the higher ground, while ferns unfurl their delicate fronds in the dappled, humid gloom of the gullies, creating a landscape that hums with a quiet, persistent life.
The history of Cape Otway is etched in the very stones of its iconic lighthouse, a steadfast beacon that has guided countless mariners through treacherous waters since its construction in 1848. This sentinel of the sea stands as a testament to the perilous journeys undertaken by early settlers and the vital role this remote outpost played in connecting Australia to the wider world. For generations, the local economy has been shaped by the unforgiving coast, with fishing and timber milling forming the backbone of livelihoods, though today, tourism plays an increasingly significant part, drawing visitors to its dramatic coastline and the Great Ocean Road. The character of Cape Otway is one of resilience and quiet self-sufficiency, a place where the elements dictate the pace of life and the sheer grandeur of the natural world inspires a profound sense of awe.
Sources: curated tourist landmarks, CAPAD 2024 (Australian protected areas), OpenStreetMap.
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This page provides a street and satellite map of Cape Otway, Victoria. Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorially written description provides background on Cape Otway, in the Colac Otway Shire local government area.
Detailed location data for Cape Otway includes the postcode (3233), telephone area code (03), and local government area (Colac Otway Shire), with an ABS remoteness classification of Outer Regional Australia. These are among the most commonly searched location details for any Australian city, town or locality.
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any Australian town, suburb or landmark by name; offers Geoscience Australia topographic mapping and the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 sheets as base layers; overlays a labelled Map Grid of Australia (MGA) so the map can be read like a printed topographic sheet; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as an MGA grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
Location data is drawn from Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020) and enriched with GeoNames and Australian Bureau of Statistics data, matched by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Cape Otway is identified even where the name is shared across multiple localities.
| Page generated | October 2026 |
| Location data | Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020); enriched with GeoNames and ABS 2021 Census data, matched by coordinate proximity |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; © Geoscience Australia National Base Map and NATMAP 1:250 000 (CC BY 4.0); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Description | Editorial description generated with AI assistance from verified Geoscape, ABS and GeoNames location data. |