Harmers Haven

From the western edge of town signposts lead 5 km south to the beach of Harmers Haven, named after the first European settler, where Aboriginal cooking middens can still be seen. This area is suitable for fishing, snorkelling amid the submerged rock platforms and surfing but not for swimming. Some old tram rails indicate how the coal was transported in the 1850s from the area known as the 'Old Boilers' to Cape Paterson for loading onto seafaring vessels. Most of the railing was removed to Mitchell's Mine at Kilcunda. Wreck Beach Just south is Wreck Beach, named after the remnants of the 1038-ton Artisan, which foundered in 1901 with a 17-man crew on-board. It was in this area that Richard Davis located a coal seam and walked to Melbourne with a 50-lb sack of coal on his back in order to qualify for a £1000 reward proposed by Governor La Trobe in 1852. He received the money minus the cost of sinking the Rock and Queen Shaft on the site.

Cape Paterson

Cape Paterson is a small township on the coast 8 km south of Wonthaggi. Nearby are Safety Beach (suitable for swimming, fishing, snorkelling and beachcombing with a rock pool for safe swimming) and Surf Beach which, as its name suggests, is good for surfing. There are scenic walking tracks along the cliff face. Entry is beside the toilet block. There are facilities at both beaches and beach inspectors in summer.

The actual Cape itself was named by George Bass after Lieutenant Cornell Paterson, the second-in-command at Botany Bay. Explorer, William Hovell, carved his initials in a large cave at Browns Bay when he discovered the coal seam in 1826. The first two Aborigines to be hanged in Melbourne were convicted of murdering two miners who were working the seam for Samuel Anderson.

 A trip from Cape Paterson to Inverloch can be made either by car - a 15-km drive which leads through the Bunurang Cliffs Coastal Reserve - or by foot - a five-hour walk along the coast. In the latter case it is best to set off two hours before low tide. This walking track incorporates a number of rocky outcrops with excellent sea views, including Eagle's Nest.

Powlett River

12 km west of Wonthaggi along the Bass Highway (2 km east of Kilcunda) there are signposts which direct you to off the Bass Highway to a picnic and barbecue spot on the river flats at the mouth of the Powlett River where a salt-marsh community of wetland birds can be found. Fishing, swimming and canoeing can be enjoyed in the river but the estuary is dangerous for swimmers.