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The James Cook Heritage Trail

Red Point

Grade 2: Certainly not in the condition the area was when Cook passed by, but great views of the coast to the north and south from Port Kembla Scenic Lookout.

Situation: Port Kembla, south of Wollongong. Head for the prominent hill above Red Point which is the Port Kembla Scenic Lookout or Hill 60. Red Point is below and the red colour of the of the rock is evident. Sublime views to the north and south, but Red Point itself is blighted by its proximity to the Port Kembla Wastewater Treatment Plant. It is possible to walk down to the Point itself.

Coordinates (decimal): 34.49 S 150.93 E

Endeavour Journal, 25 April 1770:

8 Leagues to the northward of this [Long Nose at Jervis Bay] is a point which I calld Red Point, some part of the land about it appeared of that colour (Latitude 34.29 Longde 208.49) a little way inland to the NW of this point is a round hill the top of which look’d like the Crown of a hatt.

Continuing his search for a watering place, Cook came inshore just to the north of Red Point so would have seen the red rock from close to the shore.

From the shore in this area there are two hills, Mount Kembla and Mount Kiera, that seem to fit Cook’s description. It seems likely that Cook’s Hat Hill, which he says was NW of Red Point, is Mount Keira which is both nearer to NW than Mount Kembla and also the dominant feature when approached from the south as Cook did.

However at Bendalong, half an hour north of Ulladulla, it is locally believed that a local feature, Red Head, is Cook’s Red Point. Red Head certainly has distinctive red soil on its headland which can be seen from well out at sea. Shoalhaven Council promote this notion on their website https://www.shoalhaven.com/bendalong-shoalhaven-south-coast-nsw Cook’s coordinates suggest otherwise.