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Blanket Bay is a small bay on the coast of 
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Australia. The foreshore is part of the Cape Otway
Cape Otway is a cape and a bounded locality of the Colac Otway Shire in southern Victoria, Australia on the Great Ocean Road; much of the area is enclosed in the Great Otway National Park.
History
Cape Otway was originally inhabited by the Gadub ...
National park.
Location and features
The bay's beach is protected by rock platforms and outer reefs. The bay is surrounded by steep slopingManna Gum
''Eucalyptus viminalis'', commonly known as the manna gum, white gum or ribbon gum, is a species of small to very tall tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark near the base, lance-shaped to c ...
forests and rugged rock and reef coastline. The sandy beach being about 200 metres long. A creek flows into the beach
The area adjacent to the bay is a camping ground and linked by hiking trails of the Great Ocean Walk
The Great Ocean Walk is a walking trail on Victoria's southwest coast in Australia, traversing several areas of historical and cultural significance. The track makes extensive usage of eco-friendly facilities; with Parks Victoria and tour guide o ...
.
Remains of the 1880s jetty built for landing supplies can still be seen at low tide.
History
In 1846, a number ofGadubanud
The Gadubanud (Katubanut), also known as the Pallidurgbarran, Yarro waetch or Cape Otway tribe ( Tindale), are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Victoria. Their territory encompasses the rainforest plateau and rugged coastline of ...
aboriginal people where massacred
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
in a revenge expedition, after a member of an early colonial surveying party was killed.
In 1877 a road gang was landed at the bay to construct a track to the Cape Otway lighthouse. Parker River was previously used to delivery provisions to the lighthouse but was deemed too treacherous.
Blanket Bay was once a unloading point for stores arriving by ship to supply the Cape Otway lighthouse
Cape Otway Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Cape Otway in southern Victoria, Australia. It is Victoria's oldest working lighthouse. During winter to spring, the lighthouse is a vantage point for land-based whale watching as migrating whales swim ve ...
that is six kilometers away. It was used for three decades.
In 1896, three mariners (chief officer Mr. Griffiths, able seaman Mathieson, and casual hand Thomas Monk died in rough surf when their boat capsized while coming ashore at Blanket Bay. The Government steamer Lady Loch had left Melbourne port of Williamstown and had docked at Apollo Bay
Apollo Bay is a coastal town in southwestern Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the eastern side of Cape Otway, along the edge of the Barham River and on the Great Ocean Road, in the Colac Otway Shire. The town had a population of 1,790 at ...
before attempting to deliver six months of provisions for the lighthouse keepers.
References