Cape Fourcroy is located at the western tip of Bathurst Island.

Cyclone Tracy Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had been observed passing clear of the city initially, but then turned t ...

passed through here in December 1974. It is the location of

Cape Fourcroy Light Cape Fourcroy Light is an active lighthouse located on Cape Fourcroy, on the southwestern tip of Bathurst Island, Northern Territory, Australia. The lighthouse marks the beginning of the route from the Timor Sea to Darwin. The lighthouse was ...

, an active

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

. It is believed that the cape was named after

Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

, on 26 July 1803 by

Louis de Freycinet Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (7 August 1779 – 18 August 1841) was a French Navy officer. He circumnavigated the earth, and in 1811 published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia. Biography He was born at ...

, on his journey on the '' Géographe'', in Baudin's expedition to Australia. On the 31 December 1942, a 31 Squadron

Bristol Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...

crashed near the Cape, but both crew members were able to bale out and were rescued.

References

Landforms of the Northern Territory Headlands of Australia {{NorthernTerritory-geo-stub