In March 1622 the Dutch ship Leeuwin (Lioness) sighted land on its journey from The Netherlands to Java. This sighting was added to navigation charts as "Landt van de Leeuwin".

Cape Leeuwin was named by Matthew Flinders in 1801.

The lighthouse was built in 1895 and 1896 from local limestone. It was first "lit" on 1st December 1896.

Also see this delightful and informative website on the lighthouse.