History of Northwest Cape

In 1618, Dutch East India Company captain Lenaert Jacobszoon and supercargo Willem Janszoon of the Mauritius landed in the area.

Phillip Parker King later visited in 1818 and named it North West Cape as well as naming Exmouth Gulf after a fellow naval officer.

Later, pearl luggers visited the area from Broome. During World War II a military operation codenamed Operation Potshot was done in the area.

The first oil flow in Australia was discovered there in 1953 at Rough Range, by exploration company WAPET.

Exmouth Gulf Station takes up much of the eastern side of the peninsula backing onto Exmouth Gulf