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GIVEN its name, you'd think Cape Clear would be situated somewhere along the coastline.
But that's far from the case.
This tiny community, which consists of a primary school, general store and hotel, is located about 100km from the nearest coast, some 35km outside of Ballarat.
There's a wide range of stories about how the town got its name, but most centre around Irish settlers that were in the region during the gold rush.
Born and bred local Dennis Burns, who is a part-time barkeeper at the Cape Clear Hotel, detailed one of the tales that is common among the townsfolk.
"Originally the story was years ago that Cape Clear was a mining town and you had this old Irishman, who had his horse and cart and the wheel might have fallen off," he said.
"Apparently this Irish fella's cart tipped over or the wheel fell off or something similar to that. He put up a sign and it was supposed to be 'keep clear' but it was spelt 'cape clear' and that's how the original story started."
Burns was part of the group of locals that decided to have a bit of fun with the Cape Clear name and helped build a 13m lighthouse with working light.
"It was just a bit of a gimmick. The town's people got together and it was always a bit of an idea to have a lighthouse because it is an inland Cape and it is the only inland Cape in the world, apparently," Burns said.
"It's just a bit of a gimmick for the town. Everyone got together and helped build it. I painted it and everyone pitched in as a bit of a community project and it turned out really good."
The basics
Municipality: Golden Plains
Population: The Australian Bureau of Statistics considers Cape Clear as part of the wider Berringa region, with a population of 420. Cape Clear is believed to have less than 100 people living in the town.
First settled: 1800s
Main industries: Farming
Claim to fame: Cape Clear is believed by locals to be the only inland Cape in Australia, or perhaps the world.
Five fast facts:
1. Cape Clear boasts a 13metre tall lighthouse with working light.
2. The lighthouse was erected by a number of locals from the town, who got together to give it a significant landmark.
3. The area was once vibrant during the gold rush in the 19th century
4. The Cape Clear Post Office opened on April 17, 1865
5. Cape Clear shares its name with Cape Clear Island, a town that lies south west of County Cork in Ireland.
Five things to do:
1. Visit the local Cape Clear Hotel, which is known as a popular nightspot for locals and for its friendly service and nice meals.
2. Check out the town's major landmark - a working lighthouse - which is just across the road from the hotel in the Cape Clear and District Lions Park.
3. Near to Cape Clear, at the Happy Valley Crossing, is a popular camping and fishing area along with the Woady Yaloak River.
4. About 500m from the local hotel, across the road from the Cape Clear Primary School, is the old cemetery.
5. Call in and say hello to the owners of the general store, which is believed to be one of the oldest-running in Australia.