It is a prominent landmark on the coast, about 77 kilometres (48 miles) south of the state capital of Adelaide, and currently used as a recreational reserve.

As a landform, it is a large domed inselberg which is considered to be "the most prominent feature along Encounter Bay coastline" and whose form is due to its origins via the geological processes of metamorphism and intrusion followed by two phases of erosion; firstly via the action of a northward-moving glacier during the Permian which created the distinctive dome shape and then by wave action from the south due to the sea level rise during the Holocene.

[11][12][13] The wharf, an adjacent sea wall and the connecting road were completed in 1856 by the SA Government to assist whaling industry activity.

[15] A tablet set into a granite boulder located near Rosetta Head's summit was unveiled on 8 April 1902 by the Governor of South Australia, The Right Honourable Hallam, Baron Tennyson, KCMG to commemorate the centenary of the meeting of the European explorers, Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin, in nearby waters.

[11][24] The use of the name "The Bluff" which is the most commonly used name for the headland is attributed to whalers operating in the locality prior to the adoption of the name Rosetta Head.

[15][29][30] A sandy beach on the north side of Rosetta Head is notable as a site for swimming while the wharf is used for recreational fishing.