Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

This park is situated at the eastern foot of the Eyre Peninsula, a coastal region with sheltered bays and inlets. Historically, it is connected with the early explorer Mathew Flinders. A disastrous landing near the southern tip of the park of his party in 1802 resulted in the deaths of 8 of his men when a small boat capsised in rough surf. He left names such as Mamory Cove and Cape Castrophe, and the names of the drwoned men have been given to the park's main offshore islands.

There are very picturesque coastal environments at both Lincoln National Park and the nearby Coffin Bay National Park on the western tip of the Eyre Peninsula. These parks include wilderness areas that are still unaltered by human activity.

Jussieu Peninsula: breakaway cliffs

Lincoln NP covers must of the Jussieu Peninsula, connected to the mainland by a narrow neck south of Port Lincoln, it widens out into a large park with a long, often precipitous coastline. The many offshore islands are the result of the area being based on hard granite, which forms the eastern sea cliffs.

Vegetation

The shallow soils support a low shrubland of mallee gum. Guinea flowers, native cherry, and a number of wattles make up the understorey.

Wildlife

The birds of Lincoln NP are a mixture of desert, heath and coastal speies. Port Lincoln Parrots inhabit the mallee, the coastal rock parrot feeds in the dunes, while ospreys patrol the beaches and bays. Grey kangaroos graze in the clearings. In the sea are many dolphins and seals.

Bushwalking

Most areas i the north of the park are accessible to conventional vehicles. There is a 4-wheel-drive track trough the south of the park to Memory Cove via Jussieu Bay and Wanna Beach. Wilderness walks go to Cape Catastrophe A short walk to Stamford Hill were there is a monument left by flinders to honour his lost crewmen. From here there is a view over the park, bay and islands. There are many walks around West Point and Cape Tournefort.

Camping

Camping is permitted in Lincoln NP at a umber of places near the beach from Memory Cove to Woodcutters Beach. Most camping sites are centred on Spalding Cove and Cape Donnington. Taylors Landing has modest camping facilities, it can be used as a start for walks to remote beaches such as Shag Cove. The seaward campsites are Maclaren Point and on the Cape are dramatic, but are best avoided in bad weather, when camping on the leeward side is recommended. Fresh water is often in short supply in summer. There are many sheltered beaches, but swimming can be dangerous because the nearby sea lion colonies in the area attract large sharks, especially white pointers, that prey on the sea lions.

Sources & Further reading