| Lincoln National Park | |
|---|---|
 Limestone cliffs at Wanna | |
  Lincoln National Park | |
| Location | South Australia |
| Nearest city | Port Lincoln |
| Coordinates | 34°51′57″S135°52′18″E / 34.8657°S 135.8716°E /-34.8657; 135.8716[1] |
| Area | 216.38 km2 (83.54 sq mi)[1] |
| Established | 28 August 1941 (1941-08-28)[2] |
| Governing body | Department for Environment and Water |
| Website | Official website |
Lincoln National Park is aprotected area in the Australian state ofSouth Australia located about 249 kilometres (155 mi) west of the state capital ofAdelaide and about 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) south of the municipal seat ofPort Lincoln. It consists of a mainland area on theJussieu Peninsula on the south eastern tip ofEyre Peninsula and a number of nearby islands. The national park contains significant sites of natural, indigenous and early European heritage.
Lincoln National Park is located on the Jussieu Peninsula on the south-eastern tip of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia as well as an adjoining portion of Eyre Peninsula and a number of islands adjoining the coastline.[3] The part of the national park located on Jussieu Peninsula is located within the gazetted localities ofLincoln National Park andSleaford.[4][5]
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Lincoln National Park occupies the majority of Jussieu Peninsula. The remainder of the Jussieu Peninsula is occupied by theMemory Cove Wilderness Protection Area. The western gateway to the national park is via the isthmus which connects the Jussieu Peninsula to the mainland. TheSleaford Mere Conservation Park abuts the western border of the national park. Land-based park entry is made by road at both the northern and southern sides of the isthmus. The south road is4WD access only.
The northern coastline of the peninsula curls northward toCape Donington, where the Cape Donington Lighthouse is situated. Cape Donington is the southern point at the mouth of Port Lincoln, the large, sheltered deep water harbor on which the city ofPort Lincoln is located. The eastern coast of the national park which faces ontoSpencer Gulf extends from Cape Donington to Taylor's Landing (oppositeTaylor Island).
The southern boundary of the national park curls southward from Mary Ellis Wreck Beach in the west to the east side of Jussieu Bay in the east. The coastline varies from extensivesand dunes behindSleaford Bay to limestone cliffs on the east side ofJussieu Bay. The seas in this exposed area are very rough, with dangerousrips leading to numerousdrownings.
Lincoln National Park includes the following islands which are located in the waters adjoining the Jussieu Peninsula:[6]: 2
The national park is classified as anIUCN category II protected area[1]
On 28 August 1941, land in sections 2, 5, 6, and 13 in the cadastral unit of theHundred of Flinders was dedicated under theCrown Lands Act 1929 as aFlora and Fauna Reserve.[2] On 9 November 1967, land in sections 2, 3, 5, 6, 12, 13 and 14 in the Hundred of Flinders was proclaimed as theLincoln National Park under theNational Parks Act 1966.[7]
On 27 April 1972, the national park was reconstituted under theNational Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 in respect to the following land - "Hundred Flinders, Section 2, 3, 5, 6, 12-14, Smith Island, Hopkins Island, Lewis Island, Little Island, Owen Island, Albatross Island, Liguanea Island, Rabbit Island (being section 395, North out of Hundreds), Curta Rocks (and) Hundred Flinders, Section 4."[8]
In the years 1972–1992, the national park increased in size by the addition of land at Stamford Hill (whose originalBarngarla name wasGaidyaba[9]: 78 ), Cape Donington, Wanna and many of the islands adjoining the coast of the Jussieu Peninsula. The Lincoln Conservation Reserve which was proclaimed in 1993 under theCrown Lands Act 1929, was added to the national park's management regime and subsequently removed after the declaration of the reserve as theLincoln Conservation Park. In June 1999, the boundary of the national park was extended down toMean Low Water Mark.[6]: 7
In 2004, a parcel of land consisting of land aroundMemory Cove and the following islands -Hopkins,Lewis,Little,Smith andWilliams, was excised from the national park and established as a separate protected area under theWilderness Protection Act 1992 (SA) and with the name, the Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area.[6]: 7 [10]
TheAboriginal tribes ofBarngarla andNauo were the first people to have lived in the region. Archaeological digs have found sites of stone working, including fish traps, andmiddens throughout the national park.[6]: 22–25
The coastline of Jussieu Peninsula and the adjoining islands was first visited by European explorers in 1802 when the British navigator,Matthew Flinders visited in 1802 followed by theBaudin expedition to Australia later in that year. A stone obelisk monument known as theFlinders Monument was dedicated at Stamford Hill in 1844 bySir John Franklin in tribute to Flinders' achievements and is listed as a state heritage place on theSouth Australian Heritage Register.[11][12]
Subsequent to the survey by Flinders, the land was settled by a small number of Europeans, mainly along Cape Donington (named after the birthplace of Flinders), where the first grain crop was sown in 1875. Other industries that occurred in the early parts of European settlement were woodcutting, grazing andguano mining. Donington cottage, which still stands and is accessible to the public, is a relic of that era. TheCape Donington Lighthouse was built in 1905. A hexagonal concrete tower, it stands 32 m high and is still in operation. On 5 April 1907 theketchMary Ellis, on its way fromPort Adelaide toVenus Bay, got caught in a gale and was wrecked on a beach alongSleaford Bay, now named Mary Ellis Wreck Beach. Despite total destruction of the ship, no casualties were recorded.[13]
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The national park is largely covered by coastalmallee eucalypts around outcrops of granite. The sand dunes on the southern coastline have smaller shrub coverage.
The national park is home to a number of resident as well as migratory bird and animal species. Numerouskangaroos,wallabies andemus reside in the national park.Feral foxes were once common in the national park, endangering the existence of many native animals, however after an extensive baiting and culling program, their numbers have diminished. With the reduction in fox numbers, a rebound ingoanna andbush stone curlew populations have been recorded.Brush-tailed bettongs andmalleefowl have been reintroduced in the national park and are now becoming common.
Migratory birds such asred-necked stints and sandpipers spend summer in the national park as part of their seasonal migrations from places as distant as the Arctic Circle and Siberia.Southern right whales are visible in the water surrounding the national park during their seasonal migrations between July and November andAustralian sea lions can be seen on rocks and small islands off the coast.
The national park hosts a range of activities including bushwalking, four-wheel driving, camping, snorkelling, scuba diving, swimming and fishing.
As of 2010, a total of 19bushwalking trails with a length of over 100 kilometres (62 mi) were available within the national park. The trail system is also part of a regional walking trail known as the Investigator Trail which extends outside of both the national park and the Jussieu Peninsula toNorth Shields viaTulka and Port Lincoln.[14]
Much of the national park is only accessible viafour-wheel drive tracks including the Sleaford to Wanna sand dune track.[15][16]
Accommodation consists of one building at Spalding Cove, four formal camping grounds at Fisherman's Point, September Beach, Surfleet Cove and Taylor's Landing, and eight unserviced camping grounds.[16][17]
Comprising the whole of sections 2, 5, 6, and 13, hundred of Flinders, exclusive of all necessary roads.
Sections 2, 3, 5, 6, 12, 13 and 14, hundred of Flinders