This morning we were at the Tourist Information Centre just before 9.00am waiting for it to open. We wanted to check a few things about our planned activities to make sure we made the most of our time here. We had planned to go into Lincoln National Park today and do Whalers Way tomorrow and a boat cruise on Sunday. With no places available on any boats on Sunday and Monday we had to book that for Saturday and we paid for access to Whalers Way on Sunday.
Next we made our way along to the sandwich shop that was to us, the Boston Bay Diner. With freshly made sandwiches stowed in the car fridge we headed out to the National Park. We decided to drive out to the easternmost point at Cape Donington and then work our way back. When we arrived at Cape Donington it was still very cloudy, but while we took photographs the cloud started to break up and soon we had some blue sky and sunshine which always makes the photos look better!
From Cape Donington we did a short walk (about two kilometres return) around to September Beach. It was Ann
easy walk and very picturesque along the rocky coastline. When we reached the beach it was being shared gulls, Pacific gulls and skuas with not a human in sight.
Starting the drive back towards the park entrance we decided to try the 4x4 track into Carcase Rock. It was only a two kilometre track so we felt that we couldnt get ourselves into too much trouble! Cathy and Steve left the Subaru parked at the start of the track and piled into the back of our vehicle. Bernie navigated the track without any trouble as it was not a particularly challenging 4x4 track. The view of the rock (small island really) was very pretty.
Our next stop was at the parking area at the base of Stamford Hill where we found a picnic shelter to enjoy our packed lunches. After our carb loading the Stamford Hill Hike which is, apparently, one of the 40 Great Australian Short Walks. Its only 1.6km (45 minutes) return BUT that is all uphill for the first half! There were interpretative boards along the path telling us about Matthew Flinders urgent search for water in this area in February
1802. Their inability to find fresh drinking water was putting the Investigators expedition in jeopardy. At the top of the hill there is a monument to Matthew Flinders and magnificent views of Boston Bay, Port Lincoln and the national park. Very sadly it was in this area that he lost eight crew, when a small boat attempting to go ashore capsized. This led to the naming of Memory Cove in their honour.
Continuing or explorations of the park we put our noses in at Surfleet Cove which is another very pretty little beach. Interestingly there were no sea birds on the beach here, but there were lots of small birds: willie wagtails, honeyeaters and fairy wrens. In fact all of the wildlife we saw today was avian, ranging from the diminutive fairy wrens right through to emus.
Finally, we took the unsealed Wanna Road out to the Wanna Lookout over Wedding Cake Rock and Sleaford Bay on the south coast of the national park. Its a bit of a worry when you are on a road that warns you that the road ends in 500 metres and then 250 metres. It makes you feel like you run the
risk of driving off a cliff! When we reached the end of the road, it actually had a parking area that was well back from the cliff edge. The sea was VERY different on this side of the park. There were some lovely, calm, sandy beaches on the north coast, but here on the south coast the surf was pounding into the cliffs like a washing machine on the heavy wash cycle! It was mesmerising watching the waves crash in and we took far too many photos trying to capture the perfect wave break!!
Back at our townhouse on the marina we have decided to order pizzas if we can ever get through on the phone. Still, a busy line must mean that they make good pizzas!
