Today was a journey into the unknown as we headed south to the Lincoln National Park and an area known as Whalers Way. We say 'unknown' because we really didn't know what the road conditions and access to the scenic coastline would be like, particularly Whalers Way. We purchased our NP pass from the Port Lincoln Visitors Centre along with a permit to enter the privately owned Whalers Way which requires key access.

Much of the Lincoln NP is accessible only by 4WD, but there is a sealed road to Surfleet Cove in the Northern part of the Park . We stopped at several vantage points after entering the Park to view the coastline, before arriving at the base of Stamford Hill. Atop Stamford Hill is a monument to Matthew Flinders, however we chose not to climb to the top due to the rising temperature (forecast to be 37degC) and steepness of the walking track, however we did go far enough to be able to enjoy some great views over Boston Island and back to Port Lincoln. 

Incidentally and probably rightfully so, due to the major Role Matthew Flinders had on mapping the Spencer Gulf coastline, there are many monuments/memorials dotted around the area as well as the big one at Stamford Hill.

Our original plan was to stop at Surfleet Cove, but there was really nowhere there to make a pleasant picnic location, so we traced our path back out of the Park and headed South to Whalers Way. A locked gate which can only be opened with a key available on payment of a permit fee allows access to this privately owned area which offers some spectacular views of the rugged coastline . 15km of gravel road needs to be traversed just to get to the gate and then to be faced with a very rocky and sometimes sand covered road was a bit intimidating, especially when a sign just inside the gate said "ENTER AND TRAVEL AT OWN RISK".

Sitting in the car atop Pelamis Point provided a very scenic outlook over the 46m cliff to enjoy while eating our picnic lunch. Next vantage point was Cape Wiles, which was named by Flinders after his good friend who by chance was the botanist on Bligh's Bounty.There is a 106m cliff with a unique rock formation and a fur seal colony is based here. The Baleen Blowhole at Cape Carnot is a spectacular feature displaying the power of the sea. The name comes from Baleen being Latin for whalebone.

We returned home to the caravan park via Winter Hill which is a high point overlooking Port Lincoln and across Boston Bay/Island. It had been a tiring but enjoyable 'touring adventure you will long remember' as promised by the tourist brochure and now it was time to reward ourselves with dinner out.

We decided to go to The Marina Hotel which we had seen during our tour of the marina with Fred. It provided a very pleasant outlook towards the residential area, but the returning commercial vessels added to the interest. Of course our meals were pretty much seafood based given that's the specialty of the area. So it was back to the caravan and to bed with full tummies.