Lincoln NP

Campground: Carcase Rock (4WD Only)
Facilities: None
Good stuff: Secluded spot with amazing beach sunrises. Sheltered by the dune.
Not so good stuff: Only two camp sites (if they are full it is a bit of a drive back to other camping spots).
Price: $11 Vehicle Fee; $10 per night (up to 8 occupants)

This place is one of the premier fishing spots in Australia and boasts the largest commercial fishing fleet in the southern hemisphere. The town of Port Lincoln entices you with fishmongers and wholesalers, a good indication that you are likely to catch a fish. We however are rookies.

The drive along the bitumen road into Lincoln NP was stunning. A beautiful bay with recreational boats out on the water screams FISH! We pulled into Fisherman’s Point but we decided the ground was a little bit rocky for our tent (damn limestone) and moved on to the Carcase Rock turn off. The track to Carcase Rock is 4WD only but may be able to manage a decent AWD albeit very slowly.

Carcase rock has no facilities but it is worth staying here if you are not bothered about that. It is a lot quieter than the Eastern campgrounds probably due to their proximity to the bitumen park entrance. The beach here is lovely with the camping area set back behind a large sand dune and there is a massive rock pool to dip in.

Enthusiastic about catching a fish, we walked to a nearby rock ledge. The sea was calm and seemed like perfect conditions to finally catch a fish. After an hour or so, Kyle caught a Garfish! Wahooo, first catch of the trip. It looked small so back in the ocean it went (and we found out they are incredibly slimy). Kyle decided to go back to get the camera- now we will have proof for the next abundant catches! Kyle got back and there was some tension on Liz’s line. This has to be to be another fish! Or not… The lure was caught on the rocks. From excitement to oh bugger-Kyle had the task to go in and get the lure; mask on, cold water mixed with strong currents included – but there were a lot of fish down there! After another lure was caught on a rock and Liz’s frustration increased to boiling point, we decided it was time to stop for now. Obviously these fish are just fussy bastards.

Kyle preparing to retrieve the lure.

After a glass of wine, it seemed like the perfect time to try fishing again. We walked to Yachties Beach where Liz cast and felt something for the first time. A tentacle on one of the rubber shrimp lure had gone! There was something down there. Kyle cast, and found a wrasse flipping on the end of his line. He did manage to hook it through the head, the Kyle special, we hoped that it lived a long successful life after being released. Liz cast in the same spot and was reeling in another wrasse- her 1^st ever catch. This was the first time she had held a live fish and may have freaked out when it wriggled in her hands… Our fishing luck had turned! 60kg Tuna were next on the hit list (optimism never hurt anyone).

Liz's First Catch!

The rest of the time spent in Lincoln NP was fishing and wandering around looking at the granitic outcrops (limestone is boring...). The weather had turned and the sea was a lot rougher than our first day. We did both manage to catch more wrasse but none of the speciality fish Lincoln NP was known for.

Yet another lure lost...

Granite with finer (quick crystallisation) and coarser (slower crystallisation) crystals.

After finally getting to a decent fishing spot- the wading back to through the rock pool was not such a good idea...