Sights on the Parnkalla Trail

Take a leisurely walk along the picturesque Parnkalla Trail which skirts the coast line and foreshore in Port Lincoln and tick off a number of Port Lincoln attractions best seen on foot.

The central section of the trail from from Axel Stenross Maritime Museum to Billy Lights Point (11km), is an easy walk on relatively flat terrain and takes the walker past many points of interest, both natural and man-made.

The fit and energentic may wish to continue the walk along the Investigator Trail, which takes you into the magnificent Lincoln National Park.

Origins of the name "Parnkalla"

The name "Parnkalla" comes from the initial recording by German linguist CW Schurmann in the mid 1800’s as the name of the Barngarla people, the Traditional Owners of a large portion of Eyre Peninsula between Port Lincoln and Port Augusta. Pronounced baNgaLa, the name Parnkalla was recorded due to the similar sounds between the P and the B in the local language and is unique to the Port Lincoln region of the Barngarla land.

Axel Stenross Maritime Museum

Once a home and thriving boat building business, this is now a fascinating maritime museum and collection of memorabilia of ‘sailing days past’ in the Port Lincoln township.

This is a museum worth an hour or two of your time. Learn more here...

As you walk into town from the museum you will pass over the First Landing Monument, which marks where white settlers arrived in 1839.

Moreton Bay Fig Trees

Planted in the 1860’s by the Road Board, these magnificent trees are an ideal spot to watch the sunrise over Boston Bay in the morning with a coffee in hand from a local cafe.

From here you can see from Axel Stenross in the north to the wharf and town silos in the east, with sun rise over the silos.

Directly behind the figs is the Port Lincoln Hotel. Port Lincoln's largest hotel with outdoor dining, a number of bars, restaurants and four star accommodation.

Town Jetty

Built in 1857, it is the oldest jetty site on the Eyre Peninsula. Once a hive of activity, with ketches and steamers from Adelaide tied up here, bringing goods to the city, today it is a popular fishing and swimming spot.

At the base of the town jetty is are toilet facilties, an outdoor shower, and you are not far from a number of venues with the best coffee in town...

Statue Precinct

Makybe Diva and The Tuna Poler statues can be found at the base of the town jetty. Both were created by world renowned, local sculptor Ken Martin. Makybe Diva won the Melbourne Cup three times in a row and was owned by local fisherman Tony Santic.

The Tuna Poler pays tribute to Port Lincoln’ tuna pioneers, an industry which defines Port Lincoln and has contributed to our reputation as the ‘seafood capital of Australia’.

Grain Silos and Brennan's Jetty (wharf)

The grain silos dominate the skyline and the export industry in Port Lincoln with 201 concrete cells with a storage capacity of 396,600 tonnes, of which 99% is exported.

Brennan's Jetty is the name of the wharf in Port Lincoln, which was first built in the early 1920’s to cope with the rapid expansion of Eyre Peninsula’s grain industry. The wharf was named after the contractor, Mr HJ Brennen, but is also sometimes spelt Brennan

Kirton Point Jetty

Built in 1906 for the handling of general cargo and grain exports.

Wooden piles were dropped into the bay by ship and horses were swum out to drag them back to shore. A massive granite rock seam under the water caused construction problems and the unusual bend in the jetty is the result.

Today used for conveying fuel and also known as the Fuel Wharf.

Shelly Beach, Snapper Rock & The Marine Science Centre

Adjacent to each other along the Kirton Point foreshore, Shelly Beach is a popular swimming and snorkelling spot, whilst the large, flat, ancient rocks at Snapper Rock have long been used as a natural boat ramp.

The Marine Science Centre opened in 1995. It has facilities for education, research and the monitoring of the marine ecosystem.

Port Lincoln Tourist Park, Jukes Retreat and the Slipway

Further along the coastline you will come to the Port Lincoln Tourist Park, Port Lincoln's largest and popular caravan and camping park. There are two jetties here for public use.

Jukes Retreat is tucked away along the Slipway Road and those lucky enough to find it, will find a lookout and directional cairn. The Slipway is a working slip for the fishing fleet of today.

From here you can see Lincoln Cove Marina, your next stop...

Lincoln Cove Marina

Started in 1984, the Lincoln Cove Marina houses commercial fishing and pleasure vessels along with a residential marina.

Here you will find one of Australia's largest fishing fleets with prawn, tuna, mussel, and lobster docked in the Marina. If you are there early enough, you will see the fishermen heading out for the day’s work. During tuna harvest, you can watch the boats unloading their catch. Always an impressive sight.

The marina is also home to our shark tourism industry with the three companies departing from the marina at various berths. The marina also is the home of recreational power vessels and yachts, which become very busy during the Adelaide to Lincoln Yacht Race and a number of other annual fishing and racing events.

A Fishermen’s Memorial commemorates local fishermen lost at sea. Marijan Bekic’s sculpture sensitively depicts grieving women and children left beyond the waves.

Billy Lights Point

Billy Lights Point features an extensive boat ramp, lawned areas and beach (look out for razor fish though), toilet facilities and an RV park for self contained vans, as part of the carpark.

A lookout is just beyond the carpark. The area is teeming with birdlife, reflecting the move out of residential areas into natural scrubland. From here onwards the walking becomes more challenging and eventually leads to the Investigator Trail.