This was our final day in the Lincoln area and it was going to be a fun one especially for the Nissan drivers (oh that would be me :-))

Today we were going to tackle the Sleaford-Wanna Track through the sand dunes. Everyone had been building up confidence in their driving abilities over the week and it would be put to the test for many before the day was out.

Again the wind and the rain were prevalent today so the sand was firmer than it would normally be so the first bit through the Wanna dunes was fairly easy going for all. There were a few clearance issues for some of the lower cars but all got through OK.

At one point where there was a memorial for someone who drowned in the area, there was a pod of dolphins frolicking in the surf. Not long after this we found a lunch spot near Salmon Hole then made it to the end of the dunes at Lone Pine.

We were going to head back the way we came as it didn’t take as long as expected. That was before we descended on Tinah Beach.

We had passed it on the way in and now that the clouds were dispersing and the sun coming out, why not go for a drive on the beach – it looked firm enough.

We stopped for a line up of vehicles for a photo and maybe we should have turned around there as the Ford Territory got bogged as they tried to move off, so I got to pull out my first vehicle.

While we were pulling Helen out the radio came alive. Barra who was leading the charge in his Toyota Landcruiser up the beach had become bogged as had Carolyn in her Nissan X-Trail and CJ in his Mazda Tribute.

After pulling out Helen, I let some more air out of the tyres and headed up to the others. There were 3 that hadn’t continued further up and I had to leave their tracks and go around them in the soft sand which was fun but I made it.

CJ just needed a little digging and some manpower and he was moving. Carolyn was a bit more of a priority as the tide was coming in on her vehicle. The bulk of the group worked on her car and I continued up the beach to Barra. He was stuck fast.

He had been trying to turn around and come back but got stuck. That’s OK, he has diff lockers. The only problem was that it buried him even more. It would have been easier to cover it with sand – it was that deep.

It was going to be a tricky pull as he was only 20 metres from the soft dunes, so a pull at an angle was required. We started digging him out and after about 15 minutes put on 2 straps and attempted a pull. I moved him a little but not enough for his tyres to get grip.

Half an hour or more later of digging with the rest of the group as they had freed the other vehicles and there was clear air under the car and a ramp out of the hole. A couple of decent pulls and Barra was free but not for long.

He attempted another turnaround and down the car went again. This time he waited for me with the straps before trying to dig himself deeper. From the GPS log we had spent 2 hours on the beach for a total 2.7 kilometre drive.

Despite the challenges today, the club all pulled together and helped each other out, learnt some new skills and told stories of the day over drinks that night at the Port Lincoln Hotel. We held the final dinner for the trip here which topped off a great week.

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Our travels today took us to Whalers Way which is a privately owned property with a lot of historical significance to the whaling days during the 1800’s. There were spectacular cliffs and coastline. One little known fact of this area is that it was where the Australian TV series Survivor was filmed back in 2001.

One of the first stops was the Theakstone Crevasse. What looks to be a man made fissure is formed on a fault line that goes underground around 30 metres but this can only be seen if you venture past the fence – boys will be boys. 🙂

Next stop was the Caves. This had some amazing geology with some large caves formed by wave action and we saw some of that wave action but it wasn’t enough to form new caves but breathtaking all the same. We couldn’t believe our eyes as 2 sea-doos with passengers went past in the pounding surf – not sure where they came from or where they were headed.

Just down the road was the Baleen Rock Pool and blowhole. It was a clear rockhole with signs saying “Don’t swim in it” but I would imagine that would be for when the sea is pumping and today wasn’t that day as the blowhole failed to impress.

Barra & I headed over the rocks to find the ocean where the waves breaking put on an impressive show but when we returned, we were in the bad boys corner as the others were waiting – I guess we lost track of time. 😉

It was then off to Red Banks Beach for lunch and some more rocks to explore. I am glad we did as there was a lone Fur Seal putting a show for us about 30 metres from where we were sitting. The trek back up from the beach was fun as there was a sand bank leading up to the cliff ladder and it seemed for every 2 steps up you slipped back one. I even had to push up Christine’s Mum as she was struggling.

It was time to visit some of the other attractions on offer which included Moonlight Bay and the Osprey Nest (but the Osprey wasn’t home). Seemingly the same Osprey has been nesting here for 32 years.

At the Ski Jump and Cape Wiles, there was supposed to be a Fur Seal colony, but to see it you needed a telephoto lens as they were way down there on the rocks. It wasn’t until we looked at our photos that we realised there was an albino Fur Seal down there. It made our encounter back at Red Banks Beach all that much special.

The sink hole made all too clear how little crust there is on these roads. Back when they were making the road using heavy machinery, the limestone crust gave way to form the sink hole about 10 metres deep. That road doesn’t go through any more.

We were getting weary but made a couple of stops before leaving Whalers Way. The first was Whalechaser Crevasse and again the limestone crust depth was evident. The final stop for the rock climbers was the Swimming Hole. This involved climbing down a cliff face using a bush-rigged ladder. Unfortunately we didn’t have time for a swim but Barra went for a walk through the water.

The group split up with a few of us grabbing some last geocaches at Mary Ellis Wreck Beach before heading back to camp for another spectacular sunset. We covered 162 kilometres today and found 12 geocaches.

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Today we ventured into the Memory Cove Wilderness Area. Even though this is part of the Lincoln National Park, numbers of visitors are strictly limited although we are sure that we counted more cars in here today than there should have been.

It is not a quick drive but we did see some spectacular coastline and cliffs. Our target for the day was Memory Cove with its pristine beach and water – too good not to have a swim (the water was refreshing but you got used to it). I was the only one to take a dip while others tried their hand at fishing or just taking it easy on the beach.

On the way out, we checked out the various lookouts and vistas and even got to hide a couple of geocaches:

West Point East

West Point West

As we were getting near the exit to the area, the weather started getting windy and cold again. This was to be the theme for the night around the campfire.

Back in Adelaide there was a geocaching event being held – A Pub Dinner – Oct 25 International Artist Day. Since the event organiser Barrimundi was with us, we decided to a virtual visit via Skype. After saying hello to everyone at the event we had a dinner of our own.

Distance traveled today was only 107 kilometres with 3 geocache finds and 2 geocaches hidden.

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The first of the planned trips was the sand dunes at Coffin Bay and out to Point Sir Isaac with a meal at the Coffin Bay Sporting Association to finish the day.

The weather wasn’t all that warm with misty drizzle but it was the strong winds that were not that welcome. There wasn’t going to be any dust today but the wind certainly whipped up the sand in the dunes.

Well it didn’t take long for the first vehicle to get bogged. Phil managed to get his Ford Territory bogged on the first dune. A quick recovery from David in his Hyundai Terracan and we were on our way over the dunes to Gunyah Beach.

The plan was to go for a drive up Gunyah Beach but with the gale force winds, we would have been sand blasted so a quick line up of the vehicles, some photos and we headed back through the dunes to the beaches on the eastern side – hopefully the wind wont be as severe.

The wind certainly wasn’t severe but it was raining on and off which meant for some firm sand both in the dunes and on the beach. We continued along the eastern coast of the Coffin Bay National Park, stopping for lunch at Black Springs Campground, along the Seven Mile Beach to Point Sir Isaac. At Point Sir Isaac we introduced some more muggles to geocaching while we did some maintenance to the cache located there.

The rain was starting to abate but the wind certainly wasnt as we returned along Seven Mile Beach to Point Avoid. We were back on the bitumen so a chance to put the tyre pressures back up and then move onto the Coffin Bay Sporting Association for tea. The meal was good once it arrived. I think we overwhelmed their staff with the numbers we had, even though we had let them know a couple of weeks ago that we would be there.

The group broke up here after the meal with Garry and me geocaching our way back to the campsite.

It was a big day with 300 kilometres and 29 geocache finds.

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There were no activities planned for 4WDing today so it was a good chance to make an assault on the 250+ geocaches hidden in the Port Lincoln Area. our only commitment today was a lunch with the locals – Pub Lunch with Barra, Firesafe & Honeysucker.

We headed north from the campsite to September Beach and Cape Donington. It was another spectactular white sand beach and there was a lighthouse at Cape Donington.

By the time we got out of the Lincoln National Park it was getting close to the allotted hour for the Pub Lunch. Lunch was at the Great Northern Hotel and for a $10 smorgasbord it was both good value and a good meal. It was great to catch up with a few of the local geocachers in particular the master hider for the area, “Wheres Wolly“.

After lunch it was more caching, this time doing many of the urban geocaches available in Port Lincoln, until we had had enough and then headed back to camp for a swim in the clear water and another night around the campfire.

All in all, we covered only 100 kilometres and found 40 geocaches.

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