Friends’ Tips: Lincoln National Park

Jim has been a mem­ber for 17 years and is now the group’s sec­re­tary. Along­side a team of ded­i­cat­ed vol­un­teers, he helps care for Lin­coln Nation­al Park in part­ner­ship with the Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice. From reveg­e­ta­tion to walk­ing trail main­te­nance, their efforts pro­tect native plants and wildlife while improv­ing the expe­ri­ence for visitors.

We had a chat with Jim to learn more about the great work that the Friends group does as well as get the top tips for vis­it­ing Lin­coln Nation­al Park! 

Right now the Friends are busy with:

• Reveg­e­tat­ing a 15-hectare fenced enclo­sure with­in the Park with local native species prop­a­gat­ed by members
• Reha­bil­i­tat­ing the sheoak grassy wood­lands at Wan­na Flats
• Con­trol­ling the spread of woody weed Polygala

Why Jim loves volunteering

“I enjoy work­ing along­side peo­ple with sim­i­lar inter­ests on projects where we can see real results. Restor­ing native veg­e­ta­tion is very reward­ing. Our work­ing bees usu­al­ly fin­ish with a BBQ or BYO lunch, which makes it a social and enjoy­able day out.”

Notable achieve­ments by the Friends over the years

• cre­at­ing, map­ping and main­tain­ing the walk­ing trails across Lin­coln Nation­al Park
• reveg­e­tat­ing areas once cleared for farming
• remov­ing weeds from camp­grounds and pop­u­lar vis­i­tor areas

The per­fect day in Lin­coln Nation­al park

“Pack a pic­nic lunch or portable BBQ and a ther­mos of cof­fee, dri­ve on the sealed road to Stam­ford Day Vis­i­tor Area, with a hike up to the his­toric mon­u­ment on Stam­ford Hill, fol­lowed by a pic­nic lunch in the shel­ters at Stam­ford and then a beach stroll or dip at Sep­tem­ber Beach, Tay­lors Land­ing or Stam­ford Beach. If it is Spring, you can have a go at orchid hunt­ing and oth­er wild­flower observ­ing in the Park.”

Jim’s hid­den gems of Lin­coln Nation­al Park

• Mem­o­ry Cove for a wilder­ness experience.
• Sep­tem­ber Beach, for camp­ing, swim­ming, bush hikes and fish­ing from the rocks
• Stam­ford Beach and Hill climb 
• Wan­na Look­out, for spec­tac­u­lar views of the wild south­ern ocean

Want to join your local Friends of Parks and Nature Group?

The Friends of South­ern Eyre Penin­su­la Parks is one of 150+ Friends of Parks and Nature groups ded­i­cat­ed to pro­tect­ing var­i­ous areas with­in our beau­ti­ful state. With over 5,000 mem­bers, con­sist­ing of all ages and back­grounds, these groups care for native plants and ani­mals, main­tain walk­ing trails, restore habi­tats and help look after parks across the state. If you’d like to get involved with your com­mu­ni­ty, find your local Friends group here!

Park of the Month

Through­out Sep­tem­ber, low­er Eyre Penin­su­la Parks are being cel­e­brat­ed as the Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice’s Park of the Month. There are lots of events and activ­i­ties to get involved in, find them here!

Come say ​“Hi!” at the Friends event on Sun­day 21 September 

All are wel­come to join in on the South­ern Eyre Penin­su­la Parks Beach Clean-up and 30^th Anniver­sary event as part of Park of the Month events. There’ll be a beach clean-up at Stam­ford Beach, along with pre­sen­ta­tions and a free bar­be­cue to fol­low! Find out more here. 

Stay in the know: Sign up to get updates from Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice or Friends of Parks and Nature Inc. straight to your inbox!