Lipson Cove

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Lipson Cove
Australia South Australia relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Lipson Cove
Location in South Australia
Location South Australia
Coordinates 34°15′36″S136°15′47″E / 34.26000°S 136.26306°E / -34.26000; 136.26306 [1]
Type Bay
Etymology Thomas Lipson [1]
Part of Spencer Gulf
Basin  countries Australia
Max. lengthabout1.1 km (0.68 mi) [2]
Average depth5.5 m (18 ft) [3]
Islands Lipson Island
Settlements Lipson

Lipson Cove is a tranquil sandy bay in the Australian state of South Australia on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula overlooking Spencer Gulf. It features in the 2012 book 101 Best Australian Beaches by Andy Short and Brad Farmer. [4]

Contents

Location and access

Lipson Cove lies 215 km west-northwest of Adelaide and 63 km northeast of Port Lincoln. The nearest townships are Lipson, inland to the southwest and Port Neill to the north east. It can be accessed from the Lincoln Highway via the Lipson Cove Road. The road is unsealed, but well maintained and always passable for 2-wheel drive vehicles. Basic camping facilities are present behind the dunes near the foreshore.

History and development

Lipson Cove is part of the Barngarla Aboriginal country. Its original Barngarla name is Boodloo. [5] : 78 

The name Lipson Cove was given in 1840 by Governor George Gawler after Thomas Lipson R.N., who was South Australia's first harbor master and collector of customs.

A privately owned timber jetty was built there in 1882 some 330 feet long. [6] It cost £1,116 to construct [7] and was extended in 1905. In its early days, it was used to ship wool from Warratta Station. A shearing shed stood near the jetty where the excavations of an underground tank remain. [8] During its working life, the jetty enabled trade in wool, wheat and other goods. In 1931 it was announced that the Harbors Board could no longer justify repairing the jetty. [9] Between 1924 and 1936, 14,035 bags of wheat were shipped via the jetty. [8] It was demolished in 1949 and its timbers were sold. [10] [8] Some partial jetty piles remain in place.

The cove is renowned for its shore-based fishing and an old talc mine which is located nearby. Coastal features include granite hills and cliffs which extend northwards from Lipson Cove to Port Neill. It is also known for its camping, coastal and marine habitats and is regarded as a safe swimming beach. [2] It has been a popular destination for visitors since the 20th century. [11]

Lipson Cove is also the site of the wreck of the ketch, Three Sisters. She was lost on 17 March 1899. [12] [13] The remains of the wooden vessel can sometimes be seen protruding from the beach sand.

In 1919, the remains of an indigenous person's body were exposed by shifting sand at Lipson Cove. Some of the bones had shark teeth embedded in them. [14]

Port proposals

The cove is adjacent to the proposed site of a bulk commodities export port known provisionally as Port Spencer. The project site lies immediately to the north of Lipson Cove. It was initially proposed by Centrex Metals for the export of iron ore, but the company abandoned the project and put the site up for sale. In 2018, agribusiness Free Eyre expressed interest in purchasing the land and developing a grain export port there instead. A revised proposal was released for public comment in early 2020. The potential environmental impacts of the port proposal have prompted protest from local residents and environmentalists, [15] [16] who are concerned about impacts to Lipson Cove and Lipson Island's recreational and ecological value.

The port could be completed in 2023. [17]

Lipson Island Conservation Park

Lipson Island lies 150 metres out from the Lipson Cove beach can be accessed when the tide is low, but care must be taken not to become stranded as the tide rises. The island and surrounding intertidal zone constitute the Lipson Island Conservation Park which was proclaimed in 1967 and which is a designated IUCN Category III "natural monument." [18] The island is an important rookery for roosting sea birds, including colonies of black-faced cormorant, crested tern and little penguin. The Lipson Island little penguin colony is significant owing to its stable population, while most others of known status in Spencer Gulf are either in decline or have gone extinct. Sooty oystercatchers have also been recorded on the island and New Zealand fur seals visit and haul out there occasionally. [19]

Little penguins are known to the area from at least 1954. [20]

Lipson Island also bears the alternative French name of Ile d'Alembert, so named by French explorer Nicolas Baudin.

Wildlife

Species of conservation significance known to inhabit or visit the area include hooded plovers, fairy terns, white-bellied sea eagles, great white sharks, southern right whales [21] and bottlenose dolphins. [19] Migratory shorebirds known to visit the area include the Sanderling and Sharp-tailed sandpiper. [22]

Introduced species observed in the area include the red fox, rock pigeon and European starling. [22]

As of July 2020, some 92 different organisms have been identified from Lipson Cove, Lipson Island and the surrounding beaches to the north and south. [23] In addition to those iNaturalist observations, the Atlas of Living Australia shows records of 268 species within a 5 km radius of Lipson Cove. [24]

In 2022, local resident Keira Berryman was awarded Young Citizen of the Year by the Tumby Bay Council for her work promoting the environment at Lipson Cove. In 2021, she received a grant to install a sign at the cove that draws visitors' attention to three iconic species: the bottlenose dolphin, little penguin and white-bellied sea eagle. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln National Park</span> Protected area in South Australia

Lincoln National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about 249 kilometres (155 mi) west of the state capital of Adelaide and about 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) south of the municipal seat of Port Lincoln. It consists of a mainland area on the Jussieu Peninsula on the south eastern tip of Eyre Peninsula and a number of nearby islands. The national park contains significant sites of natural, indigenous and early European heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Gulf</span> Large inlet in South Australia

The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and Eyre Peninsula in the west to Cape Spencer and Yorke Peninsula in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Lincoln</span> City in South Australia

Port Lincoln is a city on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located approximately 280 km as the crow flies from the State's capital city of Adelaide. In June 2019 Port Lincoln had an estimated population of 16,418, having grown at an average annual rate of 0.55% year-on-year over the preceding five years. The city is reputed to have the most millionaires per capita in Australia, as well as claiming to be Australia's "Seafood Capital".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Augusta</span> City in South Australia

Port Augusta is a small coastal city in South Australia about 310 kilometres (190 mi) by road from the state capital, Adelaide. Most of the city is on the eastern shores of Spencer Gulf, immediately south of the gulf's head, comprising the city's centre and surrounding suburbs, Stirling North, and seaside homes at Commissariat Point, Blanche Harbor and Miranda. The suburb of Port Augusta West is on the western side of the gulf on the Eyre Peninsula. Together, these localities had a population of 13,515 people in the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyre Peninsula</span> Place in South Australia

The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumby Bay, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Tumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the Spencer Gulf, on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Port Lincoln. The town of Tumby Bay is the major population centre of the District Council of Tumby Bay, and the centre of an agricultural district farming cereal crops and sheep, as well as having established fishing and tourism industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penneshaw, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Penneshaw is a township in the Australian state of South Australia located on the northeast coast of the Dudley Peninsula on Kangaroo Island about 107 kilometres (66 mi) south of the state capital of Adelaide. It is the island's main ferry port with regular services from Cape Jervis. Penneshaw features a Maritime and Folk Museum, and evening tours to a colony of little penguin, the only species of penguin to breed in Australian waters. At the 2011 census, Penneshaw had a population of 276.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Neill, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Port Neill is a small coastal town on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia about 3 km off the Lincoln Highway between the major towns of Whyalla and Port Lincoln. It is 576 km by road from Adelaide.

Lipson is an historic farming town on the Eyre Peninsula, located only 12 km from Tumby Bay, South Australia. At the 2006 census, Lipson had a population of 209.

Thistle Island / Noondala is in the Spencer Gulf, South Australia, some 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of Adelaide, and northwest of the Gambier Islands. The city of Port Lincoln lies to the northwest of the island. Between them, the Gambier Islands and Thistle form a chain across the mouth of the gulf between the southern tips of the Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas, sometimes referred to as the Taylor Islands group.

Port Spencer is a proposed grain export port development project in South Australia. The project site, previously known as Sheep Hill, is on Lower Eyre Peninsula adjacent to Lipson Cove on the western shore of Spencer Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Joseph Banks Group</span>

The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about 20 kilometres (12 mi) off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park while the surrounding waters are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park. It is considered to be an important seabird breeding site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barngarla language</span> Revived Aboriginal language of South Australia

Barngarla, formerly known as Parnkalla, is an Aboriginal language of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, Australia. It was formerly extinct, but has been revived since 2012.

Cape Hardy is a 20 m (66 ft) high, dune-capped granite headland on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula and which protrudes into Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is located between the towns of Port Neill and Tumby Bay, 10 km (6.2 mi) north-northeast of Lipson Cove.

Boston Island is a 960-hectare (2,400-acre) privately owned island in Boston Bay, Spencer Gulf, South Australia. It has been primarily used for grazing sheep and was also once the location of a proposed township called Kerrillyilla at the southern end of the island. In 2009, the island was rezoned to allow for future residential and tourism development. As of 2009, it is owned by the former mayor of Port Lincoln, Peter Davis. Davis' development plans include up to 1,000 residential allotments, three tourism developments and an inland marina. Prior to rezoning, there had been little interest expressed in the development plan, despite the then mayor's enthusiasm.

Hopkins Island is an island located in Spencer Gulf off the east coast of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia approximately 32 km (20 mi) south-east of Port Lincoln. It was named by Matthew Flinders in memory of John Hopkins who was one of the eight crew lost from a cutter that capsized on 21 February 1802. Since 2004, the island has been part of the Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dangerous Reef</span>

Dangerous Reef is an island and reef system located in the Spencer Gulf in the Australian state of South Australia about 32.5 kilometres (20.2 mi) east-southeast of the city, Port Lincoln. It is the southernmost member of the Sir Joseph Banks Group. It has been the site of a navigation aid since 1911. It is notable as the site of a breeding colony of Australian sea lions. The waters adjoining its shore are notable as a place to view great white sharks to the extent that it was both a popular gamefishing and shark cage diving venue during the twentieth century, and was used to film footage for the following motion pictures – Blue Water White Death and Jaws. The island has enjoyed protected area status since 1900 and it has been part of the Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park since 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Dutton Bay, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Mount Dutton Bay is a coastal locality in the Eyre and Western region of South Australia, situated in the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula. The name and boundaries were formalised in October 2003 in respect of the long established local name which is derived from the body of water known as Mount Dutton Bay. The locality incorporates three older residential "shack sites": Mount Dutton Bay West, on Dolphin Drive, Mount Dutton Bay East, on Woolshed Drive, and Shelley Beach/Salt Creek, on Shelly Beach Road. It is part of the cadastral Hundred of Lake Wangary.

The Tod River is the only stream on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia with a reliable water flow. Its main tributary is Pillaworta Creek. The Tod River Reservoir was built across the river between 1918 and 1922.

Spilsby Island is one of the largest islands in the Sir Joseph Banks Group in Spencer Gulf, South Australia. It is privately owned, has no permanent human residents and is grazed by sheep. The island was used for the breeding of sheep by James Hunter Kerrison, then for the breeding of horses, sheep, pigs and cattle by W. E. Scruby in the early 20th century. Shearers travelled to the island to shear the sheep. The island's soil has been enriched by the deposition of guano by seabirds. Land allotments and a few shacks are concentrated along the northern coast of the island. Butterfish Bay is on the northern coast and Hawknest Bay is on the eastern coast.

References

  1. 1 2 ""Search results for Lipson Cove (Bay)"(Record No. SA0039616)". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Lipson Cove, unpatrolled beach". Surf Life Saving Australia. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 175: North, West, and South Coasts of Australia (PDF). Sailing Directions . United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 191.
  4. ↑ Short, Andy; Farmer, Brad (2012). 101 Best Australian Beaches. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia: NewSouth Publishing. pp. 98–99. ISBN   9781742233222.
  5. ↑ Zuckermann, Ghil'ad and the Barngarla (2019), Barngarlidhi Manoo (Speaking Barngarla Together), Barngarla Language Advisory Committee. (Barngarlidhi Manoo – Part II)
  6. ↑ "HARBOURS AND JETTIES". South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 – 1900). 31 December 1883. p. 6. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "MARINE BOARD". South Australian Weekly Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1881 – 1889). 12 April 1884. p. 7. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 "Sale of Lipson Cove Jetty". Port Lincoln Times (SA : 1927 – 1954). 24 February 1949. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Jetty to be Closed". Port Lincoln Times (SA : 1927 – 1954). 2 October 1931. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "24 Feb 1949 – Sale Of Lipson Cove Jetty – Trove". Trove.nla.gov.au. 24 February 1949. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  11. ↑ "LIPSON JOTTINGS". Port Lincoln Times (SA : 1927 – 1954). 16 March 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "WRECKSITE – THREE SISTERS KETCH (1 1/2 MAST) 1874–1899". Wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Current Topics". Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 – 1954). 18 March 1899. p. 10. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "AN ANCIENT TRAGEDY REVEALED". Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 – 1954). 8 February 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  15. ↑ McBRIDE, LOUISE (7 December 2012). "Farmers fear impact of ports". Farm Online. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  16. ↑ Fitzgerald, Lauren (25 May 2020). "Fear for cove's future". Port Lincoln Times. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "New grain port given go ahead, but concerns remain for penguin colony". Australia: ABC News. 5 May 2022.
  18. ↑ "Lipson Island | Protected Planet". Protectedplanet.net. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  19. 1 2 Atlas of Living Australia "Lipson Cove – All Species within 1km radius". Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  20. ↑ "Spearfishermen Visit Lipson Cove". Port Lincoln Times (SA : 1927 – 1954). 16 December 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  21. ↑ Media, Australian Community Media – Fairfax (3 September 2015). "Returned visitors | PHOTOS". The Times. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  22. 1 2 "Lipson Cove, Lipson Island & Rogers Beach, South Australia". iNaturalist. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  23. ↑ "Lipson Cove, Lipson Island & Rogers Beach, South Australia". iNaturalist. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "Explore Your Area | Atlas of Living Australia". biocache.ala.org.au. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  25. ↑ Delaney, Jarrad (26 January 2022). "Tumby celebrates citizens' achievements for Australia Day". Port Lincoln Times. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
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