Lipson Cove

Lipson Cove
Lipson Cove
Location in South Australia
Location South Australia
Coordinates 34°15′36″S 136°15′47″E / 34.26000°S 136.26306°E / -34.26000; 136.26306Coordinates: 34°15′36″S 136°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. length about1.1 km (0.68 mi)[2]
Average depth 5.5 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.

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 was named 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 jetty was built there in 1882 and extended in 1905. During its working life, it facilitated trade in wool, wheat and other goods. It was demolished in 1949 and its timbers sold.[4] 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]

Lipson Cove is also the site of the wreck of the ketch, Three Sisters. She was lost on 13 March 1899.[5] The remains of the wooden vessel can sometimes be seen protruding from the beach sand.

Port proposals

The cove is adjacent to the proposed site of Centrex Metals Ltd's Port Spencer iron ore port development, which lies to the north. In 2018, agribusiness Free Eyre expressed interest in purchasing the land and developing a grain export port there instead. The potential environmental impacts of the port proposal have prompted protest from local residents and environmentalists.[6]

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."[7] The island is an important rookery for roosting sea birds, including colonies of black-faced cormorant, crested tern and little penguin. Sooty oystercatchers have also been recorded on the island and New Zealand fur seals visit and haul out there occasionally.[8]

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[9] and bottlenose dolphins.[8]

See also

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. ↑ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) (2010). Pub175, Sailing directions (enroute) north, west, and south coast of Australia (PDF) (10th ed.). National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. p. 179. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "24 Feb 1949 - Sale Of Lipson Cove Jetty - Trove". Trove.nla.gov.au. 1949-02-24. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
  5. ↑ "WRECKSITE - THREE SISTERS KETCH (1 1/2 MAST) 1874-1899". Wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
  6. ↑ McBRIDE, LOUISE (2012-12-07). "Farmers fear impact of ports". Farm Online. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  7. ↑ "Lipson Island | Protected Planet". Protectedplanet.net. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
  8. 1 2 Atlas of Living Australia "Lipson Cove - All Species within 1km radius" Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  9. ↑ Media, Australian Community Media - Fairfax (2015-09-03). "Returned visitors | PHOTOS". The Times. Retrieved 2017-07-30.
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