Parnkalla Trail

The shoreline trail

The Parnkalla Trail is Port Lincoln's signature walk: a shared walking path that hugs the shoreline of Boston Bay, one of the largest natural harbours in the world, for the length of the city and beyond. The name honours the Barngarla (historically written Parnkalla) people, the traditional owners of this coast.

What you pass

The trail is a string of small rewards. Walking the central sections you pass the 1839 First Landing Site memorial, the town jetty and foreshore lawns, fishing fleet wharves, quiet pocket beaches and the bustle of the marina with its tuna boats and waterfront cafes. Northern reaches run out along the bay toward North Shields with the water on one side and bush headlands on the other; interpretive signs fill in maritime and Barngarla history as you go.

Walk it your way

The joy of the trail is that it does not demand commitment — join it anywhere, walk for ten minutes or three hours, and bail out for coffee whenever the mood takes you. Sunrise over Boston Bay from the foreshore sections is the classic Port Lincoln start to the day, with the tuna boats heading out and the bay turning silver. Sturdy shoes, a water bottle and no plan whatsoever is the correct approach.