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Wilsons Promontory
One of Victoria's best loved National Parks, Wilsons Prom is a slice of heaven for the walker, nature and beach lover. Only 200kms from Melbourne its a great weekender or week long get away.

This trek is located in the East Victoria region.

Start Finish Distance Min Days Rating
Fish Creek Tidal River 60 1 Trek rating 0.5 of 5 - Click for details
» Description
» Preparation
    Fuel Information, Best Time to Visit
    Permits, Supplies/Facilities, General
» Things to See & Do
» Environment
» History
» Driving Notes
» Directions
» Waypoints
» Related Shop Items
  
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Researched By ExplorOz - Linda Flynn   Latest Update 10 Aug 2007

 Description


Mud Map


What's not to like about Wilsons Promontory National Park? A weekender from Melbourne, Wilson Promontory reminded us of a slice of Tasmania and has a lot to attract the nature and beach lover.

Tidal River is an excellent base for exploring the rest of Wilsons Promontory National Park. As the name says, its situated at the river mouth and is a 2 minute walk to a child-friendly beach. Take your canoe or just meander off on one of the many walks. A favourite was the walk through great coastal forest to Squeaky Beach (approx 1.5 hours return).

If you're still keen to explore, try driving another couple of kilometres from Tidal River to the Mount Oberon car park. Its a reasonably strenuous walk (along a vehicle maintenance track) but worth the effort for the fantastic views at the top. Try to go on a clear day as the cloud can obstruct an otherwise great view and one of the best lookout points on the Prom.

Finally, for those really keen walkers, there's a number of overnight walks and some people attempt the Lighthouse walk (to the end of the Peninsula) in a day, but its probably an overnighter.

The "Prom" is an excellent place to chill out, swim and walk and you could happily stay for more than a week. A great destination for families.


 Preparation

Fuel Supplies

Fish Creek, Tidal River

Best time to visit

All year

Permits

Entry permit at entrance station. Campsites (off-peak and advanced bookings only) $16/night/vehicle for 3 people.

Supplies/Facilities

Fish Creek, Tidal River (basic)

General

Advance bookings for camping at Tidal River are required during Peak Season. The rest of the year is on a first come, first served basis.

If bush camping, you should supply your own Water.

 Things to See & Do

Sandy white beaches, rainforest, wildlife, surfing and excellent walks

 Environment

Wilsons Promontory is famous for its granite mountains and pristine beaches. Whilst in the National park you will see an abundance of native animals, birds and reptiles as well as thick coastal forests and fern gullies. The park contains the largest coastal wilderness area in Victoria.

 History

The southernmost point of the Australian mainland, Wilsons Promontory is one of the most popular national parks in Victoria. Reserved as a National Park as far back as 1898, 'The Prom' once joined with Tasmania hence its likeness to Tasmania in a lot of respects.

Aboriginal occupation of Wilsons Promontory dates back at least 6500 years. The Prom has a great deal of significance for different Aboriginal groups who knew the area as Yiruk or Wamoom. The first Europeans thought to have seen the Prom were early explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders who, on their 1798 voyage, named it after a London friend of Flinders'. In World War II, the area was closed to the public and used for training. In post-war times, the army buildings formed the beginnings of a holiday village.

 Driving Notes

We need new driving notes for this trek note. See our How to Submit a Trek Note page.

 Directions

Description Waypoint
We begin our trek at Fish Creek, approximately 170km from Melbourne. Take a look at the Mornington Peninsula and Philip Island on your way out to the "Prom" if you have the time.  
From Fish Creek, its another 25km to the Wilsons Promontory National Park entrance. There is a park entrance fee which is payable on entry. Once inside the park boundaries, you start to see why this park is so popular. The 4WD opportunities are pretty much non-existent and the roads in the park limited, but the walking tracks are endless and some of the best in Australia.  
The "hub" of the park is Tidal River, 30kms inside the Park boundary, but there's quite a bit to see and do on your way in. The narrowest section of the Peninsula is not far in from the entrance and is a series of Swamps and sand dunes. The first real point of interest is Cotters Lake. Its a 30 minute (one way) walk to Cotters Lake and a remote ocean beach but the main attraction is the excellent bird life in this area.  
Generally speaking, the further along the Prom you go, the busier it gets. Approximately 20km from the entrance you start to climb a hill, the beginning of the Latrobe Range, and crest the hill at a place called Darby Saddle. There are a couple of walks from this point to excellent lookout points. The closest is Sparkes Lookout and is approx 30 minutes (one way).  
The road winds downhill and the next turn off is to Whiskey Bay or Picnic Point. The other main attraction of Wilsons Prom are its magnificent beaches and while its a short walk to Whiskey Bay, its just a beautiful spot to chill out and take a dip. The next beach around, Squeaky Beach, is equally impressive and is so named for its pristine sand and how it "squeaks" when you walk on it. Did I also mention that there are some fantastic surfing breaks in the park?  
From Squeaky Beach, its only a couple of kilometres to the next point of interest. There's a car park on the left which is where the Lilly Pilly Gully and Mount Bishop walks begin from. I'd recommend the Lilly Pilly Gully round trip taking approx 1.5 - 2 hours. Its a great walk along the side of Mount Bishop and into the rainforest. Watch out for the koalas (the first we had seen in Victoria) and for wombat sitings.  
Our main point of destination is the Tidal River campground and accommodation. NOTE: Bookings for even campsites need to be made prior to arrival and book VERY early for holidays and Christmas! (To book accommodation or campsites at Tidal River call 13 19 63). This is an extremely popular camp ground and deservedly so. It's well set out with cabin and campsite accommodation complete with cafe/store and hot showers. There is a daily campsite charge (see beginning of this trek for costs). The only down side - very busy and sometimes noisy (especially with school leavers!). It is the only vehicle based campground in the park. There are other walk-in campgrounds.  

 Waypoints

WaypointDescriptionTypeLongitude
WGS84		Latitude
WGS84
55102 Fish Creek Place Name146.082550ºE38.694320ºS
55162 Tidal River Place Name146.326390ºE39.031030ºS

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