If you’re looking for somewhere to take an outdoorsy holiday, you can’t pass up the beauty of Wilsons Promontory, known almost universally as Wilsons Prom or just the Prom. Sitting out by itself, beyond the Mornington Peninsula and deep into Gippsland, this stretch of land provides you with stunning beaches, hills to hike and glorious green country to wander through.
Bushwalker’s paradise
Both of us enjoy hiking and bushwalking, so we spent the majority of the time doing that. If that’s your cup of tea, you will love Wilson’s Prom.
We only had two full days and two half days, we had to cram a lot into our stay. The first day and a half were further reduced by some pretty wet weather, so we made the most of our sunny weather and did just shy of 20 kilometres of walking in one day. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that pace, I think you could easily spend a week there, rambling over the various trails available.
All the trails we took were well maintained and pretty easy going. Most trail heads had car parking and toilets available, while the main camping area at Tidal River came with a general store and takeaway shop as well. The infrastructure definitely makes hiking a breeze, especially if you want to travel light and stay out all day.
Mini mountains on Wilsons Prom
We also climbed all the mountains available. Surprisingly, there are several decent little peaks on the Prom which don’t have trails, so you are limited there. However, Mount Oberon, Mount Bishop and Verekers Lookout gave us a decent day and a bit of climbing.
Neither of us where particularly ‘in training’ for these, but they were actually pretty easy climbs. Mount Oberon was the tallest, but not the most interesting. You pretty much walk up a maintenance track all the way to the radio towers that it services. There is a steep set of stairs to take you to the top, and that will certainly get your heartrate up. The view is breathtaking and worth the climb.
Mount Bishop, while smaller, is a more interesting track. It winds through different types of vegetation, becoming more temperate rainforest as you near the top. There is also a little boardwalk look at the end, which was a delightful surprise. It was like walking into a fairland, complete with burbling, tea-coloured creek, elegant Lilly pilly trees and ferns galore.
The best beaches
The beaches are so lovely here, in part because they were mostly devoid of people on a very wet spring day. Undulating cliffs in red and white roll into aquamarine waters, hugged by clean white beaches. As you curve down the hills the honey sweetness of manuka bushes in flower blend with salty winds. Even the names are delightful, with titles like Squeaky Beach, Picnic Beach and the romantic Whiskey Bay.
While the water might be too cold for all but the most intrepid swimmers, Wilson’s Prom offers beach side beauty in spades, aided by the surrounding mountains which give the whole thing a remote feel.
Around Wilsons Prom
While the Prom will certainly keep you busy, there’s also lots to do outside the park. We had a lovely little dig through an op shop in Foster, the closest town to our accommodation. There is also Agnes Falls, a long jetty at Port Welshpool and endless green Gippsland to be explored if you want a change from seaside hiking.
If you haven’t been yet, go to Wilsons Prom. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
