Wilsons Promontory, Victoria

A wild and desolate headland 200 km from Melbourne, with open heaths, sand dunes, tall forest ranges, tree fern valleys, salt marshes, sandy beaches, islands, reefs and granite headlands, The Prom, as it is affectionately known to Victorians, is just a half day's drive from Melbourne. Mountainous and heavily wooded, it is a wonderful place to fish or observe the abundant flora, fauna and marine life. Walking trails provide easy access to the gorgeous coastal scenery with a choice ranging from short walks to all-day hikes. For the skilled rock and beach angler, the fishing is good.
The southernmost point of the Australian mainland, The Prom is arguably the most loved national park in Victoria. The park contains the largest coastal wilderness area in Victoria. Tidal River, 30 km inside the park boundary, is the focus for tourism and recreation. It has a visitors centre with a comprehensive range of maps and brochures to assist visitors.

Tidal River

• Bushwalking and hiking: there are 80 km of hiking and walking tracks on the peninsula. Some cover short walks through tree ferned rainforest and trickling streams past koala habitats, others are cross country hikes to the top of The Prom and isolated corners like the lighthouse and Sealers Cove. Sample 3 day/2 nights walk | Rail trails in the region

• Wildlife: in and out of the water, wildlife abounds on The Prom. Flocks of lorikeets, rosellas and flame robins, kookaburras and blue wrens are in evidence in the trees, while near the streams, herons and lyrebirds can be the reward. Emus graze in the open heath, kangaroos and wallabies inhabit the Yanakie Ishmus, wombats can be spotted at night in the Tidal River area and koalas can be seen around the Lilli Pilly Gully.

• Corner Inlet: Protected from the pounding surf of Bass Strait by barrier islands and Wilsons Promontory, the quiet waters of Nooramunga and Corner Inlet Marine and Coastal Parks create an intricate network of waterways and islands of outstanding environmental significance and scenic beauty. Corner Inlet and Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Parks consist of shallow marine waters, isolated granite islands, intertidal mudflats and a complex of over 40 sand barrier islands.

• Diving and fishing: If you take snorkel or scuba gear, you can discover the underwater world surrounding the Prom - all of which is protected in a marine park. If you're not able to go under water, explore intertidal life in the rockpools formed by granite boulders at many of the beaches. Wilsons Promontory Marine Park covers the western and eastern coastlines of Wilsons Promontory. It is an area of extensive sandy beaches, rocky reefs and offshore islands, with some important seagrass meadows. Line fishing and commercial fishing is permitted. Spear fishing and diving for abalone and rock lobster are permitted subject to some restrictions. Pillar Point near Tidal River and Refuge Cove on the east coast are excellent places for diving and snorkelling, but line fishing only is permitted at these places.

	Squeaky Beach

The Best Time To Visit

Wilsons Promontory can be visited at all times of the year, however, being a coastal location, the weather can be quite foul, particularly in winter. Check the 7-day weather forecast for the area before you plan to go to see what effect the weather might have on your visit.

How to get there

By car: The 200 km drive from Melbourne via the South Gippsland Highway, turning south at Meeniyan and Fish Creek, or Foster, takes about 3 hours. Tidal River (Vic Roads Touring Guide: 102-C7), where the main visitor facilities are, is 30 km inside the park boundary.

By public transport: Wilsons Promontory Bus Service departs Foster to Tidal River via Fish Creek Friday night, returning Tidal River to Foster via Fish Creek Sunday afternoon. Additional return service from Tidal River operates when a public holiday falls on a Monday. All services connect with V/Line coach services at Fish Creek.

National Park entry fees: Prices as at 16 September 2008

One day pass $10.20
Two day consecutive pass $16.20
Five day consecutive pass $30.50
Annual pass $52
All Victorian National parks pass $72.50

Motorcycle $2.70 per day
10-29 seater bus $33 per day
30+ seater bus $58 per day

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Background and history: The Brataualung clan of the Kurnai (Gunai) people occupied the area including the waters and islands of Nooramunga for over 6000 years. They fished the inlet using bark canoes, their middens indicate the location of old campsites along the coast. Of special significance is Snake Island which was used as a nuptial island by newly wed couples.
European settlement began in the early 1840's when Angus MacMillan and his party forged a route from Omeo to Corner Inlet in their search for a way to ship cattle quickly to Tasmania. A settlement was established in 1841 but the original site was difficult for ships to reach and the settlers almost starved. In 1842 a new settlement was established at Stockyard Point, the site of the present day Port Albert.
Port Albert was the major port for South and East Gippsland up until the 1890's and the area depended on ships for transport and supplies well into the early 1900's. Several shipwrecks are evidence of this sea-faring past, the most notable being the paddle steamer Clonmel, which ran aground near the Port Albert entrance in 1841. The Clonmel is now a declared historic shipwreck.
Today the area supports an extensive commercial fishing industry and is a popular recreational fishing destination. Nooramunga and Corner Inlet Marine and Coastal Parks were declared in 1986
The first European to see the promontory was George Bass in January 1798. He initially referred to it as "Furneaux's Land" in his diary, believing it to be what Captain Furneaux had previously seen. But on returning to Port Jackson and consulting with Matthew Flinders he was convinced that the location was so different it could not be that land. Bass and Flinders recommended the name Wilson's Promontory to Governor Hunter, honouring Flinders' friend from London Thomas Wilson. Little is known of Wilson except that he was a merchant engaged in trade with Australia.
The promontory has been a National Park, to one degree or another, since 1898. Wilsons Promontory National Park, also known locally as "the Prom", contains the largest coastal wilderness area in Victoria. The only settlement within Wilsons Promontory is Tidal River which lies 30 km inside the park boundary and is the focus for tourism and recreation. This park is managed by Parks Victoria.
Coastal features include expansive intertidal mudflats, sandy beaches and sheltered coves interrupted by prominent headlands and plunging granite cliffs in the south, backed by coastal dunes and swamps. In 2005, controversial government backburning got out of control and devastated 70 square kilometres of the park, causing the evacuation of campers.
Scientists believe it is possible that the limits to the distributional patterns of many marine species in the area are due to dramatic sea level fluctuations over the last 125,000 years (Pleistocene era). During this period vast changes across the globe occurred as ice caps formed and later melted changing sea levels. In the last period of glaciation or Ice Age sea levels were over 100 meters lower than what they are at present. During this time the Prom and the islands to the south including Flinders Island formed a barrier to movement of water through Bass Strait which led to species becoming different either side of the Prom. This is well recorded for certain species of crabs and molluscs. Southern right whales are regularly seen between Norman Bay and the lighthouse in spring and autumn on their annual migration.
The South East Point Lighthouse was built in 1859 using convict labour, and stands on a giant base of granite. A year after it was built, a telegraph line was laid from Foster, connecting Yanakie, Darby River, Mount Oberon and the lighthouse. The lighthouse today is a popular spot for visitors to Wilsons Promontory National Park, and is situated approximately eighteen and a half kilometres south east of Tidal River Resort.

Geological and Landform Features: Wilsons Promontory has a variety of geological and landform features of national geological and geomorphological significance. There are nine individual sites within the park of State or regional significance, including Darby, Squeaky and Five Mile Beaches, Great Glennie and Cleft Islands, and Chinaman Creek Delta. Norman Bay at Tidal River is an excellent and accessible place to study the different kinds and formations of granite that make up the Prom. The promontory represents the northern end of a large granite mass extending to north-east Tasmania. Erosion of the granitic massif has produced the spectacularly rugged landscape we see today. The Yanakie isthmus connecting the granitic promontory to the mainland consists of marine and non-marine sediments and dune deposits.