Things to do in Wilsons Prom – Our travel guide to the Promontory

Our complete guide to things to do in Wilsons Prom includes walks, beaches and hidden gems. Inside the guide, you will find all the information you will need to plan your visit to the Prom. 

The Wilsons Promontory National park is located on a large peninsula in the south of Victoria. The Prom is the most southerly point in mainland Australia 🇦🇺 For obvious reasons the full name gets shortened down to The Prom or Wilsons Prom. Being a National Park the land is protected which allows it to become an amazing habitat for all sorts of Wildlife including lots of wombats.

Jump to Things to do in Wilsons Prom

📍 Getting to Wilsons Prom

📅 Best time to visit

⛺ The Campsite

🤑Costs and Fee 

🚶🏻‍♀️ Top 3 Walks in Wilsons Proms 

🔦 Overnight walks 

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How To Get To  Wilsons Promontory 📍 

Getting to Wilson’s Promontory can be a little bit tricky if you do not have a vehicle. Whilst some buses leave from Melbourne and after a 4-hour journey and one change over, you will eventually arrive.

That being said The Prom is huge and the bus does not take you to the campsite, which is still another 20-minute drive through the park. If you did want to check the bus schedules you can use 📲 Rome 2 Rio to find all the up-to-date timetables.

The best way to explore Wilson’s Promontory is to hire a vehicle for the weekend or find a friend who will join you on this adventure. The gates to the national park are around a 3-hour drive from Melbourne City. Once you enter the free park, it is another 20 minutes until you will arrive at the Campsite Tidal River.

Best Time To Visit Wilsons Promontory 📅

There is never a bad time to visit The Prom. But if you are looking for dry hot weather and warmer waters then you want to plan your trip for December or January. The prices of camping spots change as the season turns. Therefore you will be paying a premium in the peak months.

Be aware these are the most popular months which include school holidays. If you are planning your visit within the school holidays you will need to book well in advance. In some cases, the park creates a ballot process to book camping spots due to this such high demand.

Wilsons Promontory Campsite ⛺ 

Within Wilsons Promontory there are two campsites. The first is The stockyard which is located at the main entrance gates to The Prom. Here there are a set of toilets, free BBQs but not much else. The Stockyard is a very small site and only a few walks from the location. Therefore you will want to stay at the main campsite which is called Tidal River.

Tidal River is a large beautiful campsite with all the amenities you could need. It is located approximately 20 minutes from the main National Park gates along the west side of the peninsula. Here the site offers hundreds of unpowered spots which are not allocated. This means once you have your park permit you can choose from any of the unpowered free spots on the campsite. There is also a very limited amount of powers site which are allocated on the purchase of a camping permit.

There is a visitor’s centre that is open 8:30 am – 4:00 pm which you must register your vehicle details with to receive your park permit. If you arrive out of office hours set up camp and visit the centre first thing in the morning. 

Also on the campsite is a small general store which provides all the basics from food and camping equipment and a small café which offers food throughout the day. The opening time for both of these stores varies so check the Tidal river website for the up-to-date times.

Wilsons Promontory Campsite Cost 🤑

There are several options when it comes to camping at Wilsons Promontory. Each type of accommodation varies in price starting with the cheapest which is unpowered camping. Or you can choose to stay in one of the luxury cabins dotted around the site. 

As far as camping goes the prices for an unpowered site are slightly more expensive than you would expect. But bear in mind that you are allowed up to 8 people per site. This means if you are camping with friends or family you can divide the cost quite easily. 

We camped in an unpowered spot in October 2018 which cost us $58 per night. The prices do change so we would suggest checking out the Tidal River website to check the price for your visit.

Things to do in Wilsons Prom

 

Normans Beach Wilsons Promontory

At the south end of the Tidal River campsite sits Normans Beach. This stunning stretch of sand has several entry points from the campsite including a boat ramp closer to the mouth of the Tidal River. The beach is perfect for families to enjoy the soft sand and the long gentle waves blowing in through the bay. This also makes it an ideal place for beginner surfers. The beginners can surf through the white water into shore. Whilst the more advanced surfers can head out the back to the bigger wave. All of this is a few minutes’ walk from your camp and all the campsite amenities.

Top 3 Wilson Promontory Short Walks 🚶🏻‍♀️

Squeaky Beach

 4.2km | 1.5 hours return |Easy

This walk starts at the Tidal River footbridge and follows the cliff edge around to the next bay which is Squeaky Beach. There are plenty of places to stop and admire the view over Tidal River and Normans beach before you cross over into the next bay. Squeaky Beach was given its name due to the white quartz sand that squeaks under your feet. 

You can also stop off at Pillar Point along this walk but it will add another 700m to the distance. You will return to walk is via the same track. Please be aware that the rocks along the coastline can become very slippery when wet.

Mt Oberon Wilson Prom Summit Walk

6.8km | 2-hour return | Moderate

The Mount Oberon walk is a must for sunrise or sunset. The track which consists of a gradual gradient slowly winds around the mountain until you almost reach the summit. Just before you reach the top you will have to climb a few sets of stairs carved into the rock. The view is breathe taking. You can look down across the whole of Tidal River and see the surrounding coastlines of the other bays surrounding it. 

Be aware that the car park for the Mount Oberon track is based on Telegraph Saddle and is only small. Therefore at peak times, the park runs a free shuttle bus from Tidal River Campsite to the Telegraph Saddle. Please check the bus timetables before you leave so you don’t miss the last bus back to the campsite.

Big Drift

 4km| 1.5 hours return | Easy 

Big Drift is something you do not expect to see on the visit to Wilsons Promontory. These huge sand dunes run for kilometres inland and almost feel like you’re in a total desert environment. To access Big Drift you will need to park at the Stockyard campsite and follow the track across lush green fields before climbing the dune. There is no beach access from Big Drift and it is very easy to get lost. Therefore we advise you to mark where you entered the dun on a map or your phone.

Wilson Promontory Overnight Walks 🔦 

There are several overnights walks with a large selection of distances Wilsons Prom offers. Before going on an overnight hike you will need to attend the visitors centre to register your hike and purchase a permit. There are again several accommodations on offer. You can opt to sleep in a tent that you will have to carry for the day, this is the cheapest option. Or you can book into the lighthouse and stay the night which is located on the southeast side of the park. Please check with the visitor centre for more details on what you will need to bring on this adventure.

Wilson Promontory Map

Below are a few maps that were very helpful for us when we stayed at the Prom.

Pin Our things to do in Wilson’s Prom guide for later!

What Camera Gear Do We Use

• Main Camera: Panasonic G80
• Go To Lens: Panasonic 12-60mm
• Tripod: Manfrotto Adventure Tripod
• Camera Bag: Manfrotto Backpack
• Underwater Camera: GoPro Hero 8
• Drone: DJI Mavic Pro 2
• Power Bank: Anker Power Bank
• Hardrive: WD 1TB hard drive

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