Plan Book Travel Australia

DESTINATION: Wilsons Promontory National Park

Wilsons Promontory NP, the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, is one of Victoria's most beautiful and popular parks. The park protects some 500km of eucalypt forest, rainforest, heathland, sandy beaches, granite peaks, headlands and their resident wildlife. It is 200km SE of Melbourne, about a 3hr drive, and is surrounded by marine parks that protect underwater ecosystems and historic shipwrecks. Swimming, surfing, snorkelling and scuba diving are popular attractions and walking opportunities range from short 1 or 2hr strolls to overnight hikes, which require permits. Camping, lodge and hut accommodation is available.

Once part of the ancient land bridge to Tasmania, Wilsons Promontory is the southernmost point of the Australian mainland. The area is protected by one of Victoria's oldest and most spectacular national parks, reserved in 1898. Its pristine beaches and coves framed by granite masses, rivers and creeks, and rugged mountain ranges, are preserved by their remoteness. However, the accommodation and camping grounds at Tidal River are lively during summer and school holidays.

Visitors have always been intrigued by the majestic coastline and botanical abundance of Wilsons Promontory. 'The Prom' contains the largest coastal wilderness area in Victoria. It features over 700 flowering native plant species growing in diverse habitats. There are tall eucalypts, moist fern gullies, groves of brown and yellow stringy-barks, copses of banksias and tea-trees, salt marshes and stands of white mangrove.

In spring, see the abundant wildflowers or visit in autumn when temperatures are cool and ideal for walking. Conditions can be cold and bleak but sometimes fresh and bracing in winter. In summer it is extremely crowded.

The 500km national park has more than 150km of walking tracks. Permits are required for overnight hiking and a ballot system is used for the holiday cabins.