Wilsons Promontory - Places to See

Information and Access

Information about the promontory is available from the visitors' centre at Tidal River, 32 km within the park, which also contains accommodation and other facilities, including barbecues, picnic areas, toilets and a museum with audio-visual displays. The animals around the settlement are tame and some can be hand-fed. In the summer holidays the staff act as guides on family adventure walks and spotlight walks and provide demonstrations on animal tracking. The number of people in the park is monitored and bookings for accommodation must be made well in advance. Permits must also be obtained from the National Parks and Wildlife Centre by those wishing to use the "walkers only" campsites. Contact Parks Victoria on 13 19 63 or visit http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au Tidal River Area contact number 13 19 63.

Walking in the Park
There are 22 walking tracks in the park and these are mapped and described in the book, Discovering the Prom on Foot, which is available from the information centre. Some are enjoyable strolls, some are overnight treks. The Lilly Pilly Gully nature walk is 5 km return and the Mount Oberon walk is 3.2 km return. It takes one hour to climb the 562-metre mountain which offers excellent views of Tidal River, Norman Bay and the headlands to the north. Pillar Point is 6 km return and looks out over Tidal River. Longer walks are to Sealers Cove (20 km return) and the granite lighthouse (40 km return) built in 1859 by convicts to ensure the safety of ships travelling between Melbourne and Sydney.

Driving in the Park
The drive from the entrance at the Yanakie Isthmus to the Tidal River settlement is quite beautiful and is well-signposted, with car parks, beaches and bushland accessible via side roads. A brochure is available which describes the features encountered along the way. Five Mile Road branches off to the left and permits cars to travel as far as Millers Landing Nature Walk (2.4 km), which leads through banksia woodlands to mudflats and mangroves and fine views over Corner Inlet. The track continues eastwards to Five Mile Beach and the northern sections of the park. On the right of the track is Mount Vereker at 638 metres. Further south is the tallest peak in the park, Mount Latrobe, at 755 metres. Back on the road to Tidal River is Darby River, with Darby Beach only 1 km west and, from there, a walking track which leads to Tongue Point, overlooking the splendid coastline. This is a more secluded spot than the main settlement although the safest beach in the park is probably Norman Bay, adjacent to the Tidal River centre.