wilson's promontory national park

It was cold and raining when we visited but in some ways this added to the charm of the prom - the mist on the hill tops certainly provided atmosphere. Great to see such unspoilt wilderness and the coastal views were magnificent.

I've been coming to Wilsons Promontory for the last 25 years, and every time I leave, I'm looking forward to my next trip. If I had to guess on my visits I would say I have been here over 50 times. I can't say I've ever been disappointed despite being rained out a number of times.For those who have not been here before and I'm not trying to turn the day trippers away, but don't come down unless you have a few days. Yes you can probably squeeze in a visit to Squeeky Beach and Norman Bay, but then your back in your car and heading back to Melbourne.This place is best appreciated when the car keys are put away.For those wanting to come down for a few days, check the Parks Vic website. There are a number of periods throughout the year when you cannot book and need to go into a ballot system to be allocated a campsite, so plan ahead.Take as much of your food as you can from home. There is a general store and takeaway, however it can be a little pricey. Potable water is available from numerous taps.Wilsons Prom has been going under some transformation over the last 10 years, and there have been some promising changes. Toilets and showers are plentiful and clean, there are clean BBQ shelters dotted throughout the campsite and a central undercover area for larger groups.For those of you wanting to ignore all of this and just go camping, the campground still allows you to get a campsite, powered or non powered and set up your own camp stove and hibernate in your own little area.A word of warning that all food must be locked up in secure containers up off the ground or in a car. Do not store food in a tent, you will find yourself with a wombat in your tent in the middle of the night.If you are looking to get out of the campsite and go exploring, there are an unmentionable amount of things that can be done. The Mt Oberon walk is a moderate walk uphill for an hour, but the view is worth it when you get to the top. Check the weather before you leave, as cloud cover sits very low here and sometimes the view is blocked by low cloud.Squeeky Beach is great fun for the kids, it has great rock hopping opportunities, surfing breaks.Norman Bay (the main beach) is wide and open. It has a surf break at the far end and plenty of beach area for the kids to run aroundTidal River which connects to Norman Bay is tidal and changes its appearance on each visit. Don't be put off by the colour, its just the leaching of the bracken that makes the water look a little dirty.There are also a number of day and overnight hikes. My favourite is to Refuge Cove.Most people do the southern walks, however there are also some great walks to the North and often are not as busy.Fully recommended for families, singles, couples, groups. Don't forget this is a National Park, so pets are not allowed.

Due to our enjoyment of the 'Great Outdoors' we returned to 'The Prom' after an absence of several years. It is unquestionably a jewel of a spot for camping in a beautiful wilderness, and it is loved to death by many other like-minded people as ourselves.The price set by the Government authorities disappointed us at check-in.The week night rate of $54 for an unpowered tent site was higher than I thought reasonable, but worse was to come when our second night (Friday) in late February was charged at $59.The rate can include 8 people which would be very reasonable for a large group in one vehicle, but it seemed a lot for a single or couple.Perhaps I am now out of touch with prices here, but it is certainly higher than other places we have stopped in.The beach tee-tree area showers need a desperate overhaul. No shelf - just the floor for your toiletry bag in tight shower cubicles. The closed for cleaning at 8:00am was very inconvenient, and the cleaning left wet un mopped floors in the toilets and showers which quickly became muddy from foot traffic.It is a little trivial to whinge like this, but we were disappointed with the cost/quality equation.In the past you pay less/you get less and you don't expect any better.The beaches and tracks were perfect and it is a lovely setting for a relaxing stay. The sites need a lot more TLC and perhaps more restoration and re-planting in heavily used areas.At these rates, we will consider alternative places to camp in this part of Victoria.

We hiked up to the top of Mt Oberon Summit, it only took about 50 mins but the view you see from the summit is everything! It's so beautiful that we didn't want to come back down. Highly recommended!!

Long weekend made it crowed so kept away from Tidal River- best scenery is coast from Whisky Bay to Squeaky beach

I hiked up to both Sparks Lookout, and the summit of Mount Oberon. Both providing beautiful views of the coast and beaches. The forest and vegetation in the area is stunning and the ocean lapping at the beaches and rocks was lovely. Highly recommend it for those who enjoy nature, hiking and getting away from the drab of the city.

We come here for camping every labour day. The camp sites are nice and conveniently located in tidal river. The restroom and showers are decent and usually have hot water. The highlight of this place is no doubts the hikes and the beaches. In a warm day any Beach you will chose will be top notch. If hiking is your thing then there are so many of them that you can feel days with amazing hiking every day. Our favourites are Oberon Bay, Sealers Cove, tongue point, lily pilly Gully and squeaky Beach. Don't miss it and don't limit yourself to one visit.

Be prepared for a lot of driving and beautiful scenery. The scene at Tidal River is very, very busy. We preferred hikes away from this area. There's so much hiking, it's hard to decide how to spend your time, so plan ahead to make the most of your experience.

This is one huge national park in Victoria where there's plenty of places and trials that you can explore.I would recommend the squeaky beach as a must see places within the park. There's also plenty of places that you can a good view of the area and towards the sea.If you like nature and outdoor activities, this place offers plenty of opportunities to take photos, camping, bush walking, play at the beach and many more.The visitors centre area has a shop where you can buy food and basic equipment plus a canteen attached to it. There's also an open cinema area.The park is huge and make sure you have enough petrol to drive into and out of the park if you're taking a vehicle into the area.

The Wilsons Prom area is a very nice place to spend a day. The squeaky beach has really nice white sand. A 2-hour hike up to Mt. Butler offers a spectacular view. Worth going.

After visiting the Prom for the past 50 years I now have to say no more, because the cost of a site is prohibitive for a single traveller. I would be paying and subsidising other campers as the cost is based on 8 people on a site! That's 8 showers and 8 sets of feet impacting the environment, but I suppose from the governments point of view its just extra revenue in their pocket for nothing!I don't dispute the place is beautiful and a wonderful place to visit, otherwise why would I have gone back time and time again, but why should I have to pay for the extra showers and foot prints that I would never use? Why should I be penalised for wanting to travel by myself?

We went hiking through a few of the trails here and it was absolutely beautiful. With different trails to suit experience levels, it was a wonderful day out. After the amazing views and tiring walks, we cooled down with a relaxing swim. This place really does have everything!

You can visit the Prom on a day trip by road, which we did. Of course we didn't see a great deal compared to how much you can see if you stay over and do some tramping about, but we got a sense of the extent, beauty and variety of this coastal environment. Thank goodness it's a protected place and has not been sold off to commercial interests.

This park has some stunning scenery and some great beaches to visit, there are a number of walks that can take from an hour to a couple of days. We chose to walk for about 5 hours taking in the views and beaches close to the Tidal River campsite. This being the only place to camp in the park, BE AWARE this can become expensive, a pitch on our visit was $59per night and for 2 people seemed to be on the high for the facilities available, (it is the same price for 8), but you do not pay to get into he park. Also be aware that the local wild life can be a problem, we watched a Wombat go into a tent without opening the door as they had their coolbox inside. Sea gulls can also be a pest so don't leave your breakfast cooking outside, they like bacon! This is a place to see if you are in the southern area of Victoria. Visit after the main summer season unless you book a year in advance and then it is a lottery.

Wilson's Promontory National Park is awesome and you can spend as much time there as you like, as there are options to camp, which needs to be book well ahead in advance, especially during the December and January months.Be prepared when entering the National Park you still need to drive quite far for the first site where you can stop. But at the entrance, you'll have to stop and are able to pick up a Park Guide which shows you all the options and place to go for the different tracks you can do.If you are not planning to stay overnight you have to leave the park before sunset, please be aware while driving end afternoon wildlife is becoming more active and therefore more visible and possible cross the roads. But this definitely gives you the opportunity to see some wallabies, echidna's etc.Squeky Beach is just a place in heaven, only 300 metres from the parking site so definitely worth to see.From the Lilly Pilly Gully Carpark there is a nice 3,2km walk which leads through different nature and nice sites. You can then decide to climb up Mt. Bishop but be prepared, this adds 2.2km one way to your walk. You have to come back on the same way as it's not a round trip, but the views are awesome so take your time and you will be rewarded!