Known for its rugged granite mountains, white sand beaches and abundant wildlife, Wilsons Promontory (also fondly known as, The Prom) is the southernmost tip of the Australian mainland. With a myriad of coastal bushland trails and pristine beaches, this peninsula which is around three hours’ drive southeast of Melbourne has so much to offer to its visitors.
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Getting there
Wilsons Promontory is three hours' drive southeast of Melbourne.
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Do note that there is no public transportation available to get here however if you can't drive but would like to still explore this unspoilt wilderness, you're in luck as there are a few day tours departing from Melbourne that you can choose from. See below for available day tour options.
Wilsons Prom offers some of the best overnight hikes in Australia, the details of which can be found in Parks Victoria's website. We recently did the overnight hike to South Point, the southermost point of the Australian mainland and it was a fantastic experience that we will cherish for a lifetime – you can read more about it in our post below:
Visiting South Point - the southernmost point of the Australian mainland
If you can’t do an overnight hike in the region, worry not! Wilsons Prom does also offer a great range of day walks for all ages and fitness levels. Hence why, Wilsons Prom is also known as the Walker's Paradise! More details on the list of day walks available can be found in Parks Victoria’s website. This post helps you to have a quick taste of what Wilsons Prom has to offer to its visitors when you can only visit it in daytime. Please note that day visitor entry to the park is free.
This 1-day itinerary in Wilsons Prom starts with visiting and spending time in Norman Beach before heading to Wilsons Prom Cruise where you’ll be visiting many iconic spots in and around Wilsons Prom including the famous Skull Rock. Upon disembarking the cruise, you’ll then be visiting the gorgeous quartz sand Squeaky Beach and finally Prom Wildlife Walk in an attempt to viewing some of the wonderful Australian wildlife before heading back home.
Now, to our detailed itinerary!
If you can’t do an overnight hike in the region, worry not! Wilsons Prom does also offer a great range of day walks for all ages and fitness levels. Hence why, Wilsons Prom is also known as the Walker's Paradise! More details on the list of day walks available can be found in Parks Victoria’s website. This post helps you to have a quick taste of what Wilsons Prom has to offer to its visitors when you can only visit it in daytime. Please note that day visitor entry to the park is free.
This 1-day itinerary in Wilsons Prom starts with visiting and spending time in Norman Beach before heading to Wilsons Prom Cruise where you’ll be visiting many iconic spots in and around Wilsons Prom including the famous Skull Rock. Upon disembarking the cruise, you’ll then be visiting the gorgeous quartz sand Squeaky Beach and finally Prom Wildlife Walk in an attempt to viewing some of the wonderful Australian wildlife before heading back home.
Now, to our detailed itinerary!
Tidal River is the main visitor hub for Wilsons Promontory National Park and is a further 30 minutes’ drive from the Park entrance. Tidal River is also the most popular and well-equipped camping ground within Wilsons Prom and is the base for all the scenic walks. Please note that there is no fuel at Tidal River so make sure to fill up beforehand; the closest servo is in Yanakie, which is around 35 kilometres from Tidal River.
Stop #1: Norman Beach
Norman Beach is our first stop for the day. Once you reach Tidal River, head to Norman Beach Carpark and park your car there. Please note that water facility is available only near the Tidal River Campground; park your car in the carpark opposite to Tidal River Visitor Centre (map provided above) if you need to have access to drinking water. Norman beach is just a short walk from Tidal River Campground. Both Norman Beach and Tidal River Campground have toilet facilities.
As you will need to check-in for your cruise at 10:30AM (more details on this is provided further down in this post), make sure to reach Norman Beach as early in the day as possible so you can spend a good amount of time at the beach.
At the beach, enjoy a surf, swim or simply stroll along the beach, enjoying the stunning views of the various islands and Mount Oberon. Norman Beach is also where you’ll board your Wilsons Prom Cruise next.
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After spending as much time as you please at the beach, head to Wilsons Promontory Cruises Booking Centre to check-in for your cruise adventure!
Stop #2 - Wilsons Promontory Cruise
Make sure to pre-book Wilsons Prom Cruise (see below for the link) few weeks before your trip to Wilsons Prom to avoid disappointment; their cruises sell out really fast especially during Summer and public holidays.
The cruise is approximately 2.5 hours long. Cruise departure times and other relevant information for your cruise visit can be found on their website however do note that we will be taking their 11AM cruise for this itinerary. Please be also aware that the water is very wild in Bass Strait so we strongly recommend you to take your preferred sea sickness medication prior to boarding so that you can enjoy this spectacular cruise thoroughly. The crew also supplies you with Travacalm Ginger Tablets for free once you board the boat.
Check-in and briefing for the cruise occurs at 10:30AM at the Wilsons Promontory Cruises Booking Centre. Toilet access is at the nearby Tidal River Open Air Cinema.
After the briefing, follow the crew and head to Norman Beach again to board the fantabulous amphibious boat.
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As said earlier, the crew supplies you with Travacalm Ginger Tablets for free once you board the boat and will provide safety briefing as well as what to expect during the cruise.
For the next 2.5 hours, you will be witnessing some of the most iconic spots of Wilsons Prom such as, but not limited to, South Point (the southernmost tip of mainland Australia), Wilsons Prom Lighthouse, The Glennie group of islands, Anderson Islets and Anser Island with the final stop being the iconic and eerie Skull Rock. You will get close to an Australian Fur Seal colony in Anderson Island, observe unique birdlife including the majestic White Bellied Sea Eagle’s nesting areas and may even be able to spot bottlenose dolphins and migrating whales, if you’re quite lucky on the day!
For the next 2.5 hours, you will be witnessing some of the most iconic spots of Wilsons Prom such as, but not limited to, South Point (the southernmost tip of mainland Australia), Wilsons Prom Lighthouse, The Glennie group of islands, Anderson Islets and Anser Island with the final stop being the iconic and eerie Skull Rock. You will get close to an Australian Fur Seal colony in Anderson Island, observe unique birdlife including the majestic White Bellied Sea Eagle’s nesting areas and may even be able to spot bottlenose dolphins and migrating whales, if you’re quite lucky on the day!
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Upon disembarking the boat, head to the Tidal River Takeaway shop for a scrumptuous lunch.
It’s time to head to Squeaky Beach!
Stop #3 - Squeaky Beach
While you can definitely walk to Squeaky Beach from Tidal River (45 min / 3km one-way on a Grade 3 track), we suggest for this itineary that you get your car to the Squeaky Beach carpark and walk to the beach. The car park has toilets as well.
This beach is named so because of the noise the white sand makes when you stroll along it; the fine grains of quartz sand compress under your feet thereby creating the squeaky sound. We can assure you that you’ll be mesmerised by the squeaky white sand and turquoise water. After all, this is the most photographed beach at Wilsons Prom!
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Go for a swim or relax at the beach for a couple of hours before heading to our final stop for the day, that is Prom Wildlife Walk. There are no toilet facilities available at The Prom Wildlife Walk so use the toilets in the Squeaky Beach carpark, if need be, before setting out.
Last Stop - The Prom Wildlife Walk
Head to The Prom Wildlife Walk carpark and park your car.
Commencing at the Wildlife Viewing area, The Prom Wildlife Walk takes you through open grasslands to view a wide array of Australian wildlife. It’s a Grade 2 easy walk comprising of a 2.3km loop that takes around 45 minutes in total. Due to the fact that we were tired with the visit to South Point the previous day, we decided to skip visiting The Prom Wildlife Walk so I couldn’t post any photos of this spot in this post. However, we have heard great reviews about this attraction so don’t miss it!
Take your time spotting kangaross, wombats, wallabies and emus and once you’re back in the carpark, it’s now time to head back home!
Note: As said earlier in this post, if you do have more time in the region, make sure to check out Parks Victoria’s website for a list of other day walks as well. Also check out another interesting walk that's not listed in Parks Victoria's website is the walk to Big Drift, an extensive series of inland sand dunes.
Our Itinerary
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