Everything about Wilsons Promontory National Park totally explained
Wilsons Promontory National Park, commonly known as
Wilsons Prom or
The Prom, is a national park in the
Gippsland region of
Victoria (
Australia), 157 km southeast of
Melbourne.
It is mainland
Australia's southernmost
national park, known for its beautiful
rainforests, unspoiled beaches, and abundant wildlife.
It covers the southern portion of
Wilsons Promontory, a
peninsula containing
South Point, the southernmost point on the Australian mainland. A
lighthouse on the
south-east corner of the peninsula is the southern-most lighthouse on mainland Australia and has operated continuously since 1859.
A large section of the park was burnt out in
April 2005 by a
bushfire caused by a
controlled burn that breached containment lines because of warmer and windier conditions than were forecasted for that day, causing the evacuation of six-hundred people.
The park is highly popular with bushwalkers and campers, and has a number of lodges and serviced camping areas at a camping area near the mouth of
Tidal River.
History
Indigenous Australians occupied the area at least 6,500 years ago based on archaeological records.
The first Europeans to sight Wilson's Promontory are believed to be
George Bass and
Matthew Flinders in 1798.
Extensive
sealing took place at Sealer's Cove during the 19th Century, such that seals are no longer found there.
Lobbying by the
Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and the
Royal Society of Victoria (including
Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas) led to the
Government of Victoria temporarily reserve the area as National Park in 1898, made permanent in 1908. The original settlement in the Park was on the Darby River site, where a chalet existed.
The Prom was used as commando training area during
World War II.
Camping
The main campsite is at Tidal River, and consists primarily of unpowered sites for tents or caravans. Some cabins are also available. Booking is essential during the summer, as it's a popular holiday location.
The campsite is very close to the river and to an excellent ocean beach. Facilities include toilet and shower blocks, water near each site, a general store which sells groceries at ridiculous prices, an outdoor cinema and a visitor centre. Park rangers patrol the prom, while the medical staff deal with the medical needs of the campsite.
Camping isn't permitted outside designated camping areas, and the campsites at Sealer's Cove and other locations require a permit. Numerous other regulations apply.
Wildlife
As a National Park, Wilson's Promontory is home to a wide range of wildlife species, including
kangaroos,
wombats,
echidnas,
emus, a wide range of small
marsupials, and numerous species of birds, most prominent among which are the
rosellas.
Generally, the wildlife around Tidal River is accustomed to human presence, and many of the animals and birds near the campsites will approach humans, accept food from them, or even enter their tents uninvited. For this reason feeding all animals has been prohibited and can even result in a fine. The rosellas around Tidal River were for many years a popular attraction, with the general store selling sunflower seed to feed them, but in recent years this practise has been banned as it disrupted the birds' lifestyle and habitat.
Outside the camping area, the wildlife is less accustomed to humans, and may be more difficult to spot.
Possums can be quite easily found with a torch at night, and kangaroos and emus are often to seen in large numbers on either side of the road on the way in to the National Park.
Hiking
The Prom has many different areas in which one can hike. There are trails of differing levels of difficulty, predominantly day hikes but with one circuit hike of approximately 3 days. A permit is required for overnight hiking.
A good portion of the peninsula is
rainforest. These areas are generally traversed on boardwalks and bridges. They are full of wildlife, most notably venomous
snakes.
There is also some
mountainous terrain.
Mount Oberon affords beautiful views that are only mildly marred by a radio aerial close by.
The coastline is ruggedly beautiful with indented coves and beaches interspersed amongst granite headlands, tors and cliffs. Beaches vary from broad sandy litoral plains to steep coves and rock pools. The northern part of the park comprises a great deal of the Yanakie isthmus with sandy healthlands.
Civilisation
Wilsons Promontory is rather isolated, and the closest town is
Yanakie located 36 km north of Tidal River.
Yanakie is very small, and is primarily consists of a general store and the
Promhill Cabins. The settlement at Tidal River, however, does have a general store, café,
fish and chip shop, open-air cinema (summer months only), post boxes and public telephones.
Mount Oberon
Mount Oberon is also located in Wilsons Promontory. People usually take a vehicle halfway up the mountain and then continue on foot. A spectacular view awaits them at the top. However, it's very dangerous and is unfenced.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wilsons Promontory National Park'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://wilsons_promontory_national_park.totallyexplained.com">Wilsons Promontory National Park Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
