WILSONS PROMOTORY NATIONAL PARK - AUSTRALIA
Wilson’s Promontory - National Park
Welcome to Wilsons Prom, the southernmost tip of mainland Australia.
As soon as we arrived we set off to explore. We didn’t even wait to unpack, the ocean was calling so up and over the dune we went and we were immediately met with the most stunning views.
Wilson’s Promontory is a place of dreams. A national park that is beautifully maintained whilst also proudly sharing itself with its adoring public.
The campsite offers a wide range of camping options, from tent pitches to large cabins. The campsite office has an adequately equipped shop and cafe, with just enough essentials and keepsakes to keep the family stocked up.
The hikes and running trails are kept in pristine condition and the beaches, if you visit when we did, were almost empty apart from us. It was a dream come true to sit on the white sand beaches, with not a soul in sight and blue ocean as far as the eye could see.
We were staying in 2 small but perfectly formed cabins, they came equipped with kitchens and bathrooms. Plenty of hot running water, storage and outside deck. It was glamping for sure!
After an average night sleep, as it was interrupted by a bat in our cabin! We got up, got a coffee or 2 and decided to set off on a hike that we had done when I was young (I did not remember it), over to Squeaky Beach. Approximately 5 km away, we packed a few small snacks and our swimmers and off we went.
The scenery was so beautiful as we hiked over to Squeaky Bay
The hike took as past lagoons, up some incline, through bush and then down into the Squeaky Bay. It was not a challenging hike and all the kids managed it perfectly well.
Squeaky Beach in all it’s glory
We spent a fe hours playing in the sand and I was the first in the ocean! It was not warm but I absolutely love the ocean and you can’t keep me out, particularly if it looks as good as this one. The waves were big, the current pretty strong, so we kept the kids in the shallows. It was exhilarating and just wonderful.
Lukasz headed back to the cabin with Wilfred, he was still a little overwhelmed from time to time.
AUSSIE STYLE
Come the end of the day, this was the perfect feast. We had to fight off the Kookaburras though!
The next morning we set off on another hike, this time over 10km and an inland hike called Lillipilli Forest walk. another favourite of my parents, I was excited to revisit another special place. Unfortunately Lukasz & Wilfred sat this one out as Wilfred needed a bit of a rest from all the go go go. A reality of travelling with a little child is that they are simply not up to taking on all of the challenges and in order to not overburden them or ruin it for everyone else, sometimes you have to sit some stuff out.
The sunlight streaming in as a storm brewed on the horizon
We walked inland, past a lot of the remnants of recent bushfires. We crossed over the road that led you into the heart of the National Park and then we started to head into the Forest towards the swampland.
The walk was largely flat, up the swamps and through varied and beautiful trees and vegetation.
Once we reached the swamps, we then started to go up into the hills. The walk was relatively challenging and the kids definitely started to struggle a little, but nothing that a pack of seeds couldn’t handle!
It was our last night at the Prom and we could see the storm rolling in. We had had the perfect weather for our time there, not too warm and dry.
We had given our kids and our spouses a glimpse of the adventures that we had there when my brother and I were young. When we would stay for a week every Easter, with a group of friends. Normally about 10-20 adults and about 15 kids aged between 6-15 years old. We had a blast. Little did we know at our young age that the ‘grown up’ were having even more fun than we were!
The only thing left to do before we headed home, was to get in the ocean and swim and surf before the rain started to fall.
Everyone gave it a go!
What a place, what an adventure! I cannot wait to go back one day and explore even further.
The next morning we left the National Park and headed back to Lorne. My brother and his family headed off solo for a few days and we decided to base ourselves in Lorne and really settle into life by the ocean.
The drive back to Lorne was about 5 hours and although we were sad to leave, we were excited to head back to Lorne and start to prepare for my mum’s big 70th Birthday celebration.