A Visit to Wilsons Promontory National Park
We are on our way to one of Victoria‘s most treasured national parks, and, in fact, the southernmost tip of Australia’s mainland. Welcome to Wilsons Promontory, known as the “Prom” to the locals. As soon as you arrive into the national park, it’s like being welcomed into a nature lover’s paradise. Pristine bushland, breathtaking ocean views, rocky sandstone escarpments, kangaroos, wallabies and above all, the silence of mother nature at her very best.
As we all know, it’s all about the journey! About half-way from Melbourne, two hours up the South Gippsland Highway, we found a little treasure we are keen to share with the world. One of those places that you find on the side of the road and you wonder why you didn’t know about it! The Koonwarra Foodstore is a family owned café/wineroom/restaurant /all-round-wonderful place to stop in. Stacked with fresh produce from all over the region, from chutney to cheese, olives and wines, the café is renowned for it’s home baked cakes. Especially the Vanilla Slice!
We stock up with some fresh goodies and, with our camper trailer on the back of the Tribeca, we make our way into the national park and set up camp at Tidal River Camp Ground. This is one of the most spectacular parks in the country and filled with dozens of treks. We chose “Lily Pilly Gully”, a wonderful 5-km meander through ever-changing rainforest and, of course, the “Lilly Pilly” tree. We finish our trek just on dusk and make a dash up a nearby hill to take in one of the most magical sunsets over Bass Strait.
Back at our caravan with our three-year-old daughter Charli, as we sit feasting on a barbie for dinner, a wombat passes by.
We wake the next day with the sunrise and take a leisurely drive around Wilsons Promontory National Park. We make our way to the famous Norman Beach. Clint throws on his wetsuit and attempts paddle boarding with local instructor ‘Bones’. The aqua-coloured waves are rolling in so crisply and the big sky brings one of those perfect days. It’s just the right time to follow in the footsteps of the millions of families that have been coming here since the 1800s and finish our weekend with a game of beach cricket. Wouldn’t you believe it, our three-year-old daughter bowls out her dad!
We reluctantly pack up our camp, and if you are wondering just how much we’ve loved our weekend away filming – no other words are needed other than to say we’ve booked to come back next month!
Have you ever visited Wilsons Promontory National Park? What’s your favourite national park in Australia?
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