Wilsons Promontory is a national park located in the south east of Victoria, and is one of our favourite places to for a short getaway in Australia. Located a few hours away from Melbourne, this park has wonderful views, great hikes of all levels, and is the perfect place to visit to escape the city or bustle or normal life. We have visited on multiple occasions, both together, and separate trips, including camping, guesthouses, hiking and more. We have also visited in all seasons, including winter.
Ky recently visited the national park in winter with his family over a weekend in August. While the weather was cool and skies overcast, the rugged wilderness was beautiful, and we had many moments of sunshine between light scattered rain. We enjoyed a combination of relaxing at our lovely accommodation, some low altitude hikes (the mountains were covered in clouds), visiting the sand dunes, and even a swim.
Ky also enjoyed a weekend hiking with a good friend, Sam, a few months prior. Sam is an experience hiker, and led them on a hike into the northern part of Wilsons Prom to camp the night before hiking back. The purpose of this blog isn’t to delve into the multitude of excellent trails in the park, however for hiking enthusiast, Wilsons Promontory is an excellent place to explore in all seasons (but pack for the cold!).
Take a look below at some highlights and a few tips from this recent winter visit to Wilsons Promontory.
A few good things to do at Wilsons Prom in winter
Wilsons Promontory is a massive park and has a lot to offer. The key attractions.. stunning beaches, wonderful hikes, wildlife, rugged desert-like sand dunes, camping and more. In winter, most of these highlights are still worth doing, with a few little twists.
- Swimming? The weather is cold, and the water is freezing and often rough, making swimming less favourable. We did have a quick dip one morning, but didn’t stay in long. It is important to acknowledge that the currents are often rough and not safe for weak swimmers at this time of year. Compared to summer and shoulder seasons, swimming is definitely less desirable.
- Hiking? Definitely! However, depending on the weather, the higher elevation hikes, e.g. the popular Mount Oberon hike, may have poor-to-no visibility due to clouds. Luckily, there are a multitude of low-elevation walks, hikes and trials to explore including short 30-1.5 hour trials up to multi-day hikes. Pending the weather, throw a jacket on, and this is a great option in winter.
- The sand dunes? Definitely! The Big Drift (see more here) and the less well known Little Drift (see more here), are both otherworldly sand dunes located near the entrance to the park. Definitely worth a visit.
- Camping? It depends.. how much do you enjoy camping? The weather will be cold, windy and possibly wet. We advise finding a cabin or AirBnb to stay at. However, we are ‘fair-weather campers’ and know many others will feel differently here. Winter provides an opportunity to get camp sites compared to the booked out summer months.
- Wildlife? 100%! There are less people around in winter and your opportunities to see wildlife are high. We saw wombats, kangaroos, wallabies, emus and more during our visits in winter.
Is winter a good time to visit Wilsons Prom?
The answer.. it depends.. but yes! Less crowds, a rugged ‘wilderness feel’, and lots of great things to see makes Wilsons Promontory a good option for a winter getaway. However, you need to temper expectations around weather and be flexible with plans. We also recommend packing enough warm and wet weather clothing!
Where should you stay near Wilsons Prom?
We stayed in a delightful house at the start of the national park, making it only 5 minutes to Big/Little Drifts and around 15-30minutes to most hikes/beaches. The place was called The Yanakie House, and is highly recommended for small-moderate sized groups. It had 4 bedrooms with 2 doubles and 4 single beds, a fire, and a lovely view.
If you don’t want to stay here, I would consider the following options:
- Camping in the national park – see more here
- Staying at Sandy Point (see here) – this town is located
- Other options in Yanakie could include Prom Gate Getaway cabins or Wilsons Prom Holiday Park.
Want to see more highlights from the beautiful Wilsons Promontory? Take a look below..
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IN THE MOOD FOR FURTHER BEACH-RELATED MEMORIES AND ADVICE? Read on below:
- Check out a review of Wilsons Promontory, including some of the best beaches in Victoria.
- Want to see some of our favourite “hidden gems” of Victoria? See the hidden gems here!
- Heading down the Great Ocean Road? Don’t miss Loch Ard Gorge!
- Want to read further travel related content, read more here!
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