Wilsons Promontory (Melbourne), where to find wildlife?

[ChrISdWonG]

Hello!

I'll be going for a short trip to the above (essentially 2 nights 1 day), and I plan to use that time to get some wildlife photography in.

Just wondering if anyone here has visited this beautiful place, and knows which trails would be best to go to get wildlife, especially snakes and sugargliders. Any other useful info like time of the day, type of vegetation/forest to expect etc would be much appreciated. The internet hasn't been very helpful in this aspect so far...

I will be staying at the Tidal River campground, but will have a vehicle, so will be quite mobile.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ChrISdWonG]

I hope this is the right forum btw... wasn't sure where to fit this sort of question... do move it if it's inappropriate! Thanks mods!

 

[Ah Kiat]

Chris - you might want to try an Australian forum. I havent been there myself but thanks for the heads-up though!

 

[tribal.snake]

i visited there shortly after i grad, abt 6 yrs ago. not sure if this is much help.

can't really remember the details, but i am sure that i did most of my planning there and then. there were maps and trail boards readily available. there were some trails off limits and some required guides. u would also require a park pass i think.

the place has lots of forest and coastline. forest is not too dense, wun be able to see too many animals, but birds a lot. mainly roos and gliders. coast is really cool and windy, nice to walk barefoot. a lot of marine life on the coast too. wun be able to see snakes, well if u do, stay clear most of which are posionous, same goes for the spiders. am not sure if they still do night trails, but the rangers are really good at them.

ok the one thing is this, you are heading to aussie soon? this is winter season. it's f**king cold and wet. most of the lifeforms would be hiding. the upside is that you get plenty of coastal activities. would suggest u go a bit later, say around aug.

 

[tribal.snake]

o yah, did i mention the coast? it's beautiful...

 

[aussiecanonboy]

Hello from a fellow Aussie,
I have not been up there for 30 years or more but it is a lovely place to visit.
Dam cold but you should have plenty of photo op to choose from.

Enjoy your self.


Blair :thumbsup:

 

[Jemapela]

I've been wanting to go there for a long time but haven't because I'm car-less. I wanted to do shoots there, and researched on the place.

As best as I know, and have been told by Aussie mates, to stay/camp overnight in Wilsons Prom requires a permit. This permit is issued on a ballot system, and people place their bookings for this ballot literally months in advance.

You can enter Wilsons Prom on a day-only pass but you must leave by the end of the day. This pass is about $17 per car if I'm not wrong.

Moreover, cars are only allowed up to a certain distance into the Prom, and thereafter, all travelling is done on foot. Some trails are as long as 20km or more. Be prepared to march a fair way to any of the beaches.

 

[ChrISdWonG]

Thanks for all the tips guys!

Haha I did consider looking at an Australian forum but I was too lazy to sign up...

Have a friend taking care of all the nitty gritty details (Permits, booking of campsite etc) for me as I'm currently still having exams

Due to the shortened daylight hours and the slow pace when searching for wildlife, I think I'd best be conservative and keep my walks under 15km, so I guess if I do head over to the beaches it'll be the nearer ones.

Are there any beaches in particular that I should head to in search of wildlife? Or are they the more touristy sort of beaches?

I probably won't have access to the more pristine and untouched ones due to the short length of time I"ll be there for..

Thanks again all!

 

[ChrISdWonG]

i visited there shortly after i grad, abt 6 yrs ago. not sure if this is much help.

can't really remember the details, but i am sure that i did most of my planning there and then. there were maps and trail boards readily available. there were some trails off limits and some required guides. u would also require a park pass i think.

the place has lots of forest and coastline. forest is not too dense, wun be able to see too many animals, but birds a lot. mainly roos and gliders. coast is really cool and windy, nice to walk barefoot. a lot of marine life on the coast too. wun be able to see snakes, well if u do, stay clear most of which are posionous, same goes for the spiders. am not sure if they still do night trails, but the rangers are really good at them.

ok the one thing is this, you are heading to aussie soon? this is winter season. it's f**king cold and wet. most of the lifeforms would be hiding. the upside is that you get plenty of coastal activities. would suggest u go a bit later, say around aug.

Haha thanks! That gives me some hope as I really really want to see some gliders! Were the gliders generally easy to find?

I'm actually already here (in Melbourne) and have been for the past 4 years, so cold and wet wouldn't be anything new . And no kidding, Australia has like 18 of the worlds top 20 most venomous snakes or something like that, so don't worry, I'm not going to go around poking in the grass looking for one... It seems though that a fair number of people have spotted tiger snakes there around the year, and I'm hoping to get a photo of one while I'm there, with a long lens of course! But yeah I guess the cold would make that quite unlikely

 

[tribal.snake]

haha sorrie, didn't notice ur nick about u being in aussie.

well enjoy ah. get plenty of pics.