Wilsons Prom Hike

Hi Peeps

Come join me on a summer hike at "TheProm", where we will explore the Eastern Beaches, much less travelled. This is my favourite hike in VIC and I've done it every year for many years, first with my daughters and more recently with fellow hiking friends. I love the Eastern beaches at the Prom and my intention is to visit/swim them all on this trip! Little Oberon, Little Waterloo, Refuge and Sealers. Which is your favourite?

So here's the plan...

Day 1. Saturday3rd Jan - Leaving the city we can car pool to Wilson's Prom, (or make your own way) and meet at Tidal River at 11am. (Note, if the weather forecast is really hot then we may want to start earlier, or later, to avoid hiking in the heat of the day, but we can assess that in the week before. The first section of the hike is 7.6 km (2.5 hours) from Tidal River to Oberon bay, where we will set up camp for the night, prepare a nice meal, go for a swim etc.

Note: There is also an option here for hikers to start from Telegraph Saddle and walk directly to Little Waterloo Bay and meet us there. I.e. if you want to start a day later and do a slightly shorter hike. Alternqtively you could also choose to walk out a day earlier as well, the tracks are well marked and easy to navigate.

Day 2. Sunday 4th Jan - Oberon Bay to Little Waterloo Bay. This cuts across the prom from the West Coast to the East Coast. This section can be quite exposed on a hot day so we will set off early. It also has great views to either side of the prom and quite a diverse eco-system. There be a river crossing, though its usually just a creek that you can easily step over. This section is 9.2km (3.5 hours).

Day 3. Monday 5th Jan Little Waterloo Bay to Refuge Cove, 7km (2.5 hours). This might seems like a short day but there is a promontory to climb, uneven rocks and a quite exposed top as well. There is also an optional side route to climb to the top of promontory to look back along the coast. We should still arrive early and have time to relax at this beautiful Cove. Go for a swim, bring a snorkel, have a fish, kick back read a book or go visit the boaters campsite to see the names of many boats that have passed through. We will make a base camp here as the track between Sealers Cove and Telegraph saddle is currently closed, so we need to return back the way we came on the final day. i.e. we will stay 2 nights at Refuge Cove.

Day 4. Tuesday 6th Jan - a day trip to Sealers Cove. 12.8 km return (4 hours). Let's pack a lunch and some snacks and head off on a day trip to Sealers Cove before returning back to Refuge Cove for the final night. At Sealers cover, we will walk along this beautiful beach and maybe go for another swim.

Day 5. Wednesday 7th Jan - Refuge Cove to Telegraph Saddle. 18.9 km (6.5 hours) We will again set off early on this our final day as it will also be our biggest day as we head back to Telegraph Saddle and to civilization. The good thing is that our packs will be the lightest by then, as we would have consumed most of our food, but it will still be a tough day with two major hill climbs. You could also consider staying an extra night in Little Waterloo if it sounds too hard.

Campsites consist of a drop toilet and there is running water that should be treated or boiled prior to drinking. No fires are allowed on Wilsons Prom. You will need to bring a pack with everything that you need for a four night hike. Include sunscreen and a lightweight chair as there will be plenty of relaxation time included in this hike.

To secure a spot on this hike,

1. First book campsites on the Parks Victoria website below. Make sure that you book early to avoid disappointment. Bookings for these campsites open at 10am on the 3rd of July. If one campsite does book out consider booking a site either ahead or behind the schedule as there are often empty spots at the campsites and we can look to share sites. I've never been checked and so long as you have four nights booked then it should be ok.

https://bookings.parks.vic.gov.au/wilsons-prom-overnight-hiking#/accom/141064

Book the following sites if possible:

Saturday3rd Jan - Oberon Bay
Sunday 4th Jan - Little Waterloo Bay
Monday 5th Jan - Refuge Cove
Tuesday 6th Jan - Refuge Cove

2. RSVP to the event here and confirm that you have booked your sites in the chat.
3. I will then add you, or send you a link to a whatsapp group for discussions/questions around this hike.

Feel free to also post questions to the event chat, or to the Whatsapp group once added.

Note: a good level of fitness is expected for this hike as well as proper lightweight camping gear. last year there was no water at the first campsite which meant that some hikers carried in excess of 20kg on the first day due to the additional water requirement.

That's a wrap, look forward to seeing some of you on this hike.

Cheers

Stephen

Disclaimer: By signing up to this event you accept that you are solely responsible for yourselves and your guests. You agree that you are responsible for assessing your and fitness level before deciding to attend any event or activity. You also agree to hold free from liability the organizers and event hosts of this group for any accident, incident, event cancellation or resulting physical, health or emotional consequences for you and your guests from participating in the event.

At the end of the day, we are just likeminded people getting together for a fun shared activity and are each solely responsible for ourselves.