Wilson’s Promontory: Day 2

We woke up to the sound of kookaburras outside our cabin, and over breakfast, we enjoyed the antics of this Swamp Wallaby outside our window.

We had two walks planned for today. We met at 9 am for the walk to Squeaky Beach via Pillar Point. (10km approx.) Crossing the footbridge across Tidal River you begin walking up and over the headland. We had awesome views looking back down Tidal River.

There were heaps of birds in this section of the track. There are a lot of banksia and tea trees, providing nectar and seeds to a variety of birds.

Towards the top of the headland there is a turn-off to Pillar Point. The views were stunning. It is worth taking the 600m detour.

The scenery reminded me of the Bay Of Fires in Tasmania, with large boulders coated in bright orange lichen and white sand on the beach. This is not unexpected, considering this area was once connected to the East Coast of Tasmania. When we flew back from Tasmania last year, we flew over the islands off the Tasmania North East Coast to Wilson’s Prom and back along the coast to Melbourne. I noticed a trail of rocky outcrops wending their way through Bass Strait between the two.

We had a bit of fun walking in the soft sand, making the sand squeak. We saw this Sooty Oystercatcher, periodically sticking its beak right down in the wet sand to find food. It looked to be finding marine worms.

After a long stroll on the beach, we retraced our steps back to Tidal River. Not far from Tidal River, we saw this snake on the path. I think it is a juvenile lowland copperhead snake.

Back at our accommodation, we had lunch. I read a bit of my book and then had a power nap before reconvening with our friends at the car at 2 pm for our afternoon walk. This afternoon we tackled the Mount Oberon Summit walk. This begins at the Telegraph Saddle Carpark before following the fire trail around and up to the summit. The last section is a series of rocky stairs to ascend the granite topped summit. As you climb up and onto the topmost boulders, you are treated to this epic view.

We took a seat and enjoyed afternoon tea with a view. Then we headed back on down through the eucalypt forest, with a bit of bird spotting on the way.

Arriving back at our unit, our friend from the morning was still hanging out.

We changed our shoes and met in our friends’ unit for pre-dinner snacks. While enjoying our conversation, our friend noticed a wombat snacking about 100m from the unit. We made our way around to get a closer look. This was the first time I remember seeing a wombat in the wild, so I was very excited. This was one animal I was keen to see finally. Later while the BBQ was cooking, the wombat ventured closer into the field just outside the units. Apparently, they are regular visitors to the campground.

After dinner, we decided to head down to Norman Beach to enjoy the sunset. On the way, we saw the wombat again.

When we got down to the beach, we realised we would need to walk to the opposite end if we were going to see the sunset. Luckily we had enough time to do this as it was worth it.

Back at the units, we were happy to get off our feet. My watch said I’d walked 35,000 steps, so my fatigue was understandable. We played a few rounds of Taboo, and then it was bedtime.