FAVOURITE WILSONS PROMONTORY PHOTO SPOTS

Wilsons Promontory is one of Victoria’s most rugged and beautiful landscapes, and mainland Australia’s southernmost point. Entirely a national park, it offers everything from short walks to multi-day hikes, and can be explored as a day trip or over several days. It’s about 2.5 hours from Melbourne, plus another 30 minutes to Tidal River, the main hub with a visitor centre, general store, café, camping, and cabins (book well ahead). I’ve visited a few times, staying twice in Foster, and once in the Big 4 Wilsons Prom Holiday Park, driving into the park before sunrise and leaving after sunset.

Most of these images were taken at easily accessible locations, though trying to cover everything in one visit would be rushed. I usually bring food to maximise shooting time—though a hot coffee mid-day at the Tidal River cafe is tempting! Outside summer it can get cold quickly, especially after dark, so layers are essential.

With huge landscape variety packed into a small area, the Prom is a dream for photographers and one of my favourite spots in Victoria.

(B) Foster & Prom Country Lodge

A sunrise over an open field with distant trees and a pink, orange, and purple sky with clouds.

If you have the time there are some great hills and fields around Foster that can make for some stunning images. This shot was taken on the way to the Prom after I slept in as my app told me the sunrise wouldn't be any good!!

(B) Foster & Prom Country Lodge (link)

3800 S Gippsland Hwy, Foster VIC 3960

Not a stop as such, but I've stayed here both times I visited the prom, it's a fairly large property, so if you have trouble getting a room closer to the park, this is a great option.

The rooms are comfy and warm with all the amenities, the staff are friendly and warm. They have a *wonderful* restaurant on site, that serves really great food. Not cheap, but *great* quality if you want to treat yourself. I recommend you book when you arrive as they fill out quickly. Foster has a couple of supermarkets so you can stock up on food for breakfast if you're getting up super early, or to take with you to the prom. There are a couple of restaurants and cafes here too. The rooms have a microwave, plates and cutlery if you want something on the cheaper side.

(C) The Big Drift

The Drift Track, Wilsons Promontory VIC 3960

Parks Victoria Link

Two people standing on the edge of a large sand dune in a desert, with clouds and a blue sky in the background.

Have you ever wanted to explore Tatooine? This is your chance! The Big Drift is a huge area right at the entrance of the park full of HUGE sand dunes that can make for some spectacular images. Particularly during golden hour, when the sun creates great shadows on the dunes. Parking is at the Saddle Yard camping spot. When you get to the park entrance, it's on your far right, so you may need to enter and then take a U turn to get to the entrance. Once you've parked, it's a 45 minute walk to the dunes if you take your time, 30 minutes if you power. I kind of power walk as I'm always panicking that I'll run out of time and miss the perfect shot.

It's quite a large area, so make sure you keep track of your wandering to remember where the entrance is. This is a reasonably popular area, so if you visit in the afternoon there will be a lot of footprints and body board tracks covering the dunes. If you get there early in the morning it will be more pristine. I feel that the light is better in the evening as the sun sets over the sea behind the dunes (you can't get to the sea). Sunrise is behind the dunes, on the other side of the Prom, but I'm sure in the early morning you could still get some great images here.

Sunset over a sandy desert with a leafless tree in the foreground casting long shadows.
Expansive desert with golden sand dunes under a partly cloudy blue sky.
Person wearing a hat standing alone on sandy dunes under a partly cloudy sky during sunset or sunrise.
Sandy desert dunes with ripples under a partly cloudy sky.
Sand dunes under a partly cloudy sky with streaks of clouds.
Sand dunes with rippled patterns during sunset, with some dry tree branches and distant bushes or trees under a partly cloudy sky.
A solitary tree leaning on a small hill with the sun setting behind it on a sandy landscape with ripples in the sand.

(D) Whisky Beach

Whisky Beach Car Park, Wilsons Promontory VIC 3960

Scenic view of large rocks along a calm beach at sunset with pastel-colored sky and distant island.
Large rocks and boulders on a beach with a cloudy sky at sunset

Whisky Bay is a famous spot for sunset shots in Wilsons Promontory. Very easy to access, this is a short 5 minute walk from the car park, and is best visited close to sunset.

Like Squeaky Beach, there are some great boulders on the beach that you can use to create some beautiful seascape compositions. The great thing about this beach, is that the arrangement of the rocks is such that they will line up wth the setting sun at certain times of the year. A great spot to experiment with ND filters and slow shutter speeds when the sun doesn't quite line up, or to lower your aperture and work with the boulders to create sunstars when it does.

An outcrop of rock looking towards Picnic Bay, with Whisky Bay just over the ridge behind.

Rocky shoreline with ocean waves and distant green hills under partly cloudy sky.

(E) Squeaky Beach

Squeaky Beach Car Park, Wilsons Promontory VIC 3960

Parks Victoria Link

Squeaky Beach is a beautiful little beach with pristine white sand, and great rock formations. Very easy to visit, the beach is only a short walk from the car park, or you can take the hike over the headland from Tidal River.

As you enter the beach, there is a group of red boulders directly ahead, which is the far right hand side of the beach. There is a little stream that comes out from the bush and runs past some of the boulders. This gives the opportunity for some fabulous compositions. I just love the combination of flowing water against statuesque rocks. You have to be relatively lucky to get here with the stream flow enough to make for a good image. My first time here in April, it was pretty much completely dry, my second time in June there was enough flow to make for a great image. In April I shot from the opposite direction to capture the waves from the sea side of the rocks, in June I shot from the stream side. Recommended gear here is a good waterproof tripod, and an ND filter to slow down your shutter speed. The sun rises on the other side of the prom, so at Dawn it is obscured by the mountains, you don't get any direct sunlight until later in the morning. This could be beneficial for those long exposures. At sunset the sun will be projecting directly onto the beach.

At the other end of the beach there are some more great rock formations as you follow the trail up to the headland. There are some interesting boulders, and some great shots down onto waves crashing against the rocks. If you keep following the trail up you'll get a great view back over the beach and some really interesting coastal vegetation.

Large orange and gray rocks on a sandy beach with waves and a cloudy sky in the background.
Large rocks on a beach with ocean waves, sandy shoreline, green shrubbery, and hills in the distance under cloudy sky.
Sun setting over a rocky beach with hills covered in greenery in the background and a partly cloudy sky.
Large rocks and boulders on rocky terrain with a cloudy sky in the background, illuminated by warm sunlight.
Large rocks on a beach during sunset with a cloudy sky.

(F) Tidal River

Tidal River Visitor Centre Car Park, Tidal River VIC 3960

Parks Victoria Link

A peaceful landscape with a calm lake reflecting green trees and a mountain in the background.

Tidal River is the heart of Wilsons Promontory. As discussed above, there is a settlement here that includes camp grounds, cabins, a cafe, general store and a visitor centre. It's a great spot to stop for a coffee and snack, or lunch if you hadn't brought it with you. There are also ample toilets here, as there are in most of the main car parks in the park. This is the 'base camp' for many of the hikes through the park, and there is an overnight car park here for people going on multi day hikes. The area can get really busy during the warmer months, but you can pretty much park where you like during the colder months. Running through this area is Tidal River, which is a magical spot, with a few key areas. As you can tell, the hight of the river will change with the tides where it meets the sea. The area around Whale Rock in particular changes with the tides, whereas the area near the Loo Ern board walk isn't affected as much, but the tides will make the difference between still water that acts as a mirror, or running water that isn't as effective for making some amazing reflections on the water. The boardwalk has a number of observation areas at particularly beautiful outlooks, perfect to set up a tripod and shoot to your heart's content.

The image above was taken from the Loo Ern boardwalk facing north. Only minutes before it was overcast and raining, a break in the clouds sent this beautiful warm light spilling across the trees.

The image below was taken from the same spot, however facing to the east. You can see the movement of the water with the tide in this image, where as the one above is perfectly still.

A calm river flows through a lush green landscape with trees on both sides, mountains in the background, and a pastel-colored sky at sunset.
Calm river with rocks in foreground, green trees on left, grassy banks, and mountains in the background under cloudy sky, reflection on water

These images are taken from the Tidal River foot bridge, the image above is taken facing east towards the Loo Ern boardwalk.

The image to the left is take facing west with Whale Rock in the mid ground.

Calm river reflecting lush green forested hills and scattered rocks in the water.
A wooden park bench on a grassy path with bushes and trees in the background, including a twisted, gnarled tree.
Sunrise over a grassy, mountainous landscape with tall grasses in the foreground and mountains in the background.
Black and white photo of a river winding through a sandy beach, surrounded by lush forested hills and mountains in the background.
Wooden boardwalk curves through grassy wetlands with tall, dry grass on either side.

(G) Mount Oberon

Telegraph Saddle Car Park, Wilsons Promontory Rd, Wilsons Promontory VIC 3960

Parks Victoria Link

Mount Oberon offers a stunning 360 degree view of Wilson's Prom. In terms of scenic value, it's pretty hard to beat! I've been up the mountain only once, in late morning through to early afternoon. I wanted to visit Tidal River for sunrise, and Whisky Bay for sunset, so Mount Oberon got the middle of the day slot! Most of the stops on the main tourist route I feel are best for sunsets, as they are on the western side of the prom, however the top of Mount Oberon would be ideal for both sunset and sunrise. If you're planning on a visit, I would make a choice between Tidal River and Mount Oberon for sunrise.

In Winter you can drive up to the Telegraph Saddle Car Park, and from there it's a one hour hike up to the top. Most of the way is a wide graded road with chairs every so often to rest. It's not particularly difficult, but it's quite long and you do build up a bit of a sweat (Tidal River is a 5 minute stroll from the car). In Summer the car park is closed, and you need to either hike from Tidal River up, or you can catch the shuttle bus from Tidal River to the Saddle, but check the Visitor Centre for times. In Winter I as able to park as close as I liked going up, but when I came down in the early afternoon cars stretched along the road for quite a while.

At the end of the road you will need to climb up quite a lot of stairs cut into the granite, which can be slippery so hold on to the hand rails! At the top you can explore the granite rocks, again, be very careful if it's wet and don't get too close to the edge! There are heaps of opportunities for compositions using the granite rocks as part of your foreground, with wide sweeping vistas lying beyond. The light was quite soft when I visited due to the cloud cover, and I found the inland view a much more interesting composition.

Mountain landscape with large rocks, dense green foliage, and foggy clouds in the background.
A coastal landscape seen from a high vantage point, featuring green hills, a sandy beach, and calm blue ocean waters with several small islands on the horizon, under partly cloudy skies.
A rocky mountain landscape with green bushes and plants growing on a large rock in the foreground, and distant mountains, some with clouds around their peaks, under a partly cloudy sky.

(H) Darby River

Darby River Carpark, Wilsons Promontory Rd, Wilsons Promontory VIC 3960

This is a spot I haven't explored much, but it's on the main road in and out of the Prom. The light here can be just amazing as the sun is coming up or going down, and the beams spill over the top of the hills. I couldn't resist the opportunity. I quickly pulled into the car park, ran over the road and fired off a few frames before jumping back in and heading off to Whisky Bay.

A landscape view of a grassy plain with a winding river, mountain range in the background, and partly cloudy sky.
A scenic landscape featuring a winding river flowing through grassy wetlands with shrubs and trees, with mountains in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

(I) Fairy Cove

Darby River Carpark, Wilsons Promontory Rd, Wilsons Promontory VIC 3960

Fairy Cover is a beautiful little beach that you can reach on the hike to Tongue Point. It's around a 45 minute walk with a moderate uphill climb on the way from the car park. The final climb down to the beach is quite steep, with part of the trail washed away by erosion. The final climb down there is a nice stable staircase.

A beach with rocks on the left, sandy shore in the foreground, ocean in the middle, and hills covered with greenery in the background.
Rocky beach with large boulders on sand, green shrubs on rocks, ocean with waves, and cloudy sky in the background.
A large boulder next to a wooden staircase outdoors, with green bushes in the background.

Boat Cruise from Tidal River

One visit to the Prom I had an early morning shoot, and a late evening shoot without much in the middle, except for perhaps some hikes and a nap. I decided to go on one of the sightseeing cruises from Tidal River. I signed up on the day, and it was kind of cool. We sailed (motored?) out to Skull Rock, and then around the rocky coat, stopping to look at points of interest like the southern lighthouse, sealer’s cover, and seals. It was pretty choppy on the day we went, the trip back was a little juddery, I think it would have been a bit more pleasant on a calmer day. Still was a fun thing to do! You can see the tour options here : Wanderer Adventures

A group of people in red life jackets riding an offshore safety or rescue boat near a large rocky cliff.
A large sea cave rock formation with a grassy patch at the entrance, surrounded by ocean water and a partly cloudy sky.
Cliffs along the ocean with a lighthouse visible on the top of the distant hill, partly cloudy sky.
-view of a mountainous landscape with green trees and rocky hills, seen from a two-lane road under a cloudy sky.