Wilson’s Promontory is a place of majestic beauty, rugged coastlines etched through time with some of the most incredible hike-in camps in Australia. The sound of crashing waves, wind whistling through the tree canopy, and birds that sing in tune to create the most elated yet relaxed feelings, are all delivered through the thin walls of your lightweight tent. To arrive at these places, we can’t simply pull up in our air-conditioned car and unload at the door. We work for our reward. It’s earned. It is so much more deserved, and more appreciated having had to push through a little resistance.
Our mind, like our muscles, requires resistance in order to grow.
Shannon & Brigitte under a pink full moon on the Beach at Little Waterloo Bay Camp
The rewards outweigh the efforts when you are on a remote beach, with powdery soft sand beneath your toes, and walking into the crystal-clear waters at sunrise.
So how difficult is it to enjoy a hike-in camp at the Prom? Well, it depends on several factors. Let’s unpack them below.
FITNESS
With any physical activity, baseline fitness ensures that an overnight hiking trip is enjoyable. Consider your baseline fitness. Can you walk at a brisk pace for 40mins holding a conversation? Do you currently weight train, attend the gym, or do Pilates/ yoga to strengthen your muscles?
Your current training status along with any injuries can affect your ability to enjoy the walk.
Good aerobic fitness will ensure that you aren’t constantly stopping to catch your breath. That you can walk at 4-5km an hour comfortably whilst talking and on an incline of about 3km/hr, with little breathlessness.
The better your aerobic fitness, the more endurance you will have and the longer you will need between breaks. Strength training will help as strong muscles will have more endurance over time and allow you to move over the terrain with little tiring. Hiking is more than walking and often requires scrambling over rocks, trees and squatting in and out of your tents. It’s a full-body workout.
A group of hikers with lightweight packs cross the white sands of Waterloo Bay, Wilsons Prom.
WEIGHT OF YOUR PACK
When first embarking on an overnight hike, weight is a very important consideration. As a general hike gear rule, the less something weighs the more it costs!
You are going to need food, shelter, a sleeping bag, clothing, cookware, water plus filtration devices, head torches, and a bunch of other lifesaving tools – some of which you hope never to use. Then consider the weight of your pack that everything gets loaded in. If you need to carry extra water, then remember 1 litre = 1 kilogram.
On Holistic Hikes guided tours, we offer a very specific pack list to minimise the amount guests carry. All of our gear is lightweight and with 3litres of water (remember 3kg), packs can weigh @12kg depending on how many clothes they’ve packed, etc. This is a good weight and in a good pack such as the Osprey ones we supply/hire, these are evenly distributed on the back/ shoulders/hips to ensure that the weight is carried appropriately.
A good rule to remember is that a pack should weigh less than a third of your body weight.
Water isn’t always available at all hike-in camps at The Prom (or elsewhere) so it's always important to carry filtration devices and even extra water as you can’t rely on the rain tanks to be full.
Following the trail from east to west on the Southern section of the Prom.
DISTANCE
There are numerous overnight hikes that you can take at Wilsons Promontory starting from either Tidal River or Telegraph Saddle. Whether a one-night adventure or multiple nights throughout the Southern Circuit of the Prom, there is a beach waiting to be discovered, wildlife to encounter, and a prehistoric world to explore. Let’s take a look.
Sealers Cove – 10.2km hike from Telegraph Saddle. (Currently closed for works to trail)
Oberon Bay – 7.6km hike from Tidal River. (Currently closed for works to trail)
Little Waterloo Bay – 11.9km from Telegraph Saddle.
Refuge Cove – 19.1km from Telegraph saddle via Telegraph junction
Halfway hut – 7.4 km from Telegraph Saddle
Roaring Meg – 12km from Telegraph Saddle
Lighthouse – 18.1km from Telegraph Saddle
Due to the current closures of the coastal tracks to Oberon Bay and Sealers Cove, all camps are accessed via the Telegraph Saddle and return over the same path. These coastal trails are due to re-open in late 2023.
Each of these hikes is over a different challenge. Some have some sandy trails that recruit all the stabilizing muscles to get you through the terrain. Others have inclines, river crossings, and/or undulating hills through the forest that can either be a blessing or a curse, depending on your viewpoint.
The climb up from Telegraph Junction to Telegraph Saddle is celebrated at the top.
MINDSET
Our attitude and outlook can have a greater effect on how we perceive hardships. The narrative in our minds that only we can hear- is it cheering you on or is it telling you how hard this is and you should just stop?
When you’re hiking up a hill, do you think about how heavy your pack is, or how sore your legs are? Or do you look out into the trees, listen to the birds, and breath deeply the fresh air into your lungs?
Our self-confidence and our self-talk can all impact the experience of our overnight hiking adventure.
What you focus on, is what grows. This is where mindful awareness can play a huge role in how we experience something challenging like an overnight hike. We can accept that it is a little hard, a little out of our comfort zones, and in pushing past any discomfort, and unease, and meeting it with a smile, we can build our confidence with accomplishment and exhilaration.
Weather is certainly a factor but this is wrapped up in mindset. Here's why.
We can't control the weather but we can be prepared- Holistic Hikes tours consider our 6 seasons to make your trip with us more enjoyable regardless of the weather. Rainjackets, hats, hiking poles. There are numerous tools and strategies even for considering the effects of weather on the difficulty of a hike.
It is a choice though. We can choose to dance (okay walk) in the rain or just get wet.
There isn’t really a feeling that I consider coming close to waking up in nature. To me, I always feel like I’ve come home. If I’ve been lost, whether, in thoughts or in who I am, I always have the sense of reclaiming myself when I step outdoors for a few days. Stripping back the layers we create as identities, choosing to do something a little difficult, albeit simple to remind ourselves that we are capable. We are strong in body and mind. It resonates in all areas of our lives.
Wilson's Promontory is one of the most majestic places to cut your teeth on an overnight hike. If you want to experience the thrill of an overnight hike with the support and guidance of tour guides, then check out our upcoming pack hike adventures.
We have a few tours at the Prom in 2023 including a mid-week escape to Little Waterloo Bay, a Hedonistic Lighthouse stay at the cottages and more!
A group of happy campers finishes a return from an overnight hike to Little Waterloo Bay, Wilson's Prom. Accomplished having experienced something new.