Camping at Wilsons Prom - 6th to 8th December 2019

I had one of my best photography weekends. Despite the windy and at times wet conditions, I just loved every minute at Wilsons Prom. It’s an amazing place and I hope some of my photographs do it justice. There are countless shots yet to be taken on future visits. Some will have to be at dawn for the best light and to avoid people. All the pictures I am sharing here were taken with either the Nikon D850 and the 12-120mm F4 or 20mm F1.8 lens; or the Sony RX10iv. Feel free to email me at midgley.derek@gmail.com if you would like to enquire about buying prints.

Ok, I’ve not had the best experiences of sleeping in tents. Beginning with a camp called “mini-camp” when I was eleven where It rained so hard our tent flooded during the night soaking our sleeping bags. Waking to find your bed wet was never fun. So it was with some trepidation that I went camping with two other enthusiast photographers for the weekend at Wilsons Promontory. But so worth it. No flooded tents this time.

Wilsons Promontory is a beautiful peninsula at the Southernmost tip of the Australian mainland. Home to one lovely bay after another, beautiful beaches dotted with huge rugged granite boulders abandoned by time. There are many trails to explore. The park is large enough to accommodate the thousands of visitors who spread themselves over the various beaches and many kilometres of trails. There’s far too much to explore in one day and it’s too far to travel for a day trip. So the camping expert among us booked a campsite and the weather promptly turned wintery and windy just in time for the weekend. And for moody sky photography, that was probably not a bad thing.

Friday evening - Tidal River

1. Moody Friday evening at Tidal River : 1/5s f6.3 ISO64 24mm. The wind blew so hard I had to hold my tripod down else it would have blown over. Which it did the moment I put my camera back in the bag!

We reached Tidal River in howling wind with rain threatening to fall. Many hands held onto wayward tents till they could be pegged down. It was good to have an experienced camper guiding us else we’d surely have failed. Still, as we set off to explore the beach I thought we might return to find our tents had flown. Hopes of capturing a sunset fizzled. The sun hid behind ominous clouds before sinking into the night. I chased sporadic raindrops off the lens and took a couple of photographs. We found a wombat but it was too dark to take its pic. Then we found its cousin.

Supper was simple, but sleep, impossible. The wind raged all night with occasional showers for good measure, till Saturday morning when fellow campers emerged like zombies from shaken cocoons.

Saturday - Whisky Bay, Picnic Bay, Squeaky Beach, Tidal River, Pillar Point

2. A human like rock with a head watches over Whisky Bay : 1/500s f6.3 ISO100 190mm

We found breakfast then took the car to Whisky Bay. From there we explored Whisky Bay and Picnic Bay next door. There’s much to appreciate and explore here. Allow a few hours. A human-shaped rock with a precariously placed head watches over Whisky Bay. Near / below is an interesting slot-canyon eroded by the relentless ocean waves that rush in every few minutes at high tide. We indulged in plenty of rock scrambling and some dodge-the-wave trying to get photographs under the invariably moody sky. Huge boulders can be found near the entrance to Whisky Bay. Some half-egg shaped boulders reminded me of New Zealand’s Moeraki Boulders.

3. Narrow slot canyon at Whisky Bay : 1/125 f11 ISO64 20mm

4. Everything finds its place at Whisky Bay : 1/400 f11 ISO160 20mm

5. A “Moeraki Boulder” lashed by a wave at Whisky Bay! : 0.6s f11 ISO64 20mm + ND64 Filter (I had to run back quick right after this shot. It’s a game called dodge the wave)

6. Ever felt like the walls are closing in? (At Whisky Bay) : 0.5s f11 ISO64 + ND64 Filter

7. Looking down at Whisky Bay : 1/500 f4.5 ISO100 24mm

8. Looking down on beautiful Picnic Bay : 1/500s f5.6 ISO100 30mm

9. A perfect entrance to Picnic Bay : 1/400s f10 ISO100 24mm

10. Seagull owns my composition at Picnic Bay : 1/500s f11 ISO100 337mm

Speaking of egg-shaped boulders, I was intrigued by a single huge ‘split egg’ shaped rock at Picnic Bay. Both ‘ends’ of the egg lie next to each other, still intact. Picnic Bay also has many large boulders studded with smaller dark rocks that look like so many feet frozen forever.

11. Huge egg-shaped boulder split in two halves at Picnic Bay : 1/500s f4.5 ISO100 70mm

12. Wonderful boulders at Picnic Bay : 1/500s f4.5 ISO100 24mm

13. Show off at Picnic Bay : 1/500 f4 ISO100 600mm

14. Footprints in the sand, rocks frozen in rocks, leaving Picnic Bay : 1/400s f8 ISO100 24mm

15. Love bites? Blue-tongues foreplay? On the trail to Picnic Bay : 1/400s f4 ISO160 400mm

As we left Picnic Bay, Kim encountered a pair of Blue-tongue Lizards. One seemed to be trying to start a family. Though the feeling may not have been mutual. Any family plans had to be postponed as the lizards were forced to make way as other hikers came along. I’ve included a video link below that should probably have an age restriction 😊

Then we took the car to Squeaky Beach where the pure white sand seems to squeak with every step. Click the video link to hear my feet squeak. This is also home to some wonderful boulders and probably endless photographic possibilities. I took a few. I also found a small flock of Sooty Oyster Catchers. I spent half an hour following the birds and they helped me find, probably, favourite landscape/seascape composition of the weekend.

16. “Billions of bilious blistering blue barnacles”? Adorn the beautiful boulders at Squeaky Beach 1/640s f3.2 ISO250 40mm

17. This playful pair of Sooty Oyster-catchers were playing “nip the tail feathers” at Squeaky Beach. Never think birds don’t have a sense of humour! 1/1000s f4 ISO250 600mm

18. After action, time to rest. 1/500s f5.6 ISO250 600mm

19. Prehistoric times at Squeaky Beach. Yes I have photo-shopped in the Ibis so you can pretend it’s a pterodactyl keeping an eye on a monstrous dinosaur! main pic: 1/100 f4 ISO125 200mm / ibis pic: 1/1000 f5.6 ISO500 500mm auto-selected and merged with photoshop in about one minute :-)

20. Magical Squeaky Beach : What more can I say : 1/100s f11 ISO100 24mm The curve in the rock is supposed to match that of the waterline :-)

21. Pounding waves at Squeaky Bay. Who wouldn’t want to walk along that perfect sand. 1/160 f11 ISO64 20mm

22. Magnificent boulders that stood the test of time and more at Squeaky Beach. Long exposure = 30s f9 ISO64 20mm + ND1000 Filter [short exposure versions of this image are also available - email me for print requests]

23. Crossing the bridge over Tidal River : 1/13s f8 ISO500 20mm It’s much darker here (after sunset on Saturday night) than it looks. This must be one of the best places to be a “kid” on a bicycle.

We returned to camp late in the afternoon to eat and rest our weary feet. But, sensing a possible sunset, I walked to the interesting footbridge over Tidal River. Smoothly photogenic boulders rest in the water on the North end of the bridge. For the first time in two days, the sky had some colour. For a few minutes. After sunset we trekked the 2km from the footbridge to Pillar Point where one can gaze out, not only all the way along the coast toward Whisky Bay and beyond but also to the various islands dotted along the very southerly end of the coastline and also back over one’s shoulder toward Tidal River and Mt Oberon above.

24. A couple enjoying the after-sunset glow at Tidal River : I love these boulders. 5s f9 ISO64 20mm [ I have others, arguably cleaner images, some longer exposures, some shorter, without anyone on the bridge … but I like the people factor ]

25. The view back to Tidal River from the track to Pillar Point. Way after sunset and still beautiful. Did I tell you cameras can see in the dark. 2.5s f8 ISO640 20mm

We disturbed a Wombat scouting our campsite. It shuffled away sheepishly. Sleep came easily as the wind finally subsided.

Sunday: Mount Oberon

Sunday was a wonderful warm shorts and t-shirt day in total contrast to Friday and Saturday. Why couldn’t the whole weekend have been like this, we mused?

Our energy restored, and enthusiasm renewed by the sunshine, we needed a challenge. That would be walking up Mt Oberon, the nearest peak watching over the Tidal River campsite. We caught the (free for campers) shuttle bus departing opposite the visitor’s centre. The bus runs to Telegraph Saddle, I guess, halfway up the mountain. Then we trekked 3.5km to the top. The walk is quite aptly described in tourist material as being “medium / steep” which it is, but the hike is well worth it.

26. Incredible view from the summit of Mt Oberon. We were blessed with a perfect day. That’s our campsite at Tidal River way down there. This is a small segment of a huge multiple image pano captured in portrait format at 1/160 f11 ISO64 85mm. I used photoshop to add the boat (returning from touring the offshore islands) afterward from an individual image. There’s enough resolution to easily print the full panorama 1 metre tall by 3 metres across!

At the summit you can relax, picnic, take your time to soak in the extraordinary vastness of the seascape/landscape spread out way below. There are no fences or rails to spoil the view. With our longest lenses, we might just have been able to identify our vehicle in the distant campsite. I captured some huge panoramas, even while doing so, knowing they could never begin to express, in two dimensions, what it felt like to be there. This is one must-do walk. You just have to see for yourself. Be sure to set off with at least 1.5l of water… unless it’s really cold.

So we had to catch the bus down, pack up our car, and head back to Melbourne. I grabbed a very welcome Iced Coffee with extra icecream at Maccas in Leongatha and we were home in time for me to catch some bird photography at my local wetlands before sunset. All the while wishing I could still be at the Prom.

Some details, wildlife encounters

Booking at Tidal River Campground was done online and the site cost $33/night with a check out time of 11am. The sites aren’t pre-allocated. So it’s good to try to get there early on Friday. The fee includes one vehicle and, I think, a maximum of six humans. Extra vehicles would have cost about $10/night.

Wombats stay for free. An unlimited number are permitted on each site and they may pillage any tents that might contain anything they want. So we left all the food/snacks/etc. in the car except while we were actually eating. The site is also popular with many wonderful local birds. A gorgeous pair of Crimson Rosellas, one with a foot injury, visited the site each morning just to check for leftovers. One even hopped up on my knee, only to chirp and fly as soon as it saw I had no food.

We encountered plenty of wildlife including Wombats, Wallaby’s and several different birds: e.g. White-browed Scrubwrens, Superb Fairy-wrens, Seagulls, Pacific Seagulls, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Little Wattlebirds and even a flock of Sooty Oyster Catchers which I found at Squeaky Beach. And of course the blue-tongues at Picnic Bay. We saw some Emu’s next to the road on our way home.

Ablutions are comfortable enough including hot-water showers and were being regularly cleaned as we saw the cleaners early each morning.

A small souvenir and general food/supplies store and cafe are located near the Tidal River visitors/info centre. If you read this far I hope you find the info useful and please feel free to comment / questions.

Short iPhone clip from Squeaky Beach showing what it sounds like to walk on the beach in terrible wind. Sorry about the wind noise!