***SHhhhh***: Wilson's Prom

Here are some long-awaited photos from a weekend trip to Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria, Australia.

In the late afternoon on Friday, January 12th, we drove 2 hours out of Melbourne to the town of Foster (pop. 2,175), where we would stay for the night before 2 days of exploring Wilson's Prom. On the way over we got a call from the owner of the youth hostel where we had booked a room. He reported that two of their other international guests had had a problem with their van, so our room would be given over to them that night. This meant that we would be placed in another accommodation next door - he assured us we would be happy with the change and apologized for the inconvenience of having to move after one night.

When we arrived at the hostel we were surprised that the excellent upgrade we had serendipitously received. Instead of a 4 bed dorm we were staying in a 2 bedroom apartment! Complete with full kitchen, laundry, woodstove and tv! This turned out to be the perfect place to make our delicious, rare kangaroo steak dinner.

The next day, we set out into the Prom. Our first stop: "The Dunes." We didn't know much about what to expect, but we knew enough to put on sunscreen!

On the hike up to the entrance to the dunes, we met a little echidna. This spiny anteater, similar in size to a hedgehog, is a member of the monotreme order of egg-laying mammals. (The platypus is another notable monotreme).

It was like a mini Sahara, with massive dunes, blowing sand and mirage-type pools of fresh water. Curiously, this large dry drift is only a few kilometers from the ocean, with grassy plains and wooded forests in between.

Squeaky Beach

This beach is not to be missed on a trip to Wilson's Prom. The sand really squeaks when you walk on it!

The next day we took a hike in Lilly Pilly Gully, hoping to see some more wildlife. Alas, we didn't see any - save one unexceptional brown lizard. Here, the rest of our troop poses before the wake of a massive, destructive mudslide.