Situated at the southernmost point of the Australian mainland, Wilsons Prom is home to breathtaking views, ragged cliffs, and some of the most adorable Australian wildlife around.
All throughout the national park, wombats, emus, and kangaroos abound. During our visit, we were especially excited to encounter an emu out and about in the wild! Local advice suggested that the best way to do this was to try the Prom Wildlife Walk.
Finding the Walk
The Prom Wildlife Walk is located towards the entrance of the park. As you drive towards the main campground, Tidal River, keep your eyes peeled for the ‘Wildlife Viewing Area’. It looks like a large grassy field and has plenty of car parking spaces. You will need to stop here and wander through the field to access the trailhead.
Before you begin your walk, park facing towards the field and spend some time sitting in your car admiring the landscape. Animals will often venture out into the viewing area when it’s quiet. This spot makes for some great snaps, as you don’t need to dodge around any shrubs while taking your photo.
Exploring The Prom Wildlife Walk Trail
The trail itself is short and sweet. It’s a 2.3km flat loop and only takes around 45 minutes to complete. Surprisingly, it’s a Grade 2 trail. We personally felt like this was a slight overestimate. It was a very simple and flat walk.
You can tell that the wildlife walk trail has been carefully laid out with its main purpose in mind, and there are plenty of spots that accommodate stopping to snap some photos of the wildlife or times where you want to step off of the trail for a closer look. With a comfortable and wide design, we didn’t feel pressured to race around the loop. There was plenty of room for other hikers to pass by as we took it at our own pace.
Do be mindful, however, that the path is dirt and can be quite rough after heavy bouts of rain. Many wombats have built their burrows just off of the path, so keep your eyes out for gouges in the middle of the trail and watch for holes when leaving the track.
You will also find plenty of animal poo along the trail. Wandering along and identifying who exactly made it is a strangely fun way to fill time while you wait for the wildlife to make their presence known.
After the first few signs of life – burrows, gouges, a rainbow of poop – we spotted our first native animals very quickly! The local kangaroos and wombats were everywhere, even in the middle of the day.
The most special moment, however, was our magical emu encounter. We were lucky enough to stumble across an emu family. The chicks were very calm and used to people, even at such a young age. Still, we kept to a reasonable distance so as to not bother them.
Final Thoughts: Is The Prom Wildlife Walk Worth Stopping For?
The Prom Wildlife Walk is probably the simplest hike that Wilsons Prom has to offer. Its landscapes can’t really compare to treks like the Mount Bishop walk or the Sealers Cove walk, but its animal encounters can’t be beaten. If you’re looking for your own personal Australian animal experience in the wild, then the Prom Wildlife Walk is a must-do!