Tidal River, Wilsons Promontory

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Tidal River is a permanent camping ground in Wilsons Promontory National Park, Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, Australia. Tidal River the only permanent camping ground within Wilsons Promontory National Park. All other camping is restricted to overnight stays at bush camps while undertaking the many through-walks available in the park. The camping ground takes it name from Tidal River which flows past to the north, and which provides the facility with all its fresh water.

Tidal River camping ground nestles in sand dunes behind Norman Bay, on the western side of the peninsula. The only road open to visitors leads from Yanakie at the park entrance to Tidal River, a distance of 32km. When fully occupied, Tidal River is a township of over 2000 people with a general store, a service station and an outdoor cinema, established since the late 1940s. It is a nostalgic favourite amongst summer campers which will sometimes line up for over an hour before tickets can be bought so they can save a seat in the front row with a blanket for the 9.15pm start.

Tidal River is the starting point of numerous short and not so short walks. Probably the most famous is the overnight hike to South Point and the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse on South East Point. South Point (the most southerly point of the Australian mainland) is mostly unremarkable of itself, and is easily overshadowed by South East Point, the site of the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse. The hike to the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse, with detour to South Point, is over 25km. The return walk, via a different path (and no detour) is a little over 20km.