By AIDAN KNIGHT
WORKS have commenced on the Wilsons Promontory Tidal River Visitor Centre.
The centre has received backing from the state Government, which has recognised the prom as one of Victoria’s most popular national parks.
Last month, Minister for Tourism, Steve Dimopolous announced the works, which take up a portion of the $23 million allocated to the Wilsons Promontory Revitalisation project, were underway.
“Wilsons Prom is truly one of the gems of our state, and we want as many people as possible to enjoy this beautiful tourism attraction,” he said.
The initial part of the program was completed in December last year, and pertained specifically to the upgrade of the Prom Wildlife Walk, a popular 5.8 kilometre trail traversing through several of the multiple environments encapsulated within the prom itself.. In this upgrade was the resurfacing of 2kms of track and the installation of adequate seating in designated rest areas along various points of the walk.
An additional $1.7 million was allocated to facilitate the creation of more accessible toilet/changeroom facilities, which came after interest was shown from projects such as Changing Places and Victoria’s Great Outdoors.
“Locals and tourists alike love Wilson’s Prom and these upgrades are making it more accessible and sustainable for people to enjoy well into the future”, Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Tom McIntosh said.
The improvements in this wave include, but are not limited to, the landscaping and creation of external paths, information kiosks, and building external extensions at the visitor centre.
Tidal River is regarded as the main visitor hub of the prom, with the camping ground that famously books out every year months in advance, as it continues to still be the most well-equipped site of it’s kind in the area.
Tidal River is also an area of rich historical significance in the Australian landscape, having been established as a settlement for World War 2 soldiers, originally as a training outpost for commando and amphibious units, before being converted for public use after the war.
It was declared a national park nearly 50 years beforehand, dating back to 1898.
The modern facilities at Tidal River, including the visitor centre, began development in the late 1950s and early 1960s as the park transitioned to civilian tourism use.
Wilson’s Promontory covers 50,000 hectares of the most southern tip of Australia’s mainland, which sees more than 500,000 visitors each year looking to enjoy the vast scenic location while hiking, swimming, fishing and wildlife watching.
Its popularity is such that the summer holiday ballot system has been in place since at least the 1980s due to extreme demand, and it is one of the only national parks in Australia that uses this system, due to ever-increasing demand.
