Living our Dream...: Attractions in Toora & Wilsons Promontory National Park

Day started off very hot...so we got underway early for a change....

First stop we drove up to see the Wind Farm... amazing... and the views from up there wow !!!

These twelve turbines were manufactured in Denmark and provide a total output of 21 megawatts - sufficient to power 6600 homes, cutting greenhouse emissions by 48 000 tonnes per year. The towers are manufactured in Bendigo. They are 67 metres in height, they weigh 117 tonnes and are each set in 600 tonnes of reinforced concrete. The blades of the rotor are 33 metres in length, made of reinforced plastic and carbon fibre, sensors read the wind speed and direction and feed the information into a computerised system. They also possess a yaw mechanism to turn the rotors in the direction of the wind. Absolutely amazing they are...

AGNUS FALLS

From there we drove to Agnus Falls which are one of the highest waterfalls in Victoria. At the Falls Reserve the river plunges 60 m into the gorge. The damming of the river above the falls has ensured a regular water supply to Welshpool and other local towns.

We then drove into town and checked out some of the really old buildings...the town as 10, here is a picture of one of them the old bank building..

The heat is around 36 degrees and much to our disappointment its too hot to put the top down..as we now decided to go for a drive to Wilsons Promontory which is about 70 ks away.. a great drive through the country side...We stopped off at Foster and had a pie for lunch..

A different view of the turbines with a water view.....every corner you turn there is a beautiful view

WILSONS PROMONTORY

Wilsons Promontory National Park has an early history of Aboriginal occupation with archaeological records dating back at least 6500 years. The Prom had (and still has) spiritual significance for different Aboriginal groups, who knew the area as Yiruk or Wamoom. The area as a valuable food source, particularly in summer. Aboriginal people may have used the Prom, which was then part of a 'land bridge', to reach Tasmania during past Ice Ages.

Today, local Aboriginal communities are active in establishing cultural and spiritual links with the park and in undertaking park management activities.

George Bass and Matthew Flinders were probably the first Europeans to see the Prom, on their 1798 voyage from Sydney, and Bass is thought to have named it after a London friend of Flinders'. They recognised its commercial value, as the name Sealers Cove shows; commercial exploitation of seals, whales and timber, and for cattle grazing, went on for nearly a hundred years.

The Prom's position means that it is important for navigation in the turbulent waters of Bass Strait, and a lighthouse was built on South East Point in 1859.

Following campaigns by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, and lobbying by the Royal Society of Victoria, the Victorian government temporarily reserved most of the Promontory as a national park in 1898. Permanent reservation followed in 1908, although the Yanakie area north of the Darby River was not added until the 1960s. A chalet for visitors was built at Darby River, but for many years a trip to the Prom was quite an adventure, involving a boat trip across Corner Inlet and a horse ride, or a car drive along the beach, with the risk of being swamped by waves! The main entrance road was not completed until the 1930s.

During World War II the Prom was used for commando training and was closed to the public. Army buildings at Tidal River formed the nucleus of a post-war holiday village that gradually developed as more people came to the Prom. The entrance road was sealed in 1970-71 with visitor numbers increasing steadily.

Its the southernmost point of the Australian mainland, Wilsons Promontory (affectionately known to Victorians as 'the Prom') is the most loved national park in Victoria. Its 130 km coastline is framed by granite headlands, mountains, forests and fern gullies.

Once we passed into the national park we headed to Tidal River, 30 km inside the park boundary, stopping off to look at some spectacular views on the way.

We were amazed when we got down to Tidal River and the size of it....It has some 450 camping and caravan sites.... it is perfectly situated near the beach and the river. The campsites are in great demand and bookings are required for all holiday periods. A ballot is held to allocate sites over the popular summer season. We would not be able to go there though as no room for big rigs...

Lots of places to walk and check out the sites but it was SO !! hot..

We headed back and stopped off at a few different high spots and beaches..Squeaky beach was just beautiful...

Squeaky Beach is one of the more accessible beaches of the Prom, although the access path has some obstacles such as sand and moderate slopes... you had to walk 300 metres to the beginning of the beach...and in the heat was pretty hard for me..but I didnt want to miss out on some of these lovely places...