A couple of friends and I decided that despite some of the best campsites being booked out or largely inaccessible due to storm damage we would spend a few days walking in the south of Wilsons Prom between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. We planned a four day hike; from Telegraph Saddle to Oberon Bay, Roaring Meg, Half-Way Hut and back to Telegraph Saddle. These are fairly short distances so we had a few side-trips pencilled in as well. Probably not the most exciting Prom itinerary but the weather forecast was good and any Prom walk is better than none.
We arrived at Tidal River fairly late in the day and started walking from Telegraph Saddle after 5pm. It is very easy walking to Oberon Bay and we made the 10km distance in a little over two hours. It is mostly coastal scrub at the campsite so not too many spots with two decent size trees to hang the hammock from. The campsite was fairly quiet though so we could take the time to check it out and eventually found a good spot.
It was a lovely evening, with calm weather and a beautiful sunset.
The weather gods continued to smile on us the next day. We made it to Roaring Meg in fairly short time with an easy walk along Telegraph Track initially and then the walking track to the campsite. The campsite has plenty of shady places to pitch a tent, a few table platforms for people to use for cooking and gathering around and a reliable flowing creek for water. I was also supplied with two good trees to hang from so I was happy.
After some lunch we decided to make a side-trip to the lighthouse, about 6 kms away. It was quite warm but we went with very light packs as we had set up camp at Roaring Meg. The walk has great views of Bass Strait and the approach to the lighthouse. The last few hundred metres to the lighthouse has a very steep sealed path which required some determined shuffling in the mid-afternoon sun to make it to the top. We spent some time checking out the lighthouse and having a rest before making the return trip to camp.
On our third day we only had a short walk to get to our next campsite at Halfway Hut so after breakfast we went for a side-trip to South Point, the southern-most point of mainland Australia. It is a beautiful spot and we spent a half hour or so just resting and enjoying the serenity.
We returned to Roaring Meg to pack up camp and have an early lunch. Then it was an easy walk along Telegraph Track to Halfway Hut. We had been advised there was no water at the campsite so we had to carry enough from Roaring Meg to last us until we reached Growlers Creek tomorrow, about 3 kms beyond Halfway Hut.
Not many people seem to stay at Halfway Hut – most of the other campsites have more appealing surrounds. But as campsites go it is not too bad. Shady spots to pitch tents and a few table platforms. Maybe the fact that I found a good spot to hang my hammock also helped my favour my view.
On our last day we made easy work of the 7.5 kms back to Telegraph Saddle. Instead of catching the next shuttle back to Tidal river we decided to walk the 3 or so kms to the peak of Mount Oberon. It was a bit cloudy at first but eventually we got some nice views.
While this was not the most exciting Prom walk itinerary I’ve done, it was still very enjoyable. We had great weather, the camps sites were not too busy, the company was good, I had great sleep in the hammock on all three nights and the side trips were excellent, easily making up for the unexciting walking along Telegraph Track.
Nugget Walks 
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