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December 09, 2007
The discourse around Wilsons Promontory is development versus wilderness with the emphasis being on preventing development (commercial exploitation) to ensure wilderness. Yet, judging by the amount of people turning up on the weekend, the Prom is basically a leisure/holiday place for Melbournites wanting to get away from work. The Victorian National Parks is an industry that is selling leisure for urbanites.
Gary Sauer-Thompson, Suzanne, Tidal River, Wilsons Promotory, 2007
Certainly that is the case for the western beaches---Whiskey, Picnic and Squeaky—in the north of the peninsula and especially for Tidal River itself. These places, especially Tidal River, are jam packed with people having fun on the weekend; just like any beach an hour or so drive from a capitol city.
The wilderness areas are accessible by bushwalking for a day or so with over night stays in campsites with limited facilities. We stayed in cabins outside the park and did day trips in which we explored the day walks.
We found the Yanakie Caravan Park—Gateway to the Prom--the best place to stay. It had a genuine community feel, had a good and constant power supply with little to no surge in the power supply, and wireless broadband. The self-contained cabins had enough power plugs to recharge cameras and mobile phones and a table to work on the laptop computer. The possibility was there for to take photos in the morning, work on them during the heat of the day and post them in the afternoon, then take more photos in the late afternoon.
Gary Sauer-Thompson, road, Wilsons Promontory, 2007
Only a possibility though: the wireless broadband was not working on the weekend that we were there. They were waiting for the technician for Melbourne. Since the Foster Community House was closed on the weekend I had no internet access. What was offered at Tidal River was pitiful---for checking emails only—despite the Parks HQ having a high speed cable.
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