Visitors to Wilsons Promontory can look forward to easier access across Tidal River sooner than expected, with the popular footbridge set to reopen ahead of schedule in early December.
Parks Victoria has confirmed that the project is progressing smoothly, with new cross heads, bridge frames, decks and railings now complete. The bridge will soon be transported to Tidal River for final assembly and public reopening in time for the summer holidays.
Meanwhile, upgrades are also underway at the Tidal River campground. Renovations to the West, Beach and Firebreak toilet and shower blocks are expected to be finished by late December. Temporary amenities are in place until 19 December, though campers are encouraged to shower outside peak times. The works are being delivered through the Victorian Government’s Victoria’s Great Outdoors program, a $106.6 million investment into improved parks and visitor facilities across the state.
However, not all developments at the Prom have escaped criticism. Nationals MP for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, has welcomed long-awaited progress on the Sealers Cove walking track but says the State Government has been “dragging its feet.”
“It’s been four years since the track was destroyed in the 2021 storms, and it will be nearly five years before it reopens,” Mr O’Brien said. “The Allan Labor Government promised this work years ago, but regional projects always seem to end up at the bottom of the pile.”
The contract to rebuild the Sealers Cove Boardwalk has now been awarded to Victorian company Envirotechniques, with work due to start in late November and finish by autumn 2026.
Mr O’Brien said the Prom is “one of Victoria’s greatest natural assets” and delays have “hurt local businesses and visitors alike,” while acknowledging it’s pleasing to finally see overdue maintenance getting underway across the park.
