113 lines
5.9 KiB
Markdown
113 lines
5.9 KiB
Markdown
---
|
||
title: Wilsons Prom Camp
|
||
type: family
|
||
status: active
|
||
area: 370 Family Home
|
||
tags:
|
||
- camping
|
||
- hiking
|
||
- wilsons-prom
|
||
- family
|
||
- outdoor-education
|
||
date: 2024-09-28
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
# Wilsons Prom Camp Planning Guide
|
||
**Target Dates:** Sept 28 – Oct 2 (2 Nights / 3 Days dependent on campsite permits)
|
||
**Group:** Sam (Dad), Finn, Eddie, Gus, Oscar, Sam (5 Teens aged 13–14)
|
||
**Location:** Wilsons Promontory National Park - Southern Prom Wilderness Area
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## 📋 Major Headings & Checklist Overview
|
||
|
||
- [x] **Permits & Bookings:** Parks Victoria Southern Prom overnight permits required.
|
||
- [x] **Itinerary & Routes:** 3-day loop (Tidal River → Oberon Bay → Roaring Meg & South Point → Telegraph Saddle).
|
||
- [x] **Navigation:** Avenza offline GPS maps + Vicmap 1:50k paper map & compass instruction.
|
||
- [x] **Water Management:** Untreated stream/creek water treatment protocol (Boiling / Chem tabs / Sawyer filter).
|
||
- [x] **Cooking & Stove:** MSR PocketRocket 2 ultralight gas stove. **No open fires allowed.**
|
||
- [x] **Snake Safety & Gaiters:** Heavy canvas gaiters + SMART tension-indicator compression bandages.
|
||
- [x] **Pack Weight Management:** Strict 8–10 kg pack weight cap for 13–14yo teens.
|
||
- [x] **Training Plan:** 12km loaded pack practice hike prior to trip.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## ⛺ 1. Route & Daily Itinerary
|
||
|
||
### Day 1: Tidal River to Oberon Bay
|
||
* **Distance:** ~7.6 km | **Duration:** 3 hours | **Difficulty:** Easy-Moderate
|
||
* **Highlights:** Coastal views over Norman Bay and Little Oberon Bay, sand walking, cliffside boardwalks.
|
||
* **Campsite:** Oberon Bay (pit toilet, beach access, stream water available).
|
||
|
||
### Day 2: Oberon Bay to Roaring Meg + South Point Day Trip
|
||
* **Distance:** ~12.5 km (main track) + ~7.5 km return (South Point excursion)
|
||
* **Duration:** 5–6 hours total
|
||
* **Highlights:** Crossing coastal scrub inland to Telegraph Track, pitch camp at Roaring Meg, afternoon day pack hike to **South Point** (southernmost point of mainland Australia) or Wilsons Prom Lighthouse.
|
||
* **Campsite:** Roaring Meg (pit toilet, sheltered bush camp, stream water).
|
||
|
||
### Day 3: Roaring Meg to Telegraph Saddle / Tidal River
|
||
* **Distance:** ~12 km | **Duration:** 3.5–4 hours | **Difficulty:** Moderate (gradual steady climb)
|
||
* **Highlights:** Walking north up Telegraph Track surrounded by Prom tea-tree scrub and granite peaks.
|
||
* **Finish:** Catch shuttle from Telegraph Saddle back to Tidal River car park.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## 🗺️ 2. Navigation, Maps & Compass Training
|
||
|
||
* **Offline Mobile Maps:** Download **Avenza Maps** with the official *Parks Victoria Southern Prom Map* installed. Keep phones in **Flight Mode** to preserve battery.
|
||
* **Paper Maps:** Carry 2x waterproof 1:50,000 Vicmap / Parks Vic maps.
|
||
* **Compass Skills:** Teach boys map orientation, taking a magnetic bearing, matching contour lines to real-world landforms. Appoint pair navigation leads each day.
|
||
* **Electronics:** 1x 20,000 mAh rugged powerbank + multi-cables.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## 💧 3. Water Treatment & Tannin Considerations
|
||
|
||
* **Water Sources:** Oberon Bay stream & Roaring Meg Creek.
|
||
* **Illness Risk:** **High if untreated.** Ground/river water at Wilsons Prom contains tannins and potential pathogens (*Giardia*, *Cryptosporidium*, coliforms from native animals).
|
||
* **Treatment Protocol:**
|
||
1. Strain water through cloth/filter paper to remove coarse sediment.
|
||
2. Boil for 1 minute OR use Chlorine Dioxide / Aquatabs.
|
||
3. (Optional) Filter through Sawyer Squeeze / Katadyn BeFree before chemical treatment for clarity.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## 🍳 4. Cooking & Food Strategy (No Milk)
|
||
|
||
* **Stove:** [MSR PocketRocket 2 Hike Stove](https://www.bcf.com.au/p/msr-pocketrocket-2-hike-stove/634405.html) (~73g ultralight canister stove).
|
||
* **Fire Policy:** **STRICT NO FIRES ALLOWED.** Gas stoves only.
|
||
* **Breakfast (No Fresh Milk):**
|
||
* Instant quick oats cooked with boiling water + squeeze of honey + sultanas/cinnamon.
|
||
* Up&Go liquid breakfast packs.
|
||
* Pre-sliced fruit cake / banana bread & oat slices.
|
||
* Tortilla wraps with peanut butter/Nutella + honey.
|
||
* **Lunch:** Salami / twiggy sticks, tuna & chicken foil pouches, flour tortillas, block cheddar cheese.
|
||
* **Dinner:** Instant noodles + dehydrated peas & corn, Heinz baked beans/spaghetti snaps (130g cans), Continental/San Remo pasta sides, Back Country Cuisine ($14.99 freeze-dried packets).
|
||
* **Snacks:** Salted peanuts, beef jerky/biltong, pretzels, Snickers/Mars bars, muesli bars.
|
||
* **Desserts:** DIY Scroggin (peanuts, M&Ms, sultanas), instant pudding/custard powder (water-mix), hot chocolate biscuit cups, freeze-dried apple crumble.
|
||
* **Drinks (No Condensed Milk):** Hot Milo / hot chocolate (water mix), 3-in-1 coffee sachets (adults), Up&Go, Hydralyte/Nuun electrolyte tabs for kids.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## 🐍 5. Safety, Gaiters & First Aid
|
||
|
||
* **Gaiters Recommendation:** [Australian Military Surplus Canvas Gaiters](https://ddcaustralia.com.au/product/genuine-australian-military-surplus-canvas-gaiters-size-medium/) are **highly recommended**. Thick canvas offers top-tier snake bite protection against Lowland Copperheads, Tiger Snakes, and Brown Snakes on narrow Prom trails.
|
||
* **Snake Bite Kit:** 2x SMART Pressure Immobilisation Bandages with tension indicators.
|
||
* **Sun & Insect Protection:** SPF 50+ sunscreen, broad-brim hats, Picaridin insect repellent.
|
||
* **Emergency Comms:** Rent or bring a Personal Location Beacon (PLB) or Garmin inReach due to zero mobile coverage in valleys.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## 🦘 6. Wildlife Security & Camp Rules
|
||
|
||
* **Wombat Protection:** Wombats at Oberon Bay & Roaring Meg chew through tent walls and backpacks for food!
|
||
* **Food Storage:** All food, snacks, and rubbish must be packed in sturdy dry-sacks and kept inside tents (never loose in vestibules).
|
||
* **Leave No Trace:** Carry out all rubbish in sealed Ziploc bags.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## 🏋️ 7. Training & Pack Weight
|
||
|
||
* **Pack Weight Cap:** 8–10 kg total per teen (approx 15-20% body weight).
|
||
* **Pre-trip Walk:** Mandatory 12km test walk with loaded packs 2-3 weeks prior to departure to check boot fit, pack adjustment, and kid stamina.
|