You have two options for getting to Refuge Cove: hiking via Wilsons Prom’s network of walking trails, which will entail camping for at least one night either at the cove or elsewhere in the park, or sailing in your own boat and anchoring in the cove. Both require advance booking and solid planning, as the Refuge Cove campsite only offers basic bathrooms. The Tidal River General Store has a café and sells groceries—not to mention some camping basics if you’ve left your tent pegs in Melbourne.
Refuge Cove is an excellent choice for boaters and hikers who love wilderness camping.
Refuge Cove is a serious hike: bring sun protection, a first-aid kit, and plenty of water, and file a safety plan so someone can raise the alarm if you don’t return on schedule.
There are restrooms at the campsite but no water—bring tablets to treat creek water.
As with all Victoria national parks, drones are prohibited anywhere in Wilsons Promontory.
Fires are forbidden at Refuge Cove.
A few areas of Wilsons Prom are accessible to travelers who use wheelchairs: Refuge Cove is not among them.
Refuge Cove snuggles on the eastern shore of Wilsons Promontory National Park, between Sealers Cove and Little Waterloo Bay on the southern circuit. The park is about a 140-mile (240-kilometer) drive southeast of Melbourne: there’s no public transit, and the nearest fuel station is about a 25-mile (40-kilometer drive). Refuge Cove is a 15-mile (25-kilometer) hike from the Telegraph Saddle car park or a similar distance from Tidal River. Some travelers arrive by boat.
Wilsons Promontory National Park is open all year round and free to enter, although it may close in case of extreme weather. Hours for the visitor center and the Tidal River General Store vary seasonally. The Australian summer (December–February) is the ideal time to enjoy Refuge Cove: visit midweek to improve your chances of seclusion.
Wilsons Promontory National Park spans 195 square miles (505 square kilometers) of wilderness, so there are many hikes to enjoy, including the Loo-Errn Walking Track. This wheelchair-accessible boardwalk runs beside the Tidal River. A 2-hour hike from the Telegraph Saddle parking lot scales Mt. Oberon for sweeping views across the park. Besides Refuge Cove, other southern circuit overnight hikes include the Wilson Promontory Lighthouse Station, which has bookable cottages.