Wisons Promontory National Park Interpretation & Education Service
History
Wilson’s Promontory is a unique part of
Australia's varied coastline. It forms
the mainland's southernmost landmark
which has a strong influence in both
the natural and cultural history of the
area.
The foundations
The roots of Wilson’s Promontory are
composed almost entirely of Devonian
granite. The granite of the Prom is at the
northern end of a large batholith that is
almost 300 kms long and up to 50 kms
wide, extending into north-east Tasmania.
During its long history, successive periods
of high and low sea levels have resulted in
the Prom being either an island isolated
from the mainland or part of a land bridge
extending from Tasmania to the mainland.
Flinders and King Islands are also part of
this batholith which remain exposed today,
along with the numerous small island
groups in Bass Strait.
The inhabitants
The first people to live on Wilson’s
Promontory were the Koori (Aborigines).
These people belonged to the Brataualung
tribe, part of the Kurnai nation. The
Brataualung people roamed the area from
Cape Liptrap to the mouth of the Albert
River and inland to the ridge of the
western Strzelecki Ranges.
They were mostly nomadic people, and
when visiting the Prom they mostly lived
around the coast. Their diet of fish,
shellfish and small animals was
supplemented with the occasional Koala
or Mutton bird. To carry them on their
fishing activities they had canoes of bark
that were folded and tied at the ends.
They were flimsy arrangements and the
Koori people took care never to venture
too far from the coast.
European discovery
The promontory was discovered by
Europeans when George Bass sighted
land in 1798. However, he believed this
sighting to be islands that had already
been discovered and it was not until a few
months later that he realised his mistake.
Bass and fellow explorer Matthew Flinders
submitted a joint recommendation to
Governor Hunter that the newly
discovered area be called Wilson’s
Promontory. It is believed that the name
“Wilson’s” Promontory is derived from an
honour Bass wished to bestow upon a
London friend, Thomas Wilson.
Sealing their fate
When Bass and Flinders sighted the
promontory in 1798 aboard the Norfolk,
they were accompanied by the Nautilus,
which was sent along to investigate the
potential of sealing in the area.
The results were promising and the
Nautilus returned to Sydney with 9,000
seal skins and several tons of seal oil. For
the next 40 years sealers exploited the
seal colonies of the islands around the
Prom to such an extent that by the late
1830s the sealers had killed off most of
the seals and the industry was no longer
viable.
Sealers were very active on the eastern
coast of Wilson’s Promontory, particularly
at Sealers Cove, as it’s name implies.
Refuge Cove was a busy whaling station
for some years. Again, due to overfishing,
whale numbers declined and by 1847
whaling activities had virtually ceased on
the shores of Wilson’s Promontory.
The sealing and whaling eras brought
attention to the Prom, and attracted other
primary industries including timber,
quarrying, fishing, salt extraction and
mining.
Tall timbers
The tall forests of the mountain gullies
above Sealers Cove attracted timber
millers to the Prom during the late 1840s.
Posts and railings for fences were the
main products with a strong demand
Wisons Promontory National Park Interpretation & Education Service
coming from newly established local
pastoralists.
during this trip that they envisaged the
Prom as a National Park.
From 1854 the census recorded a total of
61 people living at Sealers Cove, there
almost exclusively to log the tall timber.
However the forests could not support
such a level of exploitation for long. The
mill closed in the early 1860s after most of
the good timber had been removed.
In contrast to this, others were attempting
to divide the area for settlement. The
Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
approached the government before 1890
to persuade it to establish a National Park.
It was not until 1893 that the land was
reserved, and then only temporarily for the
site of a National Park. Further lengthy
deputations resulted in gazettal of a
National Park in March 1905.
However, the industry flourished again in
the 1880s when natural regrowth
produced a fresh crop of trees suitable for
milling. The mill closed again and
harvesting ceased completely in 1906.
The only evidence of the industry which
remains today is a few stumps of the jetty
in Sealers Cove, used to unload supplies
and transport the timber.
During the period of timber milling,
Wilson’s Promontory was also used for
pastoral purposes. Homesteads were built
on three runs : Richard Benison at
Yanakie; David Fraser held Wilson’s
Promontory/Oberon and John
Baragnawath held Sealers Cove.
The lure of riches
Gold fever, rampant in Gippsland during
the 1960s did not bypass the Prom. In
May 1866 “The Chancellor of Gold Mining
and Quartz Crushing Company” was
formed and applied for a mining lease of
25 acres on Mt Singapore, but the area
was not very productive and by 1870 the
mine had closed.
Tin Ore was discovered near Corner Inlet
in the 1870s. The ore was not mined until
national demand increased its exploitation
towards the end of the First World War.
The mine was operated near Mt Hunter by
a succession of companies from 1920 to
1936.
The fight to save the Prom
In 1884, the party of Gregory, Lucas and
Robinson made a trip to
Wilson’sPromontory and it was probably
However the land around the coast of the
promontory was not included in the park.
In August 1908, it was decided to add to
the park, the strip around the coast.
A committee of management was
established to oversee the running of the
park. Since 1908, further areas have been
added to bring the park to it’s current area
of 49,000 hectares.
During the latter stages of World War 2 the
Prom was officially closed to the public
and used as a training area for the armies,
of both New Zealand and Australia. The
more recent history of Wilson’s
Promontory has seen various
developments and changes but the one
thing that it is hoped will remain the same
for generations to come is its natural
beauty and relatively pristine
environments.
The committee of management continued
until 1975 when the sole management
became the resposibility of Victoria's
National Parks Service which became part
of the Department of Conservation,
Forests and Lands in 1985. Through
various restructures, this work is continued
by the National Parks Service of the
current Department of Conservation and
Natural Resouces.
The waters around the promontory were
set aside in a seperate Marine Park in
1986, along with Shallow Inlet and Corner
Inlet and Nooramunga which became
Marine and Coastal Parks in the same
year, forming the South Gippsland Marine
and Coastal Parks.