Wilsons Prom's Sealers Cove track reopens after five years

Sealers Cove track at Wilsons Promontory reopens after five years In short: Wilsons Promontory's Sealers Cove walk has reopened after almost five years. The walking track and boardwalk have been closed since being battered by successive storms in 2021. What's next? A team of engineers and construction workers camped at a temporary site in the bush to rebuild the boardwalk using new materials. At the southernmost point of mainland Australia, Yiruk Wamoon, or Wilsons Promontory, holds a special place in the hearts of many. Each year, thousands of hikers make the pilgrimage to "The Prom", plunging into the isolation and solitude of the park's many walking trails. But for the better part of five years, a vast swathe of its famed bushland has been closed to the public. Battered by successive storms, the Sealers Cove walking track was shut, limiting access to some of the park's most iconic coves and beaches. The trail reopened today, just in time for what rangers hope will be a busy summer at the national park. But the road to repair was a tale straight from the pages of Swiss Family Robinson, including helicopters, barges, and a temporary camp and mess hall in the swamp to get the job done. Everything, including the kitchen sink Wilsons Prom is one of Parks Victoria's most popular parks, with about 600,000 visitors annually. The Sealers Cove boardwalk has been around since the late 1970s, and was hit by a major flood in 2011. A decade later, it was battered by three successive storms and needed a complete rebuild. The Victorian government allocated $4.8 million to rebuild a 2-kilometre stretch of the boardwalk, on top of a $23 million investment in the Wilsons Promontory Revitalisation Project. The track's remote location was a major challenge for engineers and park rangers. Wilsons Prom area chief ranger Brett Mitchell said the rebuild was an opportunity to repair the infrastructure for future generations. "We've got 2 kilometres of boardwalk we needed to rebuild that's basically in a swamp," Mr Mitchell said. The broken boardwalk was removed, after which a dedicated team began the major planning and approvals process to get the new infrastructure in place. Stephen Erickson is a director and project manager at Envirotechniques, which was responsible for the boardwalk project. He led the team of engineers and builders camped at the solitary cove for weeks on end. They worked alongside traditional owners, Parks Victoria scientists and rangers to remove the damaged boardwalk and assess the area. But with zero vehicle access to Sealers Cove, getting materials and crew onto the site was the first challenge Mr Erickson faced. "It's 9.5 kilometres from Telegraph Saddle to the site by walking track, or you can get there by boat typically out of Port Welshpool, or you can get there by helicopter," he said. Up to nine people at a time were working on a rotating roster. The crew would work up to 10 days straight at the remote camp, which featured a mess tent, dining and kitchen area, a machinery tool storage area and even hot showers. They packed everything, including the kitchen sink. "It was fairly important to try and provide the best facilities that we could," Mr Erickson said. "The prom is unique, and it's well-loved by many Victorians. "To be actually working in that environment, it does feel challenging but it's also very rewarding." Worth the wait From removing materials, wading through swamps, or just the reality of living in an isolated camp environment, the boardwalk repair team lived and breathed their task. The new boardwalk is built of fibre-reinforced plastic, and now sits about 30cm higher in anticipation of rising sea levels. It has been a long journey, Mr Mitchell said, but worth the wait. "It's a really special area of the park and a really popular area, so to have the boardwalk reopened and have our southern circuit reopened is a magnificent achievement from everyone concerned," he said. "Our visitation is increasing every year, but to have that iconic southern circuit fully reopened with full access back to Sealers Cove, we're anticipating a huge influx of visitors and hikers back to that site." Mr Erickson said he will never forget waking up to the sight of whales in the cove and the sounds of the bush each morning. "There was a large family of kookaburras who used to put out their distinctive laugh early in the morning at dawn. We would be listening to the crashing waves on Sealers Cove through the night," he said. "The mood and the weather and the wildlife that we saw out there were quite special."