Refuge Cove at Wilsons Prom: how to book the hike-in permit, see when nights sell out, and get alerted to cancellations on this sheltered east-coast cove.
About
Refuge Cove is the sheltered middle of the Prom's east coast, tucked between Sealers Cove to the north and Waterloo Bay to the south. The camping area sits at the southern end of the cove, close to the water and wrapped in coastal scrub. The name is earned: it's a safe anchorage, so you'll often share the bay with yachts as well as hikers.
There's no road anywhere near it. You walk in from Sealers Cove or Little Waterloo Bay, which makes Refuge Cove a mid-walk stop on longer versions of the Southern Circuit rather than a one-nighter. During the years the Sealers Cove track was closed, it was also part of the long way round to Sealers. With that track reopened in September 2026, Refuge Cove is back to being the reward for walkers doing four or five days.
The sites
Parks Victoria doesn't list a number of pitches. Like every Southern Circuit camp, Refuge Cove is booked per person per night against a capped quota, not as individual sites.
Confirmed facilities:
- Toilets in the camping area
- Untreated creek water (treat or boil before drinking)
No toilet paper is supplied, and everything you carry in, you carry out.
Hiking notes
- Boats share the cove. Recreational boat users need a booking to camp ashore, just like hikers. Boaties are asked not to tie stern lines to the vegetation.
- Fishing: the waters here are part of Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park. Fishing and taking shellfish or crustaceans from the shore or in the marine park aren't allowed, and bait collection is banned across the park.
- No campfires at any time. Stoves are fine except on Total Fire Ban days.
- Wildlife: feeding animals, or leaving food where they can get to it, is an offence. Hang or seal your food bag.
- No phone reception on the Sealers Cove to Refuge Cove track, according to Parks Victoria. Don't count on it at camp either.
How booking works
You need an overnight hiking permit before you set out, booked through the Parks Victoria booking site or on 13 19 63. Keep it on you, printed or on your phone. Key rules:
- Per person, per night
- Two consecutive nights maximum at any one hike-in area
- Groups of 12 or fewer
- Stick to the route on your permit once you've started
- Tell an emergency contact your itinerary
Parks Victoria releases new dates four times a year, at 10am AEST, staggered over three days. Hike-in camping comes out on the third day, after Tidal River and the roofed accommodation. The latest round ran 28 to 30 September 2026.
When it sells out
Because walkers have to string Refuge Cove together with other camps, it fills in step with the rest of the circuit. If Sealers Cove and Little Waterloo Bay are full for a weekend, Refuge Cove can become the bottleneck for anyone trying to piece together a longer trip. The pressure points are the ones Parks Victoria flags as peak dates: the summer school holidays from Christmas through Australia Day, then Labour Day, Easter, Anzac Day and the King's Birthday weekend.
How to get a cancellation
Cancelled permits go back on sale online straight away. Parks Victoria's refund tiers decide when people let go:
- Cancel 30+ days out: 100% refund
- Cancel 8 to 29 days out: 50% refund
- Inside 8 days: no refund
Keep an eye out just before the 30-day and 8-day marks. Date changes are also free for camping right up to check-in, so a group that moves its trip can free up a night at short notice.
Aussie Camp Alerts can do the watching for you. Watch Refuge Cove and you'll get an email when a sold-out night frees up. One watch is free (alerts 15 minutes after the opening). Trying to line up Refuge Cove with the camps either side of it is where the Summer pass helps: A$29 once for 12 months, up to 10 watches, with instant alerts by email, Telegram or web push.
Getting there
Most people start at Telegraph Saddle car park and walk 10 km (about three hours, Grade 4) to Sealers Cove first. From Sealers Cove, the track to Refuge Cove is 6.4 km and around two hours one way, also Grade 4, with steep rocky sections. It climbs through dry eucalypt forest to Horn Point, with views back over Five Mile Beach, then drops through wet gullies to North Refuge Beach and on to the camp.
Coming from the south, the Refuge Cove to Little Waterloo Bay track is the same length, 6.4 km and about two hours, climbing over a rocky headland with a side trip to Kersops Peak.
A free shuttle bus runs from Tidal River to Telegraph Saddle in peak summer and on weekends between Melbourne Cup and Easter, when the car park is closed to private cars.
Nearby alternatives