Parking
Start at Cotters Lake Carpark, approximately 11.5 km from the park entrance; there are no facilities at this carpark.
Overview
About Cotters Lake and Beach Access Track
Why go
- A short Grade 2 route crosses the often-dry lake basin to a windswept coast.
Heads up
- The beach is unpatrolled, and there are no facilities at the trailhead.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Wilsons Promontory map
Full mapElevation4–12 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Wilsons Promontory alerts
- ClosureSouthern area closures and October deer-control restrictionsDo not enter the listed southern visitor areas during their closures, and plan around the October aerial deer-control operation.Official details
- InfoEntrance traffic management and delaysAllow extra travel time and follow traffic controls at the Wilsons Promontory National Park entrance.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Wilsons Promontory Tour Guide
Your drive to Cotters Lake and Beach Access Track, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Wilsons Promontory National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Cotters Lake to the Wild Coast0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching the access to Cotters Lake and Beach; the shore is still a walk from the carpark. An easy track crosses the often-dry lake basin, then opens onto a wild, windswept stretch of coast.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Wilsons Promontory Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Five Mile Road and Millers Landing
- Prom Wildlife Viewing Area
- The Wombat's Hidden Day
- What the Shell Layers Hold
- 22 audio storiesacross Wilsons Promontory’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wedge-tailed Eagle, Koala, Bare-nosed Wombat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 36 trails, 46 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Cotters Lake and Beach Access Track
A short walk to the coastCotters Lake and Beach Access Track is an easy 2.4 km out-and-back, about an hour return.
Cotters Lake and Beach Access Track is an easy 2.4 km out-and-back, about an hour return. From Cotters Lake Carpark, a management track crosses the often-dry lake basin to a remote, windswept stretch of coast. Choose it for a brief change from open basin to beach without committing to a long Prom hike.
Across Cotters LakeThe route runs about 1.1 km each way over a mostly level, unpaved track.
The route runs about 1.1 km each way over a mostly level, unpaved track. The lake basin is often dry, so the walk can feel more like crossing open coastal ground than circling a lake. Kangaroos and emus are often seen in the area, though sightings are never guaranteed. At the coast, keep off the fragile dune systems; the beach is the turnaround, and you return by the same track.
Access and safetyStart at Cotters Lake Carpark, around 11.5 km from the park entrance.
Start at Cotters Lake Carpark, around 11.5 km from the park entrance. There are no facilities at the carpark. Dogs are not allowed in the park. Cotters Beach is unpatrolled, and rough surf and strong currents are listed hazards, so treat the sea as exposed water rather than a supervised swimming area.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Wilsons Promontory
18 sightingsWedge-tailed EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
29 sightingsKoalaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
774 sightingsBare-nosed WombatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
291 sightingsEastern Grey KangarooMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
512 sightingsSwamp WallabyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
20 sightingsIndochinese Hog DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Wilsons Promontory. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
