Parking
Start at Darby Saddle Carpark beside the Tongue Point track. Toilets, drinking water and food at this access were not verified, so arrive supplied.
Overview
About Darby Saddle to Sparkes Lookout Walk
Why go
- A coastal panorama without the full Tongue Point extension.
Heads up
- About 210 m of cumulative climbing over a short outing.
From Sparkes Lookout, the view reaches from pyramid-shaped Rodondo Island in the south to Shallow Inlet in the north. Return on the same path to Darby Saddle. If you continue on the main track past the lookout branch, it climbs steeply to Lookout Rocks, drops through low heathland and reaches the weathered granite stacks at Tongue Point. That longer route is 5.6 km one way and is a separate hike; its distance is not included here.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe view is the payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Wilsons Promontory map
Full mapElevation152–268 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 Darby Saddle to Sparkes Lookout Walk, 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
Sparkes Lookout from Darby Saddle0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching Darby Saddle, where the walk to Sparkes Lookout begins. Allow one and a half to two hours for the roughly five-kilometre return through forest and uphill to the lookout.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Wilsons Promontory Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Whisky Bay and Its Granite Headlands
- Picnic Bay Rock Pools
- Norman and Glennie Lookouts
- The Plover's Bare Sand Nest
- 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 Darby Saddle to Sparkes Lookout Walk
The shorter lookout walkDarby Saddle to Sparkes Lookout is a 3-mile out-and-back on the opening section of the Tongue…
Darby Saddle to Sparkes Lookout is a 3-mile out-and-back on the opening section of the Tongue Point track. From Darby Saddle Carpark the path climbs through stringybark and casuarina forest; about 2.1 km in, a 300 m side track climbs to the lookout. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the return. This is the shorter choice if you want the coastal view without continuing to Tongue Point.
Access and effortAlthough the route is short, the rises add up to about 210 m of climbing, making it moderate…
Although the route is short, the rises add up to about 210 m of climbing, making it moderate rather than an easy stroll. Coastal cliff edges are unprotected, so stay back from them. The Tongue Point track ends before its semi-attached island; do not cross to it if you extend the hike. Dogs, cats and horses are prohibited in the park. Darby Saddle Carpark is the start; toilets, water and food at that access could not be verified.
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.
