Mount Bishop Summit Walk

Mount Bishop Summit Walk is a 7.4 km out-and-back from Lilly Pilly Gully Carpark to the rocky summit at 319 m. Allow about 2.5 hours. Start on the track beyond the toilet block, follow the Lilly Pilly Gully Circuit to the Mount Bishop side track, climb to the lookout, then retrace the same way. The 7.4 km is the complete return; the map line follows the climb once, so retrace it after the summit. This is a good choice if you want a proper climb and a broad coastal view without committing to a full-day walk. The park also describes an extended return down into Lilly Pilly Gully and back along the Nature Walk; that is a different itinerary from the mapped out-and-back.

The lower walk is easy-going. It climbs across Mount Bishop's southern face through stringybark forest, then the circuit descends toward the lush, warm-temperate rainforest of Lilly Pilly Gully. The change from open eucalypt bush to denser, greener cover is a good part of the walk, not just an approach to the summit. The side track becomes narrower and steeper as you climb, with rough, uneven ground near the top; don't expect the easier lower path to continue all the way up. The summit is not one flat platform. Granite boulders surround the peak, and the high point lies beyond the first boulder plateau at another group of rocks. Continue up to the upper lookout instead of stopping at the first open shelf.

From 319 m, the coast opens west toward Squeaky Beach, Whisky Bay and the islands scattered offshore. The wooded headlands break up the bays and make the shape of the coastline easy to read from above. For a photo, keep a strip of granite at the bottom of the frame and aim over the headlands toward the island line; the rocks show the summit setting, while the bays give the view scale. A later-day start can pay off here, with the sun setting over the sea and islands. The summit has unprotected cliffs, so stay well back from the edges while moving among the boulders.

The trail starts at Lilly Pilly Gully Carpark, with toilets beside the track entrance. Dogs are not permitted anywhere in Wilsons Promontory National Park. If you want the rainforest without the summit climb, the separate Lilly Pilly Nature Walk is 5.2 km return and about 1.5 hours, with a boardwalk through warm-temperate rainforest. The park also describes an alternate return from Mount Bishop that drops into Lilly Pilly Gully and follows the Nature Walk back; this is a different itinerary from the standard out-and-back mapped here. Wilsons Promontory National Park closes on Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating days, so check for a closure before setting out.