Kilcunda

The small community of Kilcunda is situated on the pristine and rugged South Gippsland coastline between Phillip Island and Wonthaggi.

The commercial centre of Kilcunda is situated along the northern side of the Bass Highway. It includes a hotel and The Sticks which consists of several boutique retail pods around a central square. Across the road is a coastal reserve perched above the beach on the clifftop, consisting of a caravan park, BBQ shelter, picnic areas, playground and skate park, all offering scenic views towards the ocean.

There are three distinct beach areas in Kilcunda. The main town beach across the road from the shops and below the caravan park consists of wide stretches of sand with steep cliff backdrops and rocky platforms with shallow rock pools that extend into the sea. Shelley Beach is a secluded sandy beach bounded by two rocky headlands, accessed from either the Bass Highway west of Kilcunda Ridge Road or by walking around the western headland from the main beach. Past the eastern headland at the main beach is the town's surf beach, popular with anglers and surfers. Here, the rocky cliffs give way to a backdrop of large sand dunes and wide expanses of sand.

One of Kilcunda's best kept secrets is the Powlett River, accessed from the Mouth Of Powlett Road, 3 kilometres east of town on the Bass Highway. Fishermen frequent the area around the river crossing and also further along the river where it swells into what resembles a large lake. Safe, sheltered swimming and boating can be enjoyed in the river's shallow waters as it approaches the ocean at the Kilcunda-Harmers Haven Coastal Reserve. Sand dunes rise high above the river mouth, offering scenic views back along the river and of the wind-swept ocean beach.

The Bass Coast Rail Trail follows the route of the former railway line which connected Nyora with the coal mine at Wonthaggi. One of the best known features along this walking and cycling track is the railway trestle bridge over Bourne Creek which was built in 1910 and offers a spectacular vantage point, providing views of the surf beach below and to the hilly inland grazing areas. Another scenic track is the 7 kilometre long George Bass Coastal Walk which offers panoramic coastal views from a narrow winding path as it follows the coastline from the end of Punch Bowl Road in San Remo to the Kilcunda foreshore.

A drive several kilometres northwards along the unsealed Kilcunda Ridge Road takes visitors into the surrounding rolling hills where picturesque views of the coast from surrounding grazing land can be enjoyed.