Bairnsdale & The Gippsland Lakes District

The Pub at Orbost



We arrived in Bairnsdale after a lovely drive via Orbost, where we stopped for lunch. Orbost is on the banks of the Snowy River, and is steeped in the history of the timber industry, never more evident than in the architecture of the town. Check out the verandah at the local pub. We have put Orbost on our list of places to come back to, and spend some time, as the caravan park looks lovely, along the banks of the Snowy River.

Our caravan park at Bairnsdale, is the Mitchell Gardens Holiday Park. It couldn't be better. It is small, lined with gorgeous oak trees that are changing colour, is right on the banks of the Mitchell River, and only 500 metres from the main shopping district. It is home for 2 weeks, as we wait out the school holidays and Easter.

Bairnsdale itself, is a much bigger town than we had expected, and has all the services, which has been a great benefit to us, as we had some electrical problems with the van, and have been able to get them all sorted out. Minor problems with our hot water unit, and an outside light fitting, have led to blowing out all the 12 volt system, and a simple change of the hot water anode, resulted in the entire 240 volt system shorting out. Still, thanks to the prompt service of John & Leigh from John Edwards Caravan Repairs, we were back to normal within 48 hours. Thanks guys. We'll tell all the caravanners we meet about your fantastic service! But more importantly, the food scene here is great, both with fresh produce, and eating out! Plus it has some real shops, which Carol has been exploring in her spare time.

On arrival, we were again reminded of our small world, when our neighbors asked us if we had been at Kangaroo Valley in January. They remembered our van, and we remembered their dog and bird!


The Lakes Entrance

The Gippsland Lakes area has really surprised us. Having never been here before, we were surprised to see how big and developed the area is. This is our kind of area. I spoke to a local, expressing my surprise at what the area had to offer, but he simply explained that it is the only large inlet on the entire Victorian coast, and it is easily accessible from Melbourne. Those bloody Victorians have been keeping it secret for years! Shame they didn't do the same with Aussie Rules football!


The area of the lakes is enormous, and if the coast is not your scene, it is the eastern gateway to the Victorian Snowfields, only an hour & a half away. The lakes district has a number of centres. Lakes Entrance, as its name implies, is the only sea entrance to the lake system. It is the commercial centre of the fishing industry, and you can, and we did, buy some great fresh seafood direct from the trawlers. How civilised! We even tried Duck Fish, a local fish that looks like Plucka Duck, and tasted great. Eating seafood this Easter is not going to be a problem!


Thunderbird - Big one at the back

We also decided that a cruise on the lakes to familiarise ourselves would be a good idea. We could then explore in more detail by car, as nothing is more than 60 to 100 kilometres away. We chose to cruise on "Thunderbird". We gave up waiting for great weather, and just took the plunge on an overcast, cool, but still day. It was a great cruise. It started at the marina at Lakes Entrance and took in the other major tourist centres around the lakes, which we will now explain in more detail.



Canal living at Paynesville

Paynesville is the boating capital of Victoria. We were amazed at how many boats were here. Large and small, motor and sail, the lakes can handle them all. In addition, there is an incredible amount of infrastructure to support these boat people (don't panic - recreational, not illegal!). Demand has created a waterway wonderland, with lots of canals and expensive houses, many of them just holiday houses. On land there is the usual smattering of Fish & Chip shops, cafes and a pub, and there is the shortest car ferry ride in the world, about 100 metres across to Raymond Island, which is more residential, and a large colony of very elusive koalas. Around the bay are many new subdivisions, including Kings Cove, complete with golf course, and soon to have marina and resort, all promoted using John Bertrand of America's Cup fame. In addition there are plenty of caravan parks, for those on a budget. I had a free game of golf here courtesy of an old brochure I found at the Visitors Information Centre in Bairnsdale. The lady at the Pro Shop had never seen the brochure before, but because it said free game, she said go for it! Most enjoyable round I've played in ages!


Mum with babies

Another thing that has amazed us here, is the number of black swans. They are everywhere! It is the only seaside area where even the sea gulls are outnumbered! And they are really aggressive, floating around, trying to pinch food, and hissing and snapping when they don't get their way. It has apparently been a great breeding season, so there are lots of family scenes.

The Silt Jetties

Just outside Paynesville, is a unique natural phenomenom, called the Silt Jetties. Here, where the Mitchell River enters the lake, the silt has been deposited along the edges of the river over thousands of years. As a result, the river goes out into the lake for kilometres, with just narrow strips of land along each side. These are the silt jetties, and one of them is wide enough to drive along, right to the end. Truly unique, and a fisherman's paradise, so they tell me!



The Pub at Metung

Next major centre to visit is Metung. This is the trendy, upmarket village, complete with village green, fancy restaurants, expensive boutiques and million dollar lake homes. The brand new white Bentley that glided past us on the road in, should have given us a hint! There is a great pub with its own marina out front. We really liked this area, some of the homes were exceptional, and there were lots of very smart resort style accommodation along the waterfront. Serious money on show everywhere. Cars, boats, houses. A playground of the rich, and only saw one celebrity chef!
 


The Golden Oldies

On the way into Metung we came across a car rally of vintage cars. They called it the "Golden Oldies Rally", and lining the streets of Metung, they fitted right in. Classy old cars in a classy village.



The Tambo River Valley

 

So having seen the lake towns, we decided to take a drive into the mountains, and headed for Omeo (No mio). What a drive! We drove for about 100 kilometres, through the Tambo River Valley, first through the forest region, and then through the fertile valley, all the time following the Tambo River. Spectacular scenery all the way. When we arrived in Omeo, and opened the door to get out and have a look around, we immediately knew we were underdressed. We were the only ones in shorts and T-Shirts. We had climbed a few hundred metres up the mountain, and the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees! We decided to have a coffee and cake on the verandah of a cute looking cafe. We had April in tow, so couldn't go inside by the warm fire. Coffee and cake in 74 seconds! A new record! We raced back to the car and cranked up the heater. Holy moly it was cold!
 

Bats in Bairnsdale


Back in Bairnsdale, we have been doing the sites. We found out that along the river front they have a serious Bat (flying fox) problem. The noise and the smell was incredible. The poor people who live nearby must be driven crazy with the incessant squawking, and that smell! When I stopped to take a photo, a guy walking past says to me "shame it isn't a machine gun", as I pointed my camera. I guess that sums up the local sentiment.

We are here for a few more days, heading off again on Anzac Day. So John will celebrate his 60th Birthday in Bairnsdale. Carol has booked a table at the River Grill Restaurant, a short walk away, so we will enjoy a lovely lunch living our dream on the road.