Boating or skiiing anyone?
.... Gippsland beckons.
Between the foothills of the high country to the north and Victoria's
eastern seaboard there is a variety of beautiful natural environments,
easily accessible from Melbourne. Stay overnight or stay a couple of weeks.
There is plenty for the adventuresome spirit to experience, and abundant
possibilities for those intent on nothing more than peace and quiet.
Gippsland
Noojee, located at the junction of the La Trope and Lock rivers
not far from the Baw Baw National Park, is a hideaway township
towered over by heavily forested slopes of mountain ash. Scenic
beauty, and true hospitality, like that found in local bed and breakfasts,
are the region's greatest assets.
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Noojee Trestle Bridge
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Downstream from Toorongo Falls
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Nearby attractions include Tarrago Reserve and Toorongo Falls, as
well as Glen Nayook Reserve. Many plant nurseries invite to take
home a holiday memento. A number of walking tracks are available
when the mood for fresh air and Alpine surroundings takes you. But
if the stomach beckons there is the Gourmet Deli Trail through
Jindivick and Neerim South. Excellent blue and other
cheeses have their origin here, made from the milk of the cows on
vibrant green grass that seems to be everywhere in the district.
(See also South East
Gippsland)
History
Discovered by Angus McMillan in 1839, the colourful Count
Strzelecki passed through the following year officially naming
Gippsland in honour of Sir George Gipps governor of New South
Wales. Development in the area was accelerated by the discovery
of gold at Orbost, Dargo and Crooked River in the mid 1850s.
Pastoral and agricultural possibilities were not fully realized
though, until the railway was built between Melbourne and
Bairnsdale.
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Mt Baw Baw Alpine National Park
The closest accessible ski fields from Melbourne, Mt Baw Baw,
at a height of 1566 metres, sports an amazing variety of snowboarding
fun. Baw Baw National Park extends over most of the granite Plateau, an
area of breathtaking beauty. Mount Baw Baw Alpine Village caters for guests
with a variety of good accommodation or you can find excellent private
accommodation off the mountain. Ski touring, canoeing and fishing in the
Alpine areas of the Aberfeldy and Thompson River Valleys make this a gem
of a holiday region.
East Gippsland
Further afield at a distance of 300 kilometres from Melbourne is the
Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park. Coined the "Victorian Riviera",
it offers great escapes for holidaymakers who like to be on the water,
although there is also much to be said for the magificent, pristine, inland
forests north of Bairnsdale, and the Omeo Highway into the High
Plains.
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Lakes Entrance, situated on the end of the sandy barrier
between the Gippsland Lakes and the Ninety Mile Beach,
along Bass strait, marks the entrance to the largest inland lake
system in Australia.
In the late 1880s during a stormy night, Nature's might broke through
the sand barrier. Only a seasonal gap unsuitable for large crafts
until then.
Tourist cruises plyed the lake system before then, but the fishing
industry began, only when the exit to the sea was made possible.
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The narrow Entrance between the Gippsland Lakes and open water
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Today Lakes Entrance harbours the most important deep-sea fishing
fleet in Australia. A boating haven, the Gippsland Lakes nowadays
gives the visitor a well-rounded boating experience. Hire boats, as well
as on sailing or motor tourists vessels one can reach all the corners
of this great natural treasure. And the weather gives pleasant surprises
even in the midst of winter. Fishing, cruising and surfing are all part
of the holiday fun. Lakes Entrance also caters well with a number
of outstanding B&Bs - some with water views. Lakes Entrance is a holiday
destination must, that you could easily return to year after year, like
so many others do.
Mallacoota Inlet
Mallacoota, the eastern-most town of Victoria, is sited at the
mouth of a deep inlet of the same name. Life in far east Gippsland may
move at a slower pace than the busy areas closer to Melbourne, but this
is part of its attraction and a secret well shared by searchers of peace
in the know. Travellers taking the coastal route between Sydney and Melbourne
are well recommended to visit and even stay the night.
For those who make Mallacoota their holiday destination, they
enjoy such past times as fishing for large flathead on the inlet, way
up to Gypsy Point, tranquillity on unspoiled beaches and exploring the
great wilderness of Croajingolong National Park.
History
Mallacoota, is an aboriginal word for place of meeting or return.
Ben Boyd established the deep sea whaling port here where the Tasman
Sea and the South Pacific Ocean meet.
One of Mallacoota's early inhabitants was E.J.Brady author and
poet as well as Secretary of Australia's first social league. He
created a camp at Captains Point in 1909. Intending to set up a
self-sufficient colony for likeminded spirits, long before its time,
it could be described as the first eco camp. His guests included
Arthur Streeton and Henry Lawson to mention but a few. There is
indeed a silent beauty in the dawn mist over the water, and, to
this day, painters and poets find inspiration here.
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