Mallacoota and Croajingalong NP

Introduction

Mallacoota is a small coastal town in far east Gippsland in Victoria of population 1,000 situated on an estuary and the eastern part of the remote wilderness of the 87,500ha Croajingalong National Park which not only consists of 100km of undeveloped remote coastline but cool temperate rainforests, tall shifting sand dunes, estuaries, land-locked fresh water lakes and a lot of wildlife including goannas (monitor lizards), snakes, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, lyrebirds and 305 other species of birds
it has a “Mediterranean climate”

Croajingalong National Park

a spectacular coastal rainforest running from the Sydenham Inlet to Cape Howe
listed since 1977 as a World Biosphere Reserve.
best of the park:
- Tamboon Inlet of the Cann River - boating, swimming, camping, bird-watching
  - walk to the mysterious Clinton Rocks area where giant granite boulders covered in bright orange lichen line the coast - but you will need to boat up the river & cross the inlet to the beach as there are no vehicle access points and the camp sites around the lake are only accessible by boat
  - http://hikingfiasco.com/2010/09/04/sydenham-inlet-to-clinton-rocks-croajingolong-national-park/
- Thurra River:
  - Dunes Walk - 2nd highest sand dunes in southern hemisphere rising 150m
  - Mt Everard Lookout
  - Thurra River camping ground
  - Point Hicks Lighthouse - 50min from Cann River; remote lighthouse & camping ground, accommodation ph: 51584268
- Wingan Inlet:
  - best suits campers with small estuary boats
  - lots of skinks, large goannas in the camp sites, and as for most places, be on the lookout for snakes when walking
  - Lake Elusive Walk - tranquil spot with orchids & dazzling wild flowers in spring & summer
  - Wingan Rapids Walk - a delightfully cool spot on a hot summer's day
  - Wingan Nature Walk - easy walk includes boardwalks through changing vegetation & birdlife as you approach the sea to Fly Cove (yes there are March flies in summer) and beach walk along to smooth granite boulders on the headlands and viws to the boulder rocks that make up The Skerries - home to a colony of fur seals
- Genoa Peak:
  - 490m above sea level

Mallacoota

see Mallacoota website
22km south from Genoa & sited at the ocean outlet of the Genoa River
approx. 6-7hr drive from Melbourne excluding breaks in off-peak periods.
surrounded by the Croajingalong National Park
not far from Cape Howe, the most easterly part of Victoria and Gabo Island
Easter: Festival of the Southern Ocean and Iron Man event
a major destination for the hoards of Grey Nomads off-season from Feb onwards and should be high on the list for tourists in off peak season
has a very rich bird life including lyrebirds on Karbeethong Rd
surf and lake fishing / lake boating / golf
Mallacoota Inlet
- a great spot for those with boats for estuary boating and fishing or families to enjoy the beach
- does not appear to be troubled by March flies in summer
- the inlet beach is accessible from Bastion Point
Bastion Tip Beach
- a popular spot for surfers but small car park
Betka Beach
- one of Australia's nicest beaches with estuary swimming for the kids, interesting rock formations along a long stretch of beach
- does not appear to be troubled by March flies in summer and has good picnic and toilet facilities
Quarry Beach
- not for swimming, reknown for bronze whaler sharks, but has a unique multicoloured layered mudstone rock formation
Secret Beach
- said to be a good spot to fish for gummy sharks at high tide on a full moon at night
- at low tide you may be able to enter a sea cave at the northern end
Shipwreck beach:
- gravel road from Mallacoota
- remote sandy beaches amongst interesting rock formations, heathlands and inland, cool eucalypt forests
- March flies in summer - wear clothes covering arms and legs!
nearby attractions
- World War 2 underground bunker
- walk up Genoa Peak for great views
- Wilderness overnight coast walk to Wingan Inlet (camp site booking required)
- Double Creek nature walk
- Gipsy Point
- see also:
  - Gippsland
  - southern coast of NSW - the Sapphire Coast

Gabo Island

154ha island 14km from Mallacoota, accessible by air or charter boat
significant sea bird colonies including the largest known breeding colony of Little Penguins
accommodation available at lighthouse keeper's residence
swimming and snorkeling in Santa Barbara Bay

accommodation:

camping and caravans
- A'Wangralea Caravan Park - cabins; ph: 5158 0222
- Beachcomber Caravan Park
- Shady Gully Caravan Park - cabins, pool; ph: 5158 0362
- Mallacoota Foreshore Holiday Park - massive park on 70 acres; onsite vans; 600 camp sites; mooring sites; 250m to town; access to estuary and ocean beaches (you will need to wade through water to get to it) ph: 5158 0300
- no free camping in Mallacoota or the east end of the NP apart from walk in coastal camps east of Mallacoota at Lake Barracoota and Lake Wau Wauka, and then into the Nadgee Wilderness in NSW at Cape Howe
Banksia Mudbrick holiday flats ph: 5158 0044
Adobe mudbrick flats 1-3BR, 78acres rainforest; panoramic views lake, ocean, mountains; wood fire; birds
Melaleuca Grove 2BR units ph: 5158 0407
Mallacoota houseboats 6 berth; ph: 5158 0775 9am-6pm M-F
Blue Waters 4x1BR cottages; lake views; private deck; bbq; ph: 5158 0261
Karbeethong Lodge - 11BR historic guest house on waterfront with spectacular views. ph: 5158 0411
Mallacoota Hotel Motel - 20 units; ph: 5158 0455
Mallacoota Motor Inn - ph: 5158 0544
Grevillea Grove Apartments - 1-2BR; ph: 5158 0223
Gipsy Point inland from Mallacoota on the Genoa River before it becomes estuary lakes:
- Gipsy Point Lodge - guest house + meals, licensed restaurant, bush setting ph: 1800 063 556
- Gipsy Point Luxury Lakeside Apartments - 1 & 2BR; wood fire/spa + pool; ph: 1800 688 200

a brief history

Captain John Stevenson, a whaler was granted a grazing license in 1841
other early pastoralists took up most of the prime land by the 1850's
1858-1862, the 47m high Gabo Island lighthouse constructed with its distinct pink granite
Mallacoota began on the eastern side of the inlet when John Augustus Dorron selected land a built a home, farm and Lakeview Hotel buildings in 1882 when it became popular with tourists arriving by sea
a modest gold rush started in 1890s but the only successful mine was the Spotted Dog Mine on the eastern side of the inlet
in the early 1900's, Edwin James Brady established a writers camp at Captain Stevenson's Point and Henry Lawson was one of the writers to attend
in 1921 a road trafficable by motor vehicles was established from Gipsy Point to Mallacoota West (the current site of “Mallacoota”)
the RAAF set up an underground bunker coastal surveillance system at Mallacoota during WWII

geology

Bastion Point has Ordovician rocks from 500mya well before Antarctica broke away from Victoria, these layers of sedimentary rocks have become folded which is well demonstrated at Geology point and nearby Quarry Beach
in the late Silurian period (400mya), a base formed of granites and graniodorites - the Bega Batholith which extends from Quarry Beach to Bombala in the north, Gabo Island in the east, and the Snowy River to the west
above this granite base lies Devonian period sediments (350mya) with variable mineralisation ranging from younger hard red granite of the Howe Range and Gabo Island, and the soft coarse grey granites of the coast from Sand Patch west to Wingan Beach
Genoa Gorge reveals Eden volcanics and late non-marine freshwater lake Devonian sediments with fossils including early tetrapod footprints discovered in 1972.
Mt Victoria and Mt Carlyle on the Victorian-NSW border have caps of later marine sediments which have been uplifted.
the narrow coastal plains are covered in Tertiary sediments (10-70mya)
the massive sand dunes of Cape Howe, Sandpatch Pt and Pt Hicks are quaternary deposits
Mallacoota Inlet itself is a submerged river valley with sedimentary filling over the last 3000-6000 yrs following the end of the last Ice Age which resulted in the formation of Bass Strait and flooding of these coastal valleys to form a tidal estuary which at times gets blocked off from the sea due to the high rates of deposition of sand in the region aided by refraction of the waves around Bastion Point which result in lower energy beach forming waves in contrast to the destructive waves on the lee side of the point which cause shoreline cliffing and then a low energy longshore flow parallel with the beach