Westernport Bay & Phillip Island

Melbourne

Mornington Peninsula

Princes Highway route to Sydney

see also Warburton & surrounds

History of Australia

Victoria

web: Gippsland Portal  

very nice beaches for both family & surf

Fairy Penguin parades each night - one of Victoria's major tourist attractions

The Nobbies seal and penguin viewing

Wildlife park

Visit Phillip Island 

http://hikingfiasco.com/2011/02/06/kitty-miller-bay-phillip-island-victoria/

18x12km relatively flat, isolated island with very few visitors

catch the ferry to the island

Lang Lang Bell Park 120ha sand heathland (EVC6), lots of birds, great views of Westernport Bay from sandy rises

Lang Lang (Adams Creek) Nature Conservation Reserve via Hookers Rd - sand heathland (EVC6), interesting grasses and rushes

Tenby Point - pleasant walk to beach to a stand of muttonwood trees near the steps down to the beach

Settlement Point, Corinella - kangaroo grass, lilies, orchids

Powlett River camp

Kilcunda - Harmers Haven Coastal Reserve - rock pools

historic Wonthaggi State Coal Mine and wetlands

Wonthaggi Bushland Reserve - circuitous track through paperbark swamps, heaths and eucalypts, good birdwatching site

Tank Hill - the original site for fresh water source via a spring, high on a sandhill with views north and south, paperbark swamp, scrambling coral fern to south, heathland on ridge, a stand of narrow-leaf peppermints

rock pool beaches

surf beach

Eagles Nest coastal rock formation

The Caves coastal rock formation

Dinosaur cove

Inverloch - Tidal River ~1hr 20min drive via Fish Creek

Ayr Creek walk on west of town

Screw Creek and Townsend Bluff on east side of town - mangroves, saltmarsh, remnant woodland, birds

Thompson Reserve north of town Lowland Forest (EVC16) and Wet Heathland (EVC8) - frogs, 30min walk

Pound Creek Reserve - half way to Tarwin Lower, small reserve lots of birds

40ha on a small conical hill with one of the last remaining stands of Messmate south of Korumburra

Lowland Forest (EVC16) on the north Cool Temperate Rainforest (EVC31) on the west and Damp Forest (EVC29) on the SE

path starts above the tennis courts

at the end of the Leongatha South-Outtrim Rd where it intersects with Inverloch Rd

Damp Forest (EVC29), good for birds and orchids

also the nearby 4ha Outtrim Cemetery Flora Reserve has some magnificent old Eucalypts

11.5ha Shrubby Foothill Forest (EVC45) with Messmates, Ruddy Ground Fern, Poison Pratia and orchids and a small fern gully

Tarwin Lower cemetery - Strzeleckis Herb-rich Foothill Forest (EVC23), birds, echidnas, good views

Tarwin Lower Reserve - small reserve rich in orchids and birds but a bit swampy in parts

Anderson's Inlet

Point Smythe coastal forest walk

Ocean beaches, pippies

Five Milk Road remote beach camp - walk in, no facilities

Bear Gully camp

lime kilns

Waratah Bay

Sandy Point

Tidal River

Macalister Springs camp ground

Agnes Falls

see my blog post: Tarra Bulga National Park and Aussie wildlife in the wild

north to Briagolong, Dargo alpine region

bypassed by Freeway; pop. 4500; 97km from Melbourne;

turn off to Mt Baw Baw snowfields before reaching Drouin

pop 9000; 103km east of Melbourne

pop. 700; 115km from Melbourne; Yarragon website

initially known as Waterloo, once a booming timber industry & swampland, and survives despite devastating floods in 1934 and the Black Friday bushfires in 1939.

pretty town on the Freeway nestled at foot of Strzelecki Ranges 121km from Melbourne; pop 2200;

fruits, berries, gourmet jams, olives, smoked meats; breads

Battle of Trafalgar Festival in October

bypassed by Freeway; 134km from Melbourne; pop. 16300;

Gippsland Heritage Park - 1840-50's village

last town bypassed by Freeway which then ends; pop. 14700; 150km from Melbourne;

PowerWorks tours of open cut coal mine & power plants which generate 80% of Victoria's power;

Morwell National Park - unique area of remnant forest in northern foothills of Strzelecki Ranges;

pop 19000; 164km from Melbourne;

Yallourn coal power stations

pop. 14,000; 20min from surf of the 90 mile beach; 40min from the High Country; 212km from Melbourne;

has more clear days, cooler nights and a little less rainfall than Melbourne

popular petrol stop en route back from Merimbula;

settled after explorer Strzelecki passed through in 1840

Sale grew on the back of the gold rush in Omeo, Stringers Creek & Crooked River in the 19thC, becoming established as a busy port for steamers to Port Albert when the cutting of the Sale Canal in 1888 linked the Thomson River, and during the 1880's the swing bridge operated 20 times a day to allow larger vessels to dock in the heart of Sale.

Sale Powder Magazine built in 1864 to store explosive powders used in the gold industry is now restored.

It became Gippsland's 1st city in 1950;

it is a transfer base for the off-shore oil rigs in Bass Strait & the home of the RAAF air base;

Lake Wellington & Gippsland lakes to its east

Holey Plains State Park to the south-west - camping & picnic facilities

Omega Navigation Facility - massive 427m tower - one of eight in the world which link up to provide world-wide communications system for navigation

small town on the Avon River with a Shakespearean theme & annual festival in April

pop 1300; 228km from Melbourne; 

gateway to Paynesville, Metung, Lakes Entrance and the Gippsland Lakes and the infamous Bairnsdale ulcer endemic mycobacterial infection

usually a good spot to get relatively cheap petrol en route to Merimbula as it costs more further east

if travelling further east, can take the Omeo Hway to Bruthen then rejoin Princes Hway at Nowa Nowa and thus bypass the busy section through Lakes Entrance. This also is the route to the Buchan limestone caves.

380km from Melbourne bypassed by highway; forest logging region

see Orbost region - Cape Conran, Snowy River, and Errinundra

good spot for toilet stop & light meal en route to Merimbula; forest logging region

see Cann River region - Croajingalong NP

can take remote turn off north along the Cann Valley to Bombala in NSW

a central spot to access the Croajingalong National Park to the south and east

highway from Cann River to Genoa has no overtaking lanes and overtaking may not be possible, one should assume an average speed of 85-90kph is likely here as caravans can be a problem

remote camping, fishing, bushwalking destination and turn off to Mallacoota and the eastern part of the Croajingalong National Park

see also Snow Skiing Resorts

closest downhill snow fields to Melbourne 160km or 2.5hrs

Mt Baw Baw website or phone resort management ph: 5165 1136 or Vic Snow Report on 1902 240 523

road conditions ph: 1300 651 136

stop for coffee or snow chain hire at either Noojee, Tanjil Bren or Icy Creek

parking ($26/day?) is next to the toboggan slopes & the village and over-snow transport is not required

luggage is transported to accommodation by snow machine

the ski/snowboard slopes are a short walk from the car park

historic gold mining region

Long Tunnel Extended Mine tours - one of Vic's richest gold mines - 13.7 tonnes of gold from only 8.5km of tunnel -  mine closed in 1911.

steam train to view the spectacular scenery as it winds from Thomson Station

Walhalla website

trout fishing

township of Glenmaggie was flooded in 1920's to form Lake Glenmaggie

Avon Mt Hedrick scenic area - 5700ha reserve for bushwalking, horse-riding, fishing, etc

Briagolong / Wombat Valley - B&B's 

the Blue Pool swimming hole & old gold mine

Mitchell River National park

unsealed summer only road across the Dargo High Plains to Mt Hotham & Bright

Dargo High Plains are 1200-1500m above sea level & was 1st crossed by miners travelling to the gold diggings, and when mining stopped in the early 1900's, the area was used for cattle grazing in summer.

Spring is the best time to explore as wildflowers are in bloom & views are particularly clear.

plenty of opportunities for adventure with horse riding, white water rafting, canoeing, fishing, 4WD and tours of the limestone caves at Buchan

1798 - Matthew Flinders and Bass discover and name Wilson's Promontory, Bass Strait and WesternPort Bay

1826 - Capt William Hovell finds coal at Cape Paterson and Harmer's Haven, this coal was used by Samuel Anderson when he settled on Westernport in 1830, and small mining operations followed in 1840

1840 - Samuel Anderson discovers Andersons Inlet and a “big river” at Inverloch, which was soon surveyed by Thomas Scott Townsend and then the Smythe brothers who surveyed the coast and inland from Cape Paterson to Cape Liptrap.

1840 - Gippsland explorers, Paul Strzelecki and Angus McMillan, pass through the Sale region on his gruelling exploratory trek from Omeo to the Old Port north of Port Albert

1841 - 1st settlers in Port Albert which became the main port and administrative centre for Gippsland, an important cargo port for Melbourne and Van Dieman's Land and thrived during the gold rush being the main port for access to the Dargo gold fields region, but the introduction of the railway greatly adversely impacted the port's importance which would result in a decline of the town from the 1880's.

1842-43: Thomas Nutt surveys land including Wilsons Prom where Runs of 14,700 acres at Sealers Cove, 25,000 acres at Mount Singapore, 25,000 acres at Corner Inlet (including some of Yanakie Isthmus), 33,000 acres at Oberon Bay and 4,000 acres at the Darby River were surveyed while 22,000 acres at the southern end of the Promontory was reserved and excluded from grazing and selection ¹⁾

1844 - 1st settler in Sale arrived - Archibald McIntosh who established his 'Flooding Creek' property and by the end of the year there were at least 40 land holdings in Gippsland carrying about 20,000 head of cattle and 62,000 sheep and by 1845, this had increased to 100 holdings, carrying between them 30,000 cattle and 100,000 sheep

1848-49: G.D Smythe of Alberton, the contract surveyor carried out a coast survey of Wilsons Prom from Corner Inlet to Cape Wellington and in 1849 he took out an annual grazing license for 19,200 acres on Waratah Bay - a holding which in 1950, he claimed as the Cape Liptrap Run

1850: Colony of Victoria becomes official

1850: Richard Bennison occupied the 16,640 acre Yanakie Run at Wilson Prom

1850. 1st town plots sold in Sale which was gazetted and named Sale in 1851 and soon benefited from the 1850's gold rush to Omeo

1852, a workable coal seam was discovered in Wonthaggi and the Victorian Coal Company was established but the mine was soon closed due to transport difficulties

1855: Government of Colony of Victoria is formed

1859: lighthouse built on tip of Wilsons Prom

1860: passing of the first Land Settlement Act began a long process of settlement under altered terms of tenure and acquisition resulting in the big holdings disappearing

1863 - the Amazon was shiprecked near Harmers Haven at a location now called Wreck Beach

1865, the 1st reasonable road from Melbourne to Sale was created, and Cobb and Co established a rough-and-ready 24-hour coach service linking Melbourne and Sale

1865: Wilsons Prom was thrown open for land selection

1870 - Land Act of 1869 paved the way for land selection in the Inverloch region and a large part of the town was built on subdivisions taken up in 1874 and 1883.

1878 - children's book author, Mary Grant Bruce born in Sale

1879 - railway station built in Sale leading to development of a port in Sale to access the Gippsland Lakes

1887 - HM Prison Sale built in Sale and operated for 110yrs

1890's: coal mines opening in Korumburra, Outrim and Jumbunna saw the beginning of Inverloch developing as a seaside holiday resort

1901 - the Artisan was wrecked at Wreck Beach

1905: Govt permanently reserves from sale 75,000 acres of Wilsons Prom, and in 1907, added a further 26,000 acres

1909 - the State Coal Mine at Powlett Coalfields opened after a miners' strike in NSW starved Victoria's railway and coal industries. The coal was taken to Inverloch by bullock teams then shipped to Melbourne. Initially a temporary tent town it soon was established as Wonthaggi and a reservoir was built. The Nyora-Wonthaggi railway was extended 22km to Wonthaggi and built in just 10 weeks with the 1st steam train arriving in 1910. Much of the town was burnt down in a fire in 1911. A Queen Anne style railway station was built in 1912. In 1915, the State Coal Mine was the 1st mine in the Southern Hemisphere to be electrified, and the Wonthaggi Hotel opened. Rail cars were introduced in 1951 and the last passenger steam train ran in 1961 while the last goods steam train ran in 1965. The State Coal Mine at Wonthaggi closed in 1968 (re-opened as a tourist attraction in 1982) and the railway de-commissioned in 1977.

1991: Bunurong Marine Park established to protect the flora and fauna and 100 years after the 1st dinosaur bone was discovered, annual university digs for dinosaur fossils at The Caves begin.

Coal Creek Tourist Park

surf beaches with a safe picturesque family beach at Cape Patterson

Wonthaggi State Coal Mine Historic Area

Baxters Wetland bird hide

Baxters beach, clean, remote sandy beach

increasingly popular family beach

alternative surf beach destination, lots of kangaroos along Lees Rd

Bear Gully camp ground - near Walkerville (east of Cape Liptrap lighthouse and more sheltered from SW winds) book online, drop toilet, fireplaces

situated on a south-east aspect ocean bay overlooking Wilson's Prom with nice beaches & historic lime kiln sites

see Wilsons Promontory National Park - "The Prom"

bushwalking, camping and beaches

 

the original gateway to Gippsland during the gold rush

fishing town

there is a wonderful cafe opposite the maritime museum - food is worth driving 1-2hrs for!

90 mile beach website

Australia's longest stretch of unbroken sand beach

Loch Sport

Seaspray

Paradise Beach

18km south of Bairnsdale, on the north shore of Lake Victoria and west of Lake King

Metung is a quiet lakeside fishing village on a narrow peninsula to the west of Lakes Entrance, situated on the north shore of Lake King

can watch sunset or sunrise over the water from here

3.5hrs drive from Melbourne

popular beach/fishing destination at ocean entrance of the Gippsland Lakes 

Lake Tyers is a coastal town on an estuary some 11km to the east of lakes Entrance

on the Omeo Hway (which continues north to Omeo) and the Tambo River

a popular shortcut to bypass Lakes Entrance as well as the route to Buchan

 

between Lakes Entrance and Orbost and approx. 50km north of highway , take the Bruthen route & then the turn off before Nowa Nowa

road then roughly follows the Snowy River & the Snowy River National Park northwards to the Snowy Mountains in NSW and Jindabyne and forms the Snowy River Country Trail