Boating and sailing – Gippsland
Over thousands of years a vast expanse of safe, navigable lakes and rivers have been formed in Gippsland, which are ideal for all forms of boating. More recent developments, including the establishment of the Lakes National Park and the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, as well as the growth of portside towns with their pubs, restaurants, picnic facilities, public jetties and marinas, and an enviable year-round climate, makes the region a boating nirvana.
With or without boat
If you bring your own boat, you'll find launching ramps, public jetties and boat storage. Some accommodation businesses (including Bellevue, Captain's Cove, The Moorings, HolidayMakers and McMillans) offer private jetty mooring for their guests. If you don't have a boat, try one of the charter yachts, cruisers or day boats – there are also good day cruisers on offer.
Must-see boating destinations
Travelling by boat allows you to enjoy the scenery of Gippsland Lakes at a more leisurely pace. Cruising and fishing the Tambo, Mitchell and Nicholson rivers are a good way to experience the region. The cliff areas of the Tambo and Mitchell are particularly picturesque. Barrier Landing is a thin strip of dune separating the Hopetoun Channel from Bass Strait and a great place to meet local boaties. On the Channel side, you'll discover a large public jetty and a good beach, and a two-minute walk takes you to Ninety Mile Beach. The recently redeveloped historic Port of Sale has cultural entertainment and quality restaurants to discover by boat.
Rotamah Island and Sperm Whale Head, part of the Lakes National Park, have public jetties, barbecues and walking tracks and an abundance of birdlife and native animals. Look out for the Bunga Arm, which runs east-west and boasts spectacular sunsets. For the length of the Bunga Arm, the ocean beach is a sand dune away.
McLennans Straits, connecting Lakes Victoria and Wellington, is a gently flowing channel with vast wetlands, outstanding bird life and good fishing. Boxes Creek, close to Metung and Duck Arm near Paynesville, offer all-weather moorings in idyllic settings.
The Mallacoota Inlet further down the coast offers a serene environment for boating with plenty of secluded getaway spots. Kick back and relax on one of several cruises on the Mallacoota Inlet or hire a boat and go exploring on your own.
