Bairnsdale, Paynesville and Lakes Entrance.

Koalas at play on Raymond Island Paynesville

Bairnsdale, Paynesville and Lakes Entrance.

Now having arrived at Bairnsdale late in the day and although it would not have been our first choice we decided to remain in Bairnsdale for the Gippsland Lakes part of our journey as it is central to the lakes area.

First day out we decided to drive to Paynesville and take a look around. It is only a short trip and once we had a quick look around we decided to catch the ferry, as walking passengers, to Raymond Island. This was a very pleasant journey and the walk around was well rewarded with the viewing of the local Koala Bears.

Once back to the other side we decided to do lunch at the Paynesville Motor Cruiser Club. The meal was very nice, Dallas had Asian Vegetables with Rice and I had Fish and Chips, the rooms were lovely and warm with great views so it was a very pleasant way after the big rush of the day before. The lakes are just beautiful and the councils and port authorities provide excellent boating infrastructure and facilities. Something that Hobart and Tasmania could learn from.

The Paynesville Cruiser Club where we had lunch

The Paddle Steamer Curlip at Paynesville on the hard.

A Typical Lakes boat alongside the Paynesville Cruiser Club

Our view whilst at lunch in the Paynesville Cruiser Club

On our return journey to Bairnsdale the engine light came on in the Navara! What next? After consulting the manuals we decided we had better have it checked out by the local Nissan Dealer. The bad news was that the EGR (Emissions control valve) had gone and if we continued on our journey it would go into “limp mode” (a rather glum explanation of just crawling along). So we decided after much deliberation and consulting with Chris and Danny we had better get it fixed. Next morning taking it in for the work we just turned out of the caravan park and onto the Princess Highway and bang we were in “limp mode”! They proved their point! This extended our stay as the part had to be bought in and the work could not be completed before Friday.

After some discussions and negotiating we were provided a loan car from The Big Garage, the local Nissan Dealer. This allowed us to get to the cruise we wanted to do at Lakes Entrance as well as to look at other Gippsland Lakes attractions. We were very grateful for the loan car.

We had booked to do the Lonsdale Cruise which was a 3 hour, 30km course around the stunning lakes. The itinerary included the Entrance, Nungurner, Boxes Creek, Chinamans Creek an old gold mining area, Bancroft Bay, Metung, Mosquito Point, Lake king and Baxter-Flanigan and Fraser and Rigby Islands along the way. During this cruise we witnessed seals frolicking at the entrance, a young sea eagle keeping watch over the entrance, Pelicans, Oyster Catchers and chicks, all species of the Cormorant Family, Egrets, Spoonbills, Goats and deer on the islands and dolphins. The skipper and crew are very informative and the boat is well maintained. It is a trip well worth doing.

On the Friday we got the Navara back late in the morning and some $1800 later and took it for a good test run out to Metung. It is a lovely spot and reinforced yet again what the local councils and port authorities do to support boating with the provision of first class infrastructure and services. We had an enjoyable lunch in the Metung Hotel overlooking the Metung Marina. Dallas had Salt and Pepper Squid and I had crumbed Mussels, both meals were first class.

All in all we have vowed to return to the Lakes Entrance area for a longer caravan holiday. That is it for this blog as we will be in Melbourne tomorrow to visit family and friends before boarding the ferry to return to Hobart. We hope you have enjoyed our journey and we encourage all to get out and see our country, it is diverse, large and simply beautiful. It is there to be enjoyed by all!