The Gippsland Lakes

What are the Gippsland Lakes?

A network of coastal lakes in East and Central Gippsland covering more than 400 km², made up of Lake Wellington, Lake Victoria and Lake King, with Lake Tyers further east, joined to Bass Strait at Lakes Entrance.

Rivers from the Victorian Alps feed the lakes, and a thin wedge of dunes and parkland keeps them apart from the ocean. The only way out is the channel at Lakes Entrance. Visit Gippsland gives the area as more than 400 km²; other sources measure the water at about 354 km², depending on what is counted.

• Gunai names: Lake Wellington is Murla, Lake King is Ngarrang and Lake Victoria is Toonallook.
• Wetlands: the lakes wetlands are Ramsar-listed, and Parks Victoria calls Lake Reeve one of Victoria's most important areas for wading birds.
• The silt jetties: where the Mitchell River meets Lake King, natural silt jetties run 8 km into the lake, the largest in the southern hemisphere, per Visit Gippsland.
• Boat-only places: Bunga Arm, behind a 250-metre sand barrier, has seven campgrounds you can only reach by boat, and Rotamah Island is a boat ride from Paynesville.

Sources: Visit Gippsland, Gippsland Lakes; Parks Victoria, The Lakes National Park and Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park; Wikipedia, Gippsland Lakes.

What is there to do in Metung, and what are the hot springs like?

Metung is a small village at the end of a peninsula, almost surrounded by Lake King and Bancroft Bay. Hire a boat or kayak, walk round the bay, eat by the water, and spend half a day at Metung Hot Springs, a short walk from the village.

Visit Gippsland calls Metung "picture-perfect", and the village is small enough to see on foot. Boats and kayaks are for hire from Riviera Nautic, there is a walk round the edge of Bancroft Bay and the Boxes Creek Walking Trail, and the Metung Hotel has the waterfront views.

Metung Hot Springs is at 73 Storth Ryes Avenue and opens daily from 9 am to 6 pm. Three areas spread over the hillside above the lakes: the Bathing Ridge, the Lagoon precinct and the Hilltop Escarpment. Per the GetYourGuide listing, Revive Bathing gives all-day access to all three, with geothermal pools, massaging mineral showers, saunas (the Hillview sauna is for guests 16 and over), a cold plunge pool, a reflexology walk and a shallow, family-friendly trail pool. Bring swimwear. The listing says it is not suitable for pregnant women. Angelo summed it up in a 5-star review: "Best place on the planet!" (Oct 2024)

Our tip: go on a weekday morning, and give it the whole day you paid for. Food is grab-and-go from the coffee hut, per the listing, so plan lunch in the village.

Sources: Visit Gippsland, Metung and Gippsland Lakes; Metung Hot Springs; GetYourGuide listing and review.

All-day bathing above the lakes: geothermal pools, saunas, a cold plunge and the reflexology walk, a short walk from Metung village.

★ 4.0 · All day · from $47

Explore the Metung hot springs → Tour details

How do you see the koalas on Raymond Island?

Take the five-minute ferry from Paynesville, free for pedestrians and cyclists, then walk the 1.2 km Koala Trail loop, about 40 minutes. Look up into the gum trees.

Raymond Island is home to a large koala population, and the Koala Trail is the easy way to see them. The ferry runs regularly from Paynesville and carries cars as well as people, but walking on is free, so leave the car on the mainland. East Gippsland Shire runs the ferry and posts timetable changes and any maintenance outages on its ferry page, so check it before you go.

Look high in the forks of the gum trees; a sleeping koala is easy to walk past. Walk slowly, keep your voice down and give them room. On Raymond Island you can also hire a surrey bike, per Visit Gippsland.

Back in Paynesville, the town is built round canals and inlets, a favourite with boating and fishing people. The Paynesville Farmers & Makers Market runs on the foreshore on the third Saturday of each month, next on 21 November 2026.

Sources: Visit Gippsland, Raymond Island Koala Trail and Paynesville; East Gippsland Shire Council, Raymond Island Ferry.

What is there to do in Lakes Entrance?

Walk the footbridge to the surf beach, buy fish and prawns off the trawlers on the Esplanade, take a cruise to Wyanga Park Winery, and ride or walk the foreshore.

Lakes Entrance sits at the eastern end of Ninety Mile Beach, where the lakes break through to Bass Strait. Hundreds of boats bob in the marina, per Visit Gippsland. What to do:

• The footbridge: it crosses from town to the surf beach, which is patrolled over summer. The foreshore walk and footbridge are accessible, per Visit Gippsland.
• Seafood: fish, and prawns in the summer months, sold straight off the trawlers moored along the Esplanade. The marina is home to Australia's largest fishing fleet.
• Wine by boat: Peels Cruises runs the Wyanga Park Winery Cruise to Gippsland's oldest winery, known for its frozen Muscat.
• On foot or bike: the Esplanade parklands with their carved wooden sculptures, and the foreshore cycling track of about 4.5 km.
• Rainy day: Griffiths Sea Shell Museum at the western end of town.
• Market: the Lakes Entrance Surf Club Foreshore Market on the first Sunday of the month.

Sources: Visit Gippsland, Lakes Entrance and Gippsland Lakes.

How long is Ninety Mile Beach, and where do you reach it?

Just over 151 km, from near Port Albert to Lakes Entrance. Reach it at Lakes Entrance, Loch Sport, Golden Beach, Seaspray, Woodside or McLoughlins Beach.

The beach runs north-east in one unbroken line of sand. Visit Gippsland lists the access points:

• Loch Sport: on a thin wedge of land between Lake Victoria and Bass Strait, one of the larger towns on the beach.
• Golden Beach: the closest beach to Sale, where the iron spine of the Trinculo, wrecked in 1858, still shows in the sand.
• Seaspray: patrolled in summer, with a grassy reserve and Lake Reeve behind. A beach wheelchair is available from the surf club through January and on weekends and public holidays.
• Woodside: patrolled in summer, with a caravan park and surf club.
• McLoughlins Beach: the southern end, with a 1 km boardwalk round a bird-feeding inlet.

Swim only at the patrolled beaches in season; the rips along this coast are what make it good for surf fishing.

Sources: Visit Gippsland, Ninety Mile Beach; Wikipedia, Ninety Mile Beach, Victoria.

Which cruises and boat trips run on the Gippsland Lakes?

Visit Gippsland names Peels Cruises, Lonsdale Eco Cruises and Sea Safari on Lakes Explorer at Lakes Entrance, H2O Tours & Adventures and Sail Safari at Paynesville, and self-drive boats from Bulls Cruisers, no licence required.

The choice comes down to how much you want to steer:

• Sightseeing: Peels Cruises runs general sightseeing cruises from Lakes Entrance as well as the winery cruise.
• Wildlife and commentary: Lonsdale Eco Cruises and Sea Safari on Lakes Explorer both run eco-cruises with expert commentary; Lakes Explorer also runs a water taxi to remote spots.
• From Paynesville: H2O Tours & Adventures cruises the canals, Raymond Island, Ninety Mile Beach and the lakes, and runs a water taxi. Sail Safari offers sailing, from learn-to-sail to a relaxed canal cruise.
• Your own boat: Bulls Cruisers hires boats for the day with no licence required, and Riviera Nautic in Metung hires boats and kayaks.
• Paddle: kayak and stand-up paddleboard hire at Lakes Entrance from Gippsland Lakes Kayak Hire and Venture Out.

Times and fares change with the season, so check each operator's own site for your dates.

Sources: Visit Gippsland, Gippsland Lakes and Paynesville.

Where should you stay on the Gippsland Lakes?

Metung for a quiet village by the water, Paynesville for canals, boats and the koalas, Lakes Entrance for the surf beach and the most choice, and Loch Sport or Seaspray for Ninety Mile Beach.

The lakes towns sit close together, so pick a base by the kind of stay you want:

Booking for the January school holidays? Do it early, and lock in the hot springs or a cruise for the same trip.

Sources: Visit Gippsland, Gippsland Lakes, Paynesville, Lakes Entrance and Ninety Mile Beach; Parks Victoria, Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park.

What are the luxury escapes in Gippsland?

On the lakes, glamping at Metung Hot Springs with private bathing barrels. Elsewhere, Just Inside the Gate at Wilsons Prom, Tidal River's safari-style tents, the Point Hicks lighthouse keeper's cottage and Buchan Caves House.

Gippsland's comfortable stays lean towards the wild rather than the grand:

• Metung Hot Springs glamping: glamping with private bathing barrels, on the hot springs site above the lakes.
• Just Inside the Gate: a self-catering eco-lodge for up to eight on 97 acres just inside the Prom's entrance, described by Parks Victoria as the most southerly freehold land on mainland Australia.
• Tidal River Wilderness Retreats: safari-style tents inside Wilsons Prom, alongside cabins and lodges. Roofed places book out early.
• Point Hicks: the lighthouse keeper's cottage in Croajingolong National Park, on the far east coast.
• Buchan Caves House: sleeps eight, beside Victoria's largest cave system.

For the Prom without the overnight, the Wilsons Prom day tour is a long day out from Melbourne; our Wilsons Promontory guide covers staying there.

Sources: Metung Hot Springs; Parks Victoria, Wilsons Promontory, Croajingolong and Buchan Caves pages; Visit Gippsland, Wilsons Prom.

Frequently asked questions