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Lakes Entrance, Vic



Avenue of Honour wood carving


Lake Tyler's beach


Mitchell River National Park


Buchan Caves


Oriental Claims, Omeo

A fishing port in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, the town of Lakes Entrance is a well developed and popular holiday resort.

Where is it?: Victoria: Gippsland. Lakes Entrance is 320 kilometres east of Melbourne via Bairnsdale on the Princes Highway.

Things to see and do:

Lakes Entrance is home to a large fleet of pleasure craft which sail the waters of Lake Wellington, Lake King, Lake Victoria and Lake Reeve. Numerous operators run self drive and chartered cruises around these waterways.

The trunks of six of the trees that originally formed the avenue of honour have been preserved and turned into sculptures representing scenes from the World War I period. Plaques have been placed on a limestone boulder in parkland near the WWI Memorial Statues.

Lakes Entrance is renowned for its excellent fishing spots. The catch includes Trevally, Salmon, Flathead, Estuary Perch, Tailor, Bream, Leatherjacket and King George Whiting.

Surrounding area:

The unique and picturesque Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park is a narrow coastal reserve along the Ninety Mile Beach from Seaspray to Lakes Entrance. It consists of lakes, wetlands, marine and terrestrial environments. The park is a popular place for fishing, swimming, boating, picnicking, walking and bush camping. The western section of the park is accessible by road via Seaspray and Golden Beach. The eastern section of the park is accessible only by boat.

A network of undulating walking tracks exists within The Lakes National Park. The self guided Lake Reeve Nature Trail, is a popular short walk through several habitats with many points of interest along the way.

Near the township of Buchan, lies Buchan Caves, a honeycomb of caves full of spectacular limestone formations. Guided tours are conducted daily in Royal Cave and Fairy Cave. Both caves are lit and have concrete pathways. Royal Cave features beautiful calcite-rimmed pools; Fairy Cave features elaborate stalactites and stalagmites.

In its day the Oriental Claims, near Omeo, was one of the largest gold-sluicing operations in the world. Today many of the mining remnants, caves and mining sites can be viewed along the short walks around the Claims.

Mitchell River National Park surrounds the spectacular Mitchell River where it passes between high cliffs. There are several gorges, including the Den of Nargun mentioned in Aboriginal Legends. Remnants of temperate rainforest line the gorges.


About Lakes Entrance

Being situated near a managed, man-made channel connecting the Gippsland Lakes to the Bass Strait, Lakes Entrance is ideally located for boat-loving Melbournians who come here to sail the waters of the Gippsland Lakes or do a spot of fishing.
Spectacular views of the entrance and of the Lakes can be seen from various look-outs on Jemmy's Point. The main beach front is a safe harbour for many major commercial fishing and recreational waters port operations. The surf beach is patrolled by the Lakes Entrance Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) between November and March every summer, with lifeguard patrols from late December to late January. The waterfront is populated by restaurants, shops, caravan parks, and major retailers. The town's main residential areas lie inland.

Avenue of Honour sculptures: In 1924 an avenue of Monterey Cypress trees was planted along the Esplanade to commemorate the 26 local men who lost their lives during World War I. Over the years the odd tree had been removed for various reasons and in 1997 the East Gippsland Shire Council, unaware of their original significance, planned to remove the remainder. Their decision caused considerable controversy within the community.  Following a public campaign by the Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society the trunks of six of the trees have been preserved and transformed into memorial sculptures by chainsaw artist John Brady.
Brady carved the stump of one tree into a sea captain to reflect the community's early pioneers and to commemorate the loss of ships and lives at Lakes Entrance. The sculpture proved so popular that it was decided to utilise the other tree stumps in the same way and local businesses sponsored the carving of the five other stumps which represent a World War I soldier, a wounded soldier with a donkey, a World War I nurse, Simpson helping two wounded soldiers and a family waiting for Dad. The sculptures are waxed and oiled constantly to preserve the wood.

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