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Orbost
Snowy River at Orbost
Marlo Estuary
Lake Tyler's beach near Lakes Entrance
The Snowy River near McKillop Bridge
Stony Creek Trestle Bridge near Nowa Nowa
Errinundra National Park
Little River Gorge
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Located near the mouth of the Snowy River, Orbost is the commercial centre for the local agricultural industry (dairy and beef cattle, maize, beans, vegetables), though tourism is making an increasing contribution to the local economy.
Where is it?: Victoria: East Gippsland. Orbost is 377 km east of Melbourne and 670 km south west of Sydney on the Princes Highway.
Things to see and do:
The Bataluk Cultural Trail extends from Sale in the east, through Stratford, Mitchell River National Park, Bairnsdale, Metung, Lake Tyers, Buchan and Orbost to Cape Conran in the west. It follows the trails and trading routes of pre-colonial days and focuses on elements of Koorie history and culture, including Dreamtime stories, traditional lifestyles, the Den of Nargun, Legend Rock, Aboriginal Keeping Places, archaeological sites such as canoe trees and shell middens (some dating back 10 000 years), cultural centres of the region, and aspects of European invasion, colonial settlement and present-day existence. At Orbost the focus is on Moogji Aboriginal Council.
Surrounding area:
The small village of Marlo (14km south west) on Marlo Inlet is a well kept secret. With wetlands, rainforest, sand dunes and backwaters, the Snowy River estuary boasts some of the best perch and bream fishing to be found anywhere. The sheltered waters allow fishing year round in most weather conditions. Marlo is close to a number of surf beaches such as Point Ricardo. More >>
A fishing port in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, the town of Lakes Entrance is a well developed and popular holiday resort. 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. More >>
Located along the Snowy River, Snowy River National Park (approx 60km north) is in a remote wilderness area and features some magnificent river scenery, spectacular deep gorges and forests. McKillop Bridge via Buchan is one of the few places in the park with access to the Snowy River by conventional vehicle. The Deddick River meets the Snowy just upstream of the bridge and wide sandy beaches with shallow rock pools between the rapids make this a great swimming spot. Little River Gorge, Victoria's deepest gorge, is to the west of McKillop Bridge and downstream from the junction of the Little River and Snowy River. More >>
Errinundra National Park is centred on the Errinundra Plateau, a southwards extension of the Monaro Tablelands of New South Wales. The Errinundra National Park preserves the largest remaining cool temperate rainforest in Victoria and supports some of South Eastern Australia's most spectacular old growth forests. The majority of the park is accessible only in the drier months. In winter, rain and snow generally make the unsealed roads impassable. More >>
Brief history: the first white settler was Peter Imlay, a grazier, who arrived in 1842. Orbost has a colourful boating history, rich with stories of the steamers which once plied the lower reaches of the Snowy River hauling vegetables bound for the Melbourne market. The town was linked by rail to Melbourne in 1915, though the passenger service to the area stopped and still stops at Bairnsdale.
For most of the 20th century, Orbost was a fairly prosperous local centre for the forestry and agricultural industries and a supply point for smaller towns in the area. In the 1950s and 1960s several new sawmills were opened to exploit the native forests north and east of Orbost. By the 1980s logging of East Gippsland native forests had become an environmental issue. This resulted in the creation or extension of National Parks in the area, and a steady decline in forestry and sawmilling jobs. The general rural decline of the area and its economy saw the railway close in the mid-1980s and the population drop from around 4000 to around 2000 by the start of the 21st century.
The name Orbost recalls Orbost on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
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