Historic... METUNG
Visit Metung on the beautiful Gippsland Lakes on any summer weekend and the attraction of this compact village is obvious: a picturesque maritime location on the tranquil waters of the lakes surrounded by gentle green hills and sandy beaches. It seems only natural that it should be home to one of Victoria’s largest pleasure-boat flotillas - with over 400 square kilometres of water to explore the region is a haven for anyone seeking aquatic leisure.
Down by the waterfront, where jetties and marinas are crammed with yachts and cruising boats of all shapes and sizes, boating devotees relax with a latte. The talk in cafes and shops is invariably about the weather, the fishing, and the temptations of a multitude of cruising locations. Metung has the good fortune to be warmer than Melbourne in winter, and generally cooler in summer thanks to the water’s influence.
Metung’s neat, gregarious meeting place centres on a few essential shops, restaurants, the pub, and craft stores radiating from a neat village green. All along the waterfront, a multitude of classy resort accommodation and million-dollar holiday homes share expansive water views.
When explorer Angus McMillan battled his way east of Melbourne to discover Gippsland in 1841, he had pastoral pursuits on his mind. Settlers followed in the Scotsman’s footsteps, and the fertile land named after NSW governor Gipps prospered. Until the 1920s, paddlesteamers could enter the lakes from the ocean at Lakes Entrance, steaming inland past Paynesville, Bairnsdale and other lakeside settlements prior to the arrival of rail and road transport.
The Gippsland Lakes region, which today includes numerous designated parks, is an intricate maze of vast freshwater lakes, rivers, saltwater lagoons, canals and marshes that are a haven for huge numbers of water birds. To make the most of a visit to Metung you should take to the waters, whether it be on a chartered boat for a few days or just a short afternoon cruise. The Lakes only reveal their compelling qualities from the deck of a boat - and it’s incredibly relaxing.
A day on the water might take you to nearby Lakes Entrance with its impressive fishing fleet, the Lakes National Park and Sperm Whale Head, the ocean dunes of the Coastal Park, or the remarkable silt jetties of Lake King. Even a two-hour cruise around nearby coves, Bancroft Bay and Shaving Point is sure to wet the appetite
Fortunately, a love of aquatic pursuits isn’t essential around Metung, because there are delightful bushwalks, scenic drives, and excellent shore-based fishing in the area. One delightful walk takes in the shores of Lake King to Tambo Bluff, and Chinaman’s Creek. The town’s hot sulphur springs were once a revitalizing dip - they were discovered in the 1920s when an exploratory oil well was drilled, but are currently closed.
In peak holiday times Metung is a busy maritime community. But the rest of the year you’ll have the lakes, the boats, a few shops, a couple of local restaurants and a pub to share with a score-or-so residents.
Metung, near Lakes Entrance, is off the Prince’s Highway past Bairnsdale, about 320km east of Melbourne. Allow four hours to drive there.
STAY THE WEEKEND AT:
5KNOTS - in Metung - superb, cutting-edge apartments right on the water 100m from Metung Hotel. ph 03 5156 2462 or 0408 562 750
BELLEVUE on the LAKES - Lakes Entrance (15mins away), ask for the upgraded spa rooms, restaurant, opp marina ph 03 3155 3055
