After a tasty breakfast at the motel we set off east along the southern coast towards Gippsland & Wilsons Promontory. The Promontory is the most southerly point in mainland Australia jutting out in the Bass Strait. It's fairly isolated and boasts wonderful beaches and hiking with a well maintained network of trails. Most of the trails involve overnight stays but we planned to do a short walk up Mount Oberon from where you can apparently get panoramic views across the prom. The drive took us about 2 hours and despite best efforts we failed to find anywhere to stop for coffee on the way. (which caused gumbles from Simon - must be his age!!) The cafes we did see where shut mid week now that the kids are back at school. We continued on to Tidal River which is the main hub and had take away baked beans on toast (we decided they were definately Heinz) and then drove up to the car park at the saddle where the walk starts from. With the weather a bit overcast Diane needed some encouragement to start the walk but as we came out of the forest onto the summit it was definitely worth the effort. Even with the grey skies the sea was a beautiful turquoise colour capped by golden sandy beaches. Back down at the car, as it started ti rain, we gave two young German girls, a lift back down to the visitors centre. They'd been out overnight and interestingly had taken a quilt with them as bedding. Guess it takes all sorts. We continued on east heading towards Metung where we'd decided to stay for the evening. The drive was mainly through flat cattle and arable farming land and with nothing really worth noting., apart from it was nearly 300kms. We eventually arrived at our destination which is a pretty town in the Lake District, the largest inland waterway system in Australia with three main interconnecting lakes, Wellington, King and Victoria. They are actually saltwater lagoons separated from the ocean by the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park. After checking and declining a room at the local hotel we found something suitable very nearby at the Moorings Motel although we did walk back to the hotel for dinner in their bistro which has got a good reputation and was recommended by our motel owner.
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| Enjoying take away beans on toast |
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| Wilsons Promontory |
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The summit of Mt Oberon
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