Lake escape

A few days on the Gippsland Lakes proves the ideal getaway for Richard Pyne and friend.

“Let’s escape to somewhere for a few days. I really could do with a break,” my friend Caro said. “Sure,” I said, “but what shall we do?”

We both thought for a moment. Two boatless, frustrated sailors with time on their hands . . . Umm. It took us about two seconds to both come up with the same answer: “Let’s charter a boat!”

The obvious destination was the Whitsundays, but both of us had already been there several times, and it seemed a long way to go for just a few days. I had a brother who had retired to near Paynesville on Victoria’s Gippsland Lakes and was always raving about the lakes.

“What about the Gippsland Lakes?” I suggested. “My brother lives there and he says the lakes are a fantastic destination. They are Australia’s biggest inland lake system. It’s meant to be a boating mecca, with pristine beaches, two national parks, lots of rivers, totally sheltered moorings and abundant bird and wildlife.”

My sales spiel did the trick and within minutes Caro was on the web checking out the Riviera Nautic Boating Holidays website. Yes, they had a boat available. Yes, they had some great off-season deals. Yes, we could stay on the boat free the night before our charter. Yes, fuel was included in the price. The Webjet website obligingly offered us a really good rate for flights, and Budget came to the party with a good deal for car hire. Before we had time to draw breath we were packing our respective bags and on our way from Sydney to Melbourne for what we termed our “lake escape”.

Easy drive

The three-and-a-half hour drive from Melbourne to Rivera Nautic’s base at Chinaman’s Creek in Metung was trouble-free, with just a short-break mid-trip to provision at a supermarket and grab a cuppa. We knew already from the website what was on the boat and had made out a list of essentials so the shopping was relatively simple, although we did debate at length just how many jelly snakes two people could eat in a few days!

Arriving late evening, we found our Catalina 32, Jentra, waiting for us in the marina and crashed as soon as we unloaded the car, exhausted by our travels. The next morning we were up early to be ready for an 8am briefing and to say hello to Riviera Nautic’s owners, Cam and Sascha Johns, who took over the business last year from long-time owners Fred and Jenny Herbert. Riviera Nautic prides itself on its personal service and is among a handful of businesses to win inclusion in Australian Tourism’s Hall of Fame.

The briefing was relatively short because of our prior sailing experience, but staff member Ian still went over all safety aspects and the charts thoroughly and made sure we understood everything. One major issue is that the lakes are a no-discharge zone and holding tanks need to be husbanded or else you have to stop every day at one of the few pump-out stations — in other words, do your “business” ashore every morning or cop the resulting inconvenience. We made a mental note to overnight only at anchorages with on-shore toilets.

On our way

Casting off from the marina, we motored out to open waters and hoisted sail. The forecast was for winds up to 20 knots that day but much lighter for the rest of our visit, so we decided to make the most of the breeze and have a serious sail on Lake King, which proved the ideal tonic for two frustrated helmspeople. The Catalina 32 felt so good in the groove that we sailed up and down the lake a couple of times before dousing sail regretfully mid-afternoon to motor through the passage between Raymond Island and Paynesville to Lake Victoria, oohing and aahing at some of the lovely waterfront houses as we went.

After a short sail in the much smaller Lake Victoria, we turned Jentra’s bow for one of the lakes’ most famous anchorages, Duck Arm. This is truly idyllic, surrounded by rolling green pastures and with resident black swans who personally visit every boat to say hello. It was made all the more special on our visit because two dolphins escorted us in.

Fun at the yacht club

The next day we headed back to the Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club at Paynesville to rendezvous with my brother Mike for the afternoon. As it turned out, there was a race on, and after a leisurely lunch on the water drifting around in a light breeze, we followed the race boats around at a safe distance, marvelling at the variety of boats that were competing, anything from a Hobie to trailer-sailers and keelboats and a strange log-like boat. Back at the club over a couple of drinks, the local sailors were very friendly and one even invited us to check out the Schionning catamaran he was building in a shed a few streets away. Paynesville has plenty of public jetties to tie up to and is great place to reprovision or dine out, so we stayed there overnight. For dinner we tried out the local Chinese restaurant, where the waitress was also outgoing and happy to share her local knowledge. She had a “day” job working somewhere else but had taken on waitressing in the evening to help save up to build a house. “Luckily my parents have given my fiance and me a block of land to build on because property prices here have gone through the roof,” she said.

Boxes Creek and Barrier Landing

Day three we motored back out the channel to Lake King, where the bare hint of a breeze teased us into putting the sails up and then quickly deserted us. We turned on the engine, doused sail and pointed Jentra’s bow back past her home at Metung. Close to there is a lovely creek called Boxes Creek, where there are some moorings and an old shack right on the water reminiscent of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and we just drifted around with the engine in neutral for half an hour taking in the scenery and enjoying a sandwich.

After lunch it was on down to for Barrier Landing, another must-visit spot right at the bottom of the lakes accessed by narrow channels. Separated from Bass Strait by just a sandspit, Barrier Landing boasts the famous Ninety Mile Beach. There is a large public jetty here but the current rips through so you need to be careful manoevring. One cabin-cruiser that came in while we were there was swept sideways at the last moment and had to make a second attempt to come in.

What a blissful spot! Within minutes of arriving Caro and I were kicking our feet in the white sand and dipping our toes in the aqua-green waters of Bass Strait, glad Jentra was safely moored behind the sandspit, and we were not out battling the thunderous waves of the strait itself.

Two boats is a race

The next day was the last of our charter and we headed out early to make the most of the light breeze piping up. As soon as the channel widened enough to set sail we did so, even though the wind was on the nose and it meant a tack every few minutes for a while. Part of the motivation was spotting a 10m Hunter called Irene ahead of us sailing in the same direction. For the next couple of hours we had a ball, match-racing Irene up the rest of the channel, past Metung and back into Lake King. Irene and her crew were sailing to Paynesville, and as we regretfully turned Jentra’s bow back for Metung her skipper called out asking if we were going to overnight at Paynesville. “No,” I called back, with sadness in my voice, “This is the last day of our charter. We have to go back to Metung. Catch you next time!”

As we headed across Lake King downwind on our way back to the charter base I silently promised myself that there would be a next time. My brother had been telling the truth: the Gippsland Lakes are indeed a boating mecca, and we had hardly scratched the surface in only a few days.

Richard Pyne
Richard is retired from the RAAF and currently between abodes. He hopes to do some extended cruising in the not too distant future and is keeping the dream alive in the interim crewing casually on other people’s boats and, of course, chartering.

RIVIERA NAUTIC BOATING HOLIDAYS

Riviera Nautic is based at Chinaman’s Creek in Metung, a 3.5-hour drive from Melbourne and nine-hour drive from Sydney. The company’s fleet of yachts ranges from Catalina 28s to Dufour 36s through to motorcruisers and day boats. They also handle holiday rentals and can do house/boat packages. You don’t need a boat licence or any prior boating experience, although obviously it is a good idea to have some background in boating if you want a relaxed holiday. Even with the yachts you can book sailing lessons as part of your holiday. A Catalina 28 will cost you from $1,210 for two days off-season, but monitor the website because there are frequently off-season specials and stand-by rates.

For more information email info@rivieranautic.com.au, ph (03) 5156 2243, www.rivieranautic.com.au

MORE ON THE LAKES

The Gippsland Lakes system is made up of three magnificent lakes, covering a distance of 60km. Beginning with Lake Wellington at the western end connecting via McLennans Strait to Lake Victoria, then onto Lake King and finally, through a man-made entrance at the popular tourist resort of Lakes Entrance, to join the southern sea waters of Bass Strait.

The system is fed by a huge water catchment area stretching over large parts of central and east Gippsland and includes the major contributing rivers of the Latrobe, Thompson, Avon, Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo. The lakes include many small islands. One in particular, Rotamah Island, is famous for its bird life. Many bird hides have been constructed for visitors to use and the surrounding marshland is home to an abundance of native waterbirds and wildlife.

A unique feature of the Gippsland Lakes is the Mitchell River silt jetties. They are among the longest in the world and run far into the lakes. They are believed to be formed by silt washed down by the Mitchell River system, over a million years ago. The Gippsland Lakes abuts two parks, the Lakes National Park taking in Sperm Whale Head and the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, with camping reserves and many walking tracks.