Tuesday, December 16, 2014

16 December - Scooter Bob visits the Gippsland Lakes (Down Under)

The Gippsland Lakes are a network of lakes and marshes in East Gippsland, Victoria, covering an area of about 354 sq km (137 sq mi). The lakes and surrounding towns are an important tourist destination for Australians and international visitors alike, and feature boating, fishing, pristine beaches, fine dining and wineries. The lake system is connected to the sea at Lakes Entrance which is also a commercial fishing port. As the weather forecast promised temperatures around 35ºC I thought it was time to take the Beemer, and Scooter Bob to check out this wonderful destination.

Our first stop was to check out the commercial fishing fleet in Lakes Entrance.


Then, we were off to the hill overlooking Lakes Entrance to get a great view of the lakes and the entrance to the sea.


The pace in Lakes Entrance is picking up. Here in Victoria, as in the rest of Australia, school has just finished and main holidays of the year are underway. There was a constant stream of traffic ready to set up camp either here or in other coastal towns further up the coast.

After Lakes Entrance, it was a short ride to the village of Metung located in the middle of the lakes system. Metung appears to be developing into a retirement destination with lots of new residential developments and golf courses. As it was lunchtime we dropped into the Metung Galley for a bit to eat and some much needed hydration. Metung features a range of attractive holiday accommodation as well as boat and yacht hire and is a popular stop off for the may 'boaties' on the lakes. Restaurants and a great pub are only a short walk from the public jetty.


Finally, after some great riding and sightseeing it was time to head in the direction of home but not before a quick stop at our friends John and Sandra who live in Paynesville, also located on the shores of the Gippsland lakes. After the heat of the day, it was nice to sit in the shade for a chat, a coffee and a cigar before heading home.

The final leg of the trip was very windy and a sign of the storms forecast for later this evening, and it was nice to get home and have a well deserved beer (or two).

Total Distance 360 km.

Contributed by guest blogger Theo van der Meulen

5 comments:

  1. Theo the photo of the fishing fleet brings to mind my first ride with Bob. He took me to Steveston just south of Vancouver. It was a favorite destination of his.

    If you think it makes sense, consider adding a little someting to send along with the scooter as a memento of this leg of its travels. Something small and light, a small sew-on patch would be ideal. We may be able to do something with them at the end of the travels.

    Since this would be a new twist, Sonja, Michael and I would have to catch up by sending our contributions on to Geoff perhaps.

    All the best,

    David.

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    1. David, since Scooterbob will return to Europe, I might have the opportunity to add on a patch of the Black Forest later maybe via Gary.

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  2. Theo, it is what David said, very similar to one of Bob's favourite local spots. It was also Bob who showed me the place (Steveston), a tiny fishing village near Vancouver, on one of your fist trip destinations around town, This posting is stirring up good memories of riding and companionship. Thank you.

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  3. When Bob took me on a tour of Vancouver, one of the first stops was the waterfront, which your pano shot reminded me of.....good post.

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