Gippsland Lakes

The Gippsland Lakes is Australia's largest navigable inland waterway system in East Gippsland, Victoria, comprising Lakes Wellington, Victoria and King and surrounding wetlands. Separated from Bass Strait by the Ninety Mile Beach dunes and connected to the sea at Lakes Entrance, the system covers about 600 square kilometres. It is notable for its coastal lagoon ecology, boating and fishing opportunities, and its location within Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park and Lakes National Park.

Visitors can expect an extensive coastal lake and lagoon system with calm inland waters, sandy ocean beaches, dunes, wetlands and forested foreshores. The area centres on Lakes Entrance where the lakes meet Bass Strait via an artificial entrance. Visitors can explore waterfront towns such as Lakes Entrance, Metung and Paynesville, take boat cruises, hire boats, fish, kayak, swim at patrolled ocean beaches, walk coastal trails and observe waterbirds and dolphins. Jetties, marinas, picnic areas and lookouts are spread around the lakes.

The lakes were formed over thousands of years as river valleys flooded and were separated from the sea by coastal dunes. The area is part of Gunaikurnai Country. European exploration occurred in the 1840s, and a permanent artificial entrance to the sea at Lakes Entrance was constructed and opened in 1889 to enable navigation and support settlement, fishing and trade.

The Gippsland Lakes lie within Gunaikurnai Country and hold cultural significance for the Gunaikurnai people as traditional lands and waters with long-standing connections to the lakes, rivers and wetlands. The lakes remain important for community life, recreation, fishing and tourism in East Gippsland.