Paynesville

Paynesville Vic 3880 (Pop 3 200)

Paynesville is a popular East Gippsland seaside resort town located 298 km east of Melbourne. This former shipbuilding port sits on McMillan Straits between Gippsland Lakes King and Victoria. Paynesville markets 2^nd Sun each month. Jazz Festival (Feb), Yacht Race (Mar).

Tourist Attractions & Info:
Watersports include swimming (Lake King), waterskiing (Newlands Arm), surfing (Ninety Mile Beach) together with cruises, fishing & boating. St Peter-by-the-Lake, The Esplanade a beautiful Anglican Church (1961) featuring boating motifs.  

Nearby:
Raymond Island (east) originally occupied by the Kurnai Aborigines with a number of canoe trees still visible. The island is home to a koala colony and a huge variety of flora & fauna. Access by regular ferry at no cost. Rotamah Island (south) features a bird observatory within an old farmhouse, swamps, sand dunes, heathlands and an excellent variety of waterbirds, as well as emus and kangaroos. Camping and canoeing also popular. Access via water taxi or boat. Gippsland Lakes group of coastal lagoons with the main lakes being Wellington, Victoria and King spanning 320 coastal km. This area incorporates The Lakes NP, Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park and Ninety Mile Beach. The wetlands are a habitat for over 40 000 waterbirds with parts used for commercial & recreational fishing. Additionally, there are numerous Aboriginal shell middens, sacred burial sites and scarred trees. Eagle Point (2 km n-w) small pretty Lake King fishing village with the annual Australian Powerboat Racing Championships at Easter.

Accommodation:
Paynesville has a motel, a hotel, a number of holiday apartments, a couple of caravan parks and houseboats for hire. Visitor Information Centre: Community Craft Centre, Esplanade. Tel (03) 5156 7479.