Lakes Entrance is a tourist resort and fishing port in eastern
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is situated approximately 320 kilometres (198.8 mi) east of
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, near a managed, man-made channel connecting the
Gippsland LakesThe Gippsland Lakes are a network of lakes, marshes and lagoons in east Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an area of about 600 km2. The largest of the lakes are Lake Wellington , Lake King and Lake Victoria. They are fed by the Avon, Thomson, Latrobe, Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo...
to the
Bass StraitBass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
. At the 2006
censusThe Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Lakes Entrance had a population of 4,094.
The township was originally named Cunninghame, the Post Office of that name opening on 5 February 1870. It was renamed Lakes Entrance on 1 January 1915.
Description
Lakes Entrance, which lies almost at sea level, can be accessed from
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
via
BairnsdaleBairnsdale is a small city in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. With a population at the 2006 census of 11,282, it is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria along with Traralgon and Sale....
and the town of Kalimna to the north west by a stretch of the
Princes HighwayThe Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
, which snakes down and around a point protruding into the
Gippsland LakesThe Gippsland Lakes are a network of lakes, marshes and lagoons in east Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an area of about 600 km2. The largest of the lakes are Lake Wellington , Lake King and Lake Victoria. They are fed by the Avon, Thomson, Latrobe, Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo...
known as "Jemmy's Point". Spectacular views of The Entrance and of the Lakes can be seen from various look-outs on Jemmy's Point. The
Princes HighwayThe Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
leaves the north east side of the town through hilly countryside towards
Nowa NowaNowa Nowa is a small town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is in East Gippsland, near Lakes Entrance. At the 2006 census, Nowa Nowa and the surrounding area had a population of 144....
and
OrbostOrbost is a town in the Shire of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, located east of Melbourne and south of Canberra where the Princes Highway crosses the Snowy River. It is about from the town of Marlo on the coast of Bass Strait. At the 2006 census, Orbost had a population of 2452...
.
Lakes Entrance is predominantly a fishing and tourism-driven town; the main beach front is a safe harbour for many major commercial fishing and recreational watersport operations. The surf beach is patrolled by the Lakes Entrance Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) between November and March every summer, with lifeguard patrols from late December to late January. The waterfront is populated by restaurants, shops, caravan parks, a Safeway, a Target Country store which opened in 2007, a McDonalds restaurant which opened in September 1997, and a KFC. The town's main residential areas lie farther inland.
Lakes Entrance is a very popular spot for camping in caravan parks, and in free camping spots in Colquhoun State Forest
Nearby major towns include
BairnsdaleBairnsdale is a small city in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. With a population at the 2006 census of 11,282, it is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria along with Traralgon and Sale....
and
OrbostOrbost is a town in the Shire of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, located east of Melbourne and south of Canberra where the Princes Highway crosses the Snowy River. It is about from the town of Marlo on the coast of Bass Strait. At the 2006 census, Orbost had a population of 2452...
. Lakes Entrance falls within the Shire of East Gippsland. Current mayor Cr Richard Ellis is a Lakes Entrance resident.
Minor towns include
Swan ReachSwan Reach is a small residential town located in the east Gippsland region of Victoria. It is situated east of the state capital, Melbourne and is located approximately halfway between the townships of Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance on the Tambo River. Swan Reach falls under the jurisdiction of...
,
JohnsonvilleJohnsonville is a town in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is a small town considered part of the 'twin rivers' of the Tambo and Nicholson Rivers...
, Kalimna,
NicholsonNicholson is a small town in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 295 km east of the state capital Melbourne. It is situated between the larger towns of Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance...
,
MetungMetung is a small town in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 314 km east of the state capital Melbourne. It is situated between the larger towns of Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance. It is on a small peninsula 31 km south-east of Bairnsdale, separating Lake King and Bancroft Bay on the...
and Lake Tyers.
Sports
The town has an
Australian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
team competing in the
East Gippsland Football LeagueThe East Gippsland Football League is an Australian rules football League in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia.-History:The East Gippsland FL in its present incarnation began in 1974 with the merger of the Gippsland Football League and the Bairnsdale District Football League...
.
The town is home to a
hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
club in the
East Gippsland Hockey AssociationThe East Gippsland Hockey Association is a field hockey league in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The league features five divisions, Open , Women's, under 18s, under 15s and under 13s.-History:...
, although the club still plays under the name of its original home town,
Swan ReachSwan Reach is a small residential town located in the east Gippsland region of Victoria. It is situated east of the state capital, Melbourne and is located approximately halfway between the townships of Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance on the Tambo River. Swan Reach falls under the jurisdiction of...
.
Golfers play at the course of the Lakes Entrance Golf Club on Golf Links Road.
Gallery