After dire predictions of gale force winds and deluges following a cold front due today, we made a big effort to get going earlier than yesterday.  There was hardly a ripple on the lake, and the radar suggested we had at least a few hours up our sleeve.

From Swan Reach, we took the Upper Tambo road towards Bruthen.  Starting out as a flat road beside a lazy river, it climbed quickly over a bluff, and the sedate grassy banks gave way to sheer cliffs for a short section.  The trees got taller as we went further north and east.  We turned right at the Buchan turnoff; the cave tours are suspended due to Covid, otherwise we might have paid them a visit.  Nowa Nowa was a blink-and-you-miss-it village; shortly afterwards we left the bitumen and took a well made gravel forest road to view the Stoney Creek Trestle Bridge; the largest such bridge in Victoria. 

Although obviously in a serious state of disrepair now, with rotted timbers and rusted steel, it is a thing of wonder, and does not look out of place in its forest glade. The vegetation is even starting to reclaim some of the timber posts. The bridge is a feature of the East Gippsland Rail Trail, and although we didn’t see any cyclists, it would have been idyllic riding. We spent a pleasant half hour or so admiring it from various angles.

The section of the Princes Highway from here to Lakes Entrance is lovely tall forest, making a change from the ubiquitous farmland. Before long we’d reached the eastern edge of the town, which has grown quite a lot since our last visit (admittedly many years ago).  We did a quick recce by car, before parking next to the famous footbridge across Cunninghame Arm, quite busy today with beachgoers and tourists.  We ummed and ahhed about doing The Entrance walk, eyeing the darkening sky.  We decided to risk it; it was only 5 km return and shouldn’t take us too long.

The trail follows the narrow sand spit which is fronted by Ninety Mile Beach, and which protects the town and provides sheltered water for paddleboats, cruise boats, and mooring for the fishing fleet.  We followed it east, all the way to the narrow gap which is the only point at which boats can sail in and out of the ocean.  The topography of the Gippsland Lakes is very complicated!  The walk itself varied from sand to firm dirt to boardwalks and steps, and took a little longer than we expected. After about 45 minutes we found ourselves climbing up to the Flagstaff lookout, which afforded a nice view over The Entrance, and a nice seat for resting and eating lunch on.  A cruise boat took its passengers right up to the gap, but turned around without venturing into the rougher waters; a speedboat at full gun had no such qualms, tearing out into the open water for a few hundred metres, then back, just to say he’d done it.  We could have returned along the sands of Ninety Mile Beach, but with a few drops of rain, we opted for shelter and stuck to the trail, which winds through typical coastal scrub.

Our final stop was at the traditional roadside lookout for a different, and higher perspective.  Then it was home for an early evening. It’s damp and dark out there, in stark contrast to the last two nights. No spectacular sunset tonight unfortunately.

Our few days have flown by and its time to head for home, via San Remo.

Turns out I was wrong about the sunset.