Where the Gippsland Lakes Meet Ninety Mile Beach

Overview

Lakes Entrance sits at the eastern end of the Gippsland Lakes, where the sheltered waters of the lake system meet the long coastal barrier of Ninety Mile Beach. About 320 kilometres east of Melbourne, it is shaped by water on almost every side, with the town stretching beside Cunninghame Arm and the entrance channel linking the lakes to Bass Strait.

What makes this place feel different from other coastal towns is that mix of estuary, lakes, dunes and open ocean. Around Lakes Entrance, the landscape shifts quickly from calm inlets and foreshore edges to sandy barriers, low coastal vegetation and broad views across the Southern Ocean.

Highlights

The defining natural feature here is the meeting point of the Gippsland Lakes and the sea. The entrance channel, the long curve of Cunninghame Arm and the nearby sweep of Ninety Mile Beach give the area its wide-open coastal character.

Just beyond town, the eastern section of Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park adds another layer to the scenery, especially around Bunga Arm and Entrance Bay. Bunga Arm is a narrow sand barrier built up over thousands of years, separating the quieter lake waters from the surf of Bass Strait, while nearby Lake Reeve is a shallow wetland that can periodically dry out and forms part of the internationally significant Gippsland Lakes wetland system.

Best Time to Visit

Lakes Entrance works well across the year, but the most comfortable times for walking are usually spring and autumn, when the weather is milder and the light along the water and dunes is particularly clear. Summer brings the classic beach-town atmosphere, while cooler months can suit visitors who prefer a quieter feel and are more interested in the coastal scenery, wetlands and birdlife than swimming.

Plants and Animals

The natural communities around Lakes Entrance reflect the meeting of fresh water, salt water and coastal sand. In the nearby coastal park and lake margins, vegetation includes open woodland with shining peppermint and saw banksia, manna gum forest and shoreline areas with succulent glasswort.

Birdlife is one of the area’s strengths. Lake Reeve is recognised internationally for its importance as waterfowl habitat, and the broader lakes and wetland edges support the rich birdlife that comes with a large, varied estuarine system.

Culture and Heritage

Lakes Entrance is on Gunaikurnai Country, and the surrounding parks and coastal lake country hold long cultural connections. The broader Lakes Entrance area developed on Gunaikurnai camping grounds, and evidence of use and occupation is found across the park landscapes around the Gippsland Lakes.

There is also a strong layer of maritime and engineering history tied to the permanent entrance to the sea. Near Entrance Bay, some of the old construction equipment from the 1880s can still be seen, reflecting the scale of the works that established the entrance channel that gave the town its name.