Lake Tyers - April 19th to 22nd, 2016

Simon and I had been planning to go back up the Murray River to paddle the next leg, Echuca to Swan Hill. Unfortunately the blue-green algae outbreak caused us to alter our plans. Sometime earlier Simon had suggested we try out Lake Tyers. Despite having spent a lot of time on the Gippsland Lakes I had never been to Lake Tyers which although part of the lakes system is not connected to the other lakes.

I arrived at Bunyip around 10.00 am to collect Simon and we headed down the highway stopping at Sale for lunch at the bakery cafe we have visited previously. After there was another stop at a supermarket in Bairnsdale before finally arriving at Lake Tyers Beach around 3.00 pm. We were advised that there was  a better launch spot around the corner at Fisherman's Landing so we drove around there and commenced loading up the kayaks. Finally on the water at 3.30 pm we headed up the lake looking for a campsite that was marked on the map.

The lake itself was beautiful and we had a helpful tailwind. After about an hour we reached the spot we expected to find the campsite on "Trident Inlet". However there was no sign of an official campground. We decided to head around to a beach area we had spotted 200 meters away and set up our tents on grassy area near the water.

Dinner was Uncle Ben's Special Fried Rice that came in a foil-sealed pouch. I decided it was definitely not special, definitely not fried but was probably rice! Another camping meal option ruled out for the future. It was a magnificent evening we did spent some time staring up at the Milky Way as the sky was brilliantly clear.

The next morning I was up early so I went for a walk and found the official campsite. It was up on the hill just behind where we were camped. It was not set up for kayak camping though as it was too far from the water and we could not have dragged our gear that far.

After breakfast Simon and I wandered back up the track and he spotted these amazing mushrooms in a tree stump.

On the water we had perfect paddling conditions and we enjoyed the winding journey up the lake. There were plenty of twists and turns and the scenery was magnificent. The lake is forested down to the water for 90% of the way.

We stopped for morning tea the Cameron's Track campsite. There was car parked over the other side of the Inlet with some people camping but they were the only people we saw apart from a couple of fisherman all morning.

There were lots of pelicans and cormorants around the lake. It isn't easy to get good bird close-ups without a telephoto lens. This is a spoonbill that was near the waters edge.

We reached Nowa Nowa at the head of lake in time for lunch at the The Big Root Cafe. There were lots of cyclists there having lunch and getting themselves organised. They were all in their 60s & 70s and it was great to see such a vibrant and active group of "Crusties". Nowa Nowa is a stopping point on the East Gippsland Rail Trail. Simon, Tony and I have cycled the trail ourselves on the last occasion 6 years ago. Both of us would like to do so again (soon!).

Tony missing out again!

After lunch we set out to walk to Mount Nowa Nowa.It was a lovely walk past some nice houses with well kept gardens and a couple of houses populated by "ferals" with car bodies and rubbish all over the place. The walk up to lookout got more strenuous as we neared the top. Unfortunately the lookout is fenced off because the view would have been magnificent. We had a drink and a muesli for refreshment while we were there. Sadly I left my red baseball cap up there. It was a very battered, much travelled object but once we were halfway back to Nowa Nowa there was no going back.

Back down the mountain and a nice shower before dinner at the pub. When we walked in we were the only patrons. Later we were joined by a couple cycling the trail. He was a school principal on the point of retirement. His partner was younger and afterward we speculated that he had wooed one of his staff (possibly a student teacher). He was also a kayaker and was interested in our trip.

Simon had bangers and mash for $10 that he felt was a bargain. I had the fish which the hotel owner said was locally caught however the cooking was disappointing. The accompanying salad was very good though.

Day 3 we woke up to tents that were very wet with dew. Breakfast at the cafe and then after packing up we headed down to the water.  The sun had come out and we had another perfect day for paddling.

The big highlight of the morning was seeing an eagle carrying a big snake which it dropped 50 meters ahead of us. It appeared to fly out of the forest but I think it actually came around a corner of the lake. I paddled over to try and see the snake but it had disappeared. Simon wasn't so curious! We were both thrilled  to see wild nature in action.

The paddle back to Fisherman's Landing took about 4 hours with a stop at The Glasshouse campsite. Lake Tyers occasionally breaks through the sand bar and flows out to sea but at the moment the entrance is like a huge sand dune.

Back at Fisherman's Landing we loaded up the car and headed off to Swan Reach . Caravan Park where we stayed overnight.

Day 4 we drove down to Johnsonville Jetty on the Tambo River. The plan was to paddle down the river and across Lake King and then into Metung. The area around the jetty was shrouded in mist when we arrived but the sun came through strongly and the mist retreated rapidly.

We had a very pleasant paddle down the river and across the lake. There were some sea eagles in a dead tree adjacent to the river mouth but they flew off as I tried to photograph them.

Crossing Lake King we paddled through a patch of Blue Blubbers (jelly fish). I grabbed one and put it on my kayak half-deck to try and get a photo. It was very slippery and exuded a "snot-like" liquid.

Across the lake we stopped at Tambo Bluff for a break before paddling into Bancroft Bay and on the sandy spot just near  the main jetty next to Metung Pub.

Early lunch was from the bakery before a paddle around to Chinaman's Creek. There is a free camp spot with toilets in the old Hot Springs site but it looked a bit crappy so we decide to return to Johnsonville. The return paddle took a bit longer and was a bit of a slog toward the end.

We loaded up the car and headed down the highway for an overnight stopover at Simon's favourite free camp Marlay Point on Lake Wellington. Dinner was some excellent sausages in bread purchased on our way through Bairnsdale supplemented with Fat Yaks! Another peaceful night beside the water.

Our last morning we walked around through the reserve behind the campsite and enjoyed the views across the lake as the sun rose.