A Close-Up with Wild Life – Raymond Island, Paynesville & Lakes Entrance

Australia is a country that is so rich in wonderful wild life. My family journey this time gave us so many opportunities to witness this beautiful and rare Australian wild life, which I take a moment to share with you. This was a two day trip and the main destinations were Raymond Island , Metung and Lakes Entrance. But along the way we have passed many other beautiful towns such as Bairnsdale, Paynesville and also the stunning views of the Gippsland Lakes.

Paynesville

This is a nice little coastal town by the Gippsland Lakes, from where we took the ferry to Raymond Island. The ferry service is run by the local council and it is free for passengers and cyclists. However, if you wish to carry your vehicle too, there’s a small fee to be paid. In Paynesville, we saw several beautiful black swans resting on the shades of the beach and also it was exciting to see so much of jelly fishes swimming around in the waters close to the jetty.

raymond island

This was undoubtedly, the best part of our journey. Raymond Island is a small island in the Gippsland lakes, located just 200m off the shore from Paynesville. This island is famous as a Koala conservation place.

We walked along the Koala trail which is about 1.5 km long easy walk through the woods and we could spot many cuddly koalas sleeping on the tree branches.

Although there are no shops and mostly vacant space in Raymond Island, there live less than 300 residents , enjoying their retirement life freely and peacefully in the wilderness. We’ve been so lucky to meet some of the lovely people in the island to learn more about the native wild life.

There is a board walk too in Raymond Island to have a relaxing walk beside the lake spotting the wet lands and wild habitats of many kinds.

Moreover, Raymond Island is a home for so many native Australian animals such as Kangaroos and Echidnas too and if you are bird watching lover, this is an ideal place for spotting many birds varieties such as Kookaburras , Parrots and Pelicans.

Metung

This is another small town by the Gippsland Lakes where we stayed for the night. Next day morning we went to see near by lakes and walking paths in Metung, it was so serene that I really wanted stay for longer in this wonderful place.

gippsland lakes

For the most part of our journey , across many many kilometres, we’ve been experiencing the amazing views of the Gippsland Lakes. The Gippsland Lakes are a large network of lakes and lagoons. This is also considered to be the Australia’s largest inland waterways system. Take this route up to Lakes Entrance to witness the magnificent views of Gippsland Lakes.

Lakes entrance

This is another lovely town that me and my family would love to visit again and again. As the name says it, this is the place where the beautiful Gippsland Lakes finally meet and greet the blue Southern ocean. There are plenty of things to see and do around here which include but not limited to walking, cruising ,surfing and skiing.

There’s a foot bridge from here to access the Ninety Mile beach for a sunny sea side picnic that the whole family can enjoy.

Finally, to conclude my memories on this trip, I must say this was something so special , not just because of the picturesque nature views we had along the way but also because of being so close to rare and wonderful wild life.

I wish all of you Happy travelling and Take care! 🙂