To escape the crowds at Lakes Entrance, there is a good alternative - doing a walk over the other side of the sandbar at Lake Tyers Beach. If you particularly like beach walking then do it all from Lake Tyers Beach, or if you prefer to take the car, then go around the top of Lake Tyers drive down the other side and begin at the other end.

Either way you are bound to enjoy the beach and the bush in nearly equal proportions.

Take your camera as you never know what you might see. If you are interested in the plants then keep your eyes open, and if you are interested in the animals then walk very quietly and keep the noise right down.

This walk was organised by the Bairnsdale Field Naturalists and this is a very worthy group to join if you like your the bush and all that live in it.
Contact:
Pat on 03 5152 2614

Petmans Beach Walk

This walk means either a long walk over the sandbar to get to the western end of the walk, or a 40 minute drive around the top of the lake through Nowa Nowa to get to the eastern end of the walk at Petmans Beach. Those who make the effort will be rewarded with an interesting balance of excellent 90 Mile Beach and bush road walking with the chance of interesting fauna and flora along the way. The roads are good all weather dirt tracks, but are not for speeding on, as traction is not always good. That aside lets look at how to get there and what we saw one sunny Sunday morning in March, 2011 after good seasonal rain.

Getting there by Car: Take the road to Nowa Nowa and about 3km out of the town, towards Orbost, there will be a sign to Lake Tyers House Road. Travel along this road, and turn off to the left when the Petmans Beach Road sign is reached. Follow this down to the car park, situated behind the main dune. Park the car and use the boarded sand steps to get to the beach. Head down to the water's edge, dip your toes in the surf and then head left, or West along the beach. Lake Tyers Beach township should be seen in the distance. Finding Gibbs Track will be a bit harder as it has been damaged by erosion and is partly covered over at the moment, so be alert. Leave the beach and travel up to the Lake Tyers House Road and then turn right long that road until the Morass Break right hand turnoff is reached and head back to the Petmans Beach Road, and back to the beach. The whole walk at a leisurely pace will be about 3-4 hours with a lunch break included. The walk is not a difficult grade, easy to moderate, and requires only basic fitness.

Getting there by Foot: Park in the car park in front of the Waterwheel Tavern and head off to the beach, turn left and head off east. If you continued this walk to the next major headland, Cape Conran, you would be at the end of the 90 Mile Beach. However we just want to make it to Gibbs Track, which will be on the left, but as it has been damaged by tidal action and partly covered it may be difficult to spot. You may end up at Petmans Beach before you spot the turn off. Leave the beach and travel up to the Lake Tyers House Road and then turn right long that road until the Morass Break right hand turnoff is reached and head back to the Petmans Beach Road, and back to the beach. Return along 90 Mile Beach to lake Tyers Beach. The whole walk at a leisurely pace will be about 4-5 hours with a lunch break included. The walk is a easy to moderate grade and requires at least good fitness. However the extra length of the walk along the beach will be fairly demanding of patience, if not fitness.

Photos: The fungi were the highlight with recent rains.