Gippsland

Gippsland (pronounced with a hard G) is the southeastern region of Victoria, Australia. It includes the southernmost point of the Australian mainland at Wilsons Promontory. It is bordered to the west by Western Port Bay, to the south by Bass Strait, to the north by the Great Dividing Range and to the east by the New South Wales border.

• West Gippsland Mt Baw Baw, vineyards
• South Gippsland (including Prom Country) – coastal parks, beaches and mountain rainforests
• Bass Coast – ocean and bay coastline, coal mining history, Phillip Island wildlife attractions
• Central Gippsland Morwell NP, scrubby forests
• East Gippsland – lakes and beaches

• Wilsons Promontory – hiking, bush camping, diving

• V/Lines www.vline.com.au regional train service runs 18 trains weekdays (less at weekends) between Melbourne and Traralgon. Between Traralgon and Bairnsdale there are three trains daily. V/Line also runs an extensive network of buses to towns not served by rail.

Cars can be hired in major towns.

• Walhalla This old gold mining township in the mountains has history, good bushwalks, a good tour through the Long Tunnel Extended Mine and several nice funky cafes. The Walhalla Goldfields Railway operates on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, over a 4km route through the wild and atmospheric Stringers Creek gorge. Once one of Australia’s richest towns, Walhalla historic township was home to over 3,500 people following the discovery of gold in 1863.

The local website www.visitwalhalla.com.au provides more detail.

• Bass Phillip wines, Tosch's Road, Leongatha South, Phone: (03) 5664 3341, Fax:(03) 5664 3209, Varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay.
• Tuckers Vineyard, Stratford Road, Maffra, Phone: (03) 5141 1464, Varieties: chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc & shiraz