Sunday 19/03/2023 Lakes Beachfront Holiday Park – Clifftop Walk – Shelly Beach – Lake Tyers Beach Sand Bar – Stony Creek – Lakeside Drive Jetty
Lakes Entrance – Lake Tyers Coastal Reserve, VICTORIA
Krauatungalung Country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
Yesterday we had sort refuge from the forecast 35-degree afternoon high, somewhere in the shade. This turned out to be Lakes Beachfront Holiday Park at Lake Tyers. We found ourselves alone in the unpowered section, under a heavy cover of melaleucas. Our late afternoon dip in the swimming pool was most welcome.
Max elevation: 34 m
Total climbing: 225 m
Total descent: -226 m
Average speed: 4.83 km/h
Total time: 01:36:23
Yesterday’s weather had been remarkable. It was only 8-degrees first thing before getting to 35-degrees for several hours later in the afternoon. As daylight was fading a cool change brought it back down to about 18-degrees, cool enough to ensure a good night’s sleep. Sunday, we headed out not long after 8:00am, following the coastal track to the east.
As there are parts of his walk bordering on private property and local road and crossed by several beach access paths it was not always obvious which way to go. The track itself goes through the mellaluca-covered foreshore dune, sitting ten to twenty-odd metres above Shelly Beach. There is a lot of habitat there for a large variety of bird life, however, this morning it was pretty quiet. We dropped down to the beach part the way along before reaching Lake Tyers.
View over Lake Tyres Beach from Beacon Reserve Viewing Platform
The beach consists of lovely yellow sand and in places shell fragments, lapped by the waters of Bass Straight. As we reached the shallow, protected waters of Lake Tyer there were a lot more birds to be seen, notably black swans and pelicans.
This was a worthwhile walk covering the varied terrain of melaleuca covered foredune forest, beach and lake.
Information on Parks Victora signage along the way
VEGETATION TYPE: Coast Teatree Scrub
This landform is part of the Piedmont Downs landscape that stretches further eastwards towards Orbost.
It consists of chalk-like and mica-like sands, together with silty sands with strings of pebbles, clay and gravel lenses. It features an active marine cliff with eroded rock fragments and regular shore platform at the base.
The cliff is being undercut by wave action, subject to rainwash, gullying and slumping in the upper part. It is the only site of an active marine cliff in the Tertiary sediments in the Gippsland Lakes region.
Lake Tyers – a place where time and tide overlap
The waters of Lake Tyers have long been a mirror to the life that surrounds them.
Since time began Lake Tyers has nourished the people of. the Krowathunkooloong Clan and witnessed the unfolding saga of the local indigenous peoples being forced to adapt to the arrival of European settlement.
Just across from here on the northern lakeshore a settlement for Aboriginal people was established by John Bulmer in 1862 with the guidance of the Anglican Church. In 1970, 4,000 hectare of Tyers Reserve were handed over to Tyers Aboriginal Trust. The Trust was made up of the Reserve residents and functions to this day.
The arrival of the railway linking Bairnsdale with Melbourne in 1888 brought a further surge in tourism to the Gippsland Lakes region. The Lake Tyers Mission was a popular destination for visitors. Though these visits were often seen as an intrusion, they also brought some economic independence with the selling of artifacts.
Prior to the extension of the railway to Orbost in 1916;
Lake Tyers.was a pivotal point in the local East Gippsland transport scene. The main road. from Lakes Entrance led east across the notoriously problematic sandbar crossing at the mouth of the lake.
Once over the sandbar (or open water as the case may be in times when the lake was open to the sea!), people could enjoy the comforts of the Lake Tyers Guest House on the eastern lakeshore. Here up to 120 guests and travellers could be accommodated in well finished premises that still survive as a private residence.
Today time and tide continue to call the tune in the life. of the lake. Fed by inland rivers, the levels in the lake can i rise to 2.4 metres above sea level before a resurgent high tide (or man’s mechanical intervention) eventually break a the sand dam wall of the lake entrance and restart the life cycle upon which the marine life of the lake relies.
The wonders of Lake Tyers
Lake Tyers Beach is truly unique. Located at the mouth of the famous Lake Tyers estuary, adjoining wonderful ocean beaches and pristine coastal reserves’ it has much to offer both visitors and residents. Of course, the endless golden beaches are a delight for swimmers, surfers and long walks that will revitalise any jaded spirit. The Lake presents a safe environment for the little ones playing in the shallows. It is famous for its bountiful fishing opportunities. But there is so much more to Lake Tyers Beach than fishing and swimming. We invite you to explore the area, with its rich natural, cultural and historical values. You will want to stay longer and revisit often. We hope the information here will whet your appetite.
The Estuary
The estuary is part of the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar site and listed on the Directory of Important Wetlands. It is home to numerous rare species and internationally significant migratory birds. Its seagrass beds are important nursery habitat for estuarine fish species. Nationally listed Littoral Rainforest communities, shoreline vegetation, fringing wetlands and the coastal barrier dunes are of particular ecological and geomorphological significance. With its panoramic coastal and water views it is a photographer’s paradise.
The amazing cycles of the lake- from calm sandy mudflats and wetlands to the raging torrent of estuary break out.
After heavy rains the lake slowly rises, fed mainly by the Boggy Creek at Nowa Nowa. The lake can rise as much as 2.5m. When eventually it breaks through the beach sand barrier it is a truly awe-inspiring sight, not to be missed. Within a few days the torrent subsides and the lake follows the ebbs and flows of the ocean. Gradually the sand bar builds up again and closes the estuary.
Beach nesting shore birds
Numerous shorebirds may be seen here, including the threatened Little Tern and the Hooded Plover whose beach nesting habits makes it very vulnerable to disturbance by humans and dogs.
Red Bluff Reserve
Studies and night-cameras by Lake Tyers Coast Action have revealed that this nearby Reserve is an important home to the threatened Long-nosed Potoroo. It houses many other important species, such as the Long-nosed Bandicoot, Antechinus, Wallabies, Echidnas and birds such as the Whitebellied Sea Eagle and various owls. Its diverse vegetation also houses many reptiles such as goannas, skinks and of course, snakes.
There are a number of excellent walking tracks in the reserve, including the Mullett St. to Red Bluff trail, a project of Lake Tyers Coast Action with its interpretive signs about the Reserve’s fascinating fauna and flora and geology.
The local flora, fauna, geology, history and some other walks (ChatGPT)
Describe in detail the local flora, fauna, geology, history and walks of … in the past tense in the style of an academic / David Attenborough
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