First I must apologize for not posting recently due to catching Covid 19 for the second time. It made me tired and I just couldn’t concentrate on writing a good enough blog.
So this week I have decided to write about a town in Gippsland in the state of Victoria that holds a special place in my heart. A town with a population of around one thousand permanent residents and a great community of friendly people.
Loch Sport is unique in the terms of location as the town is situated on a narrow stretch of land between Lake Victoria and Lake Reeve. The latter having a causeway that leads to the Ninety Mile Beach. It is part of the Gippsland Lakes system but is often bypassed by tourists as it is on the opposite side of the lakes to Bairnsdale and Paynesville. The only road in and out of Loch Sport begins just before the coastal town of Golden Beach.
Twenty odd years ago when the subdivision was new, many people purchased multiple blocks due to the cheap selling price of $20-$30k each. So even though there are around two thousand blocks only about one thousand people reside there permanently with a lot of dwellings being used as holiday homes. Wellington Council also allows owners of vacant blocks to camp or leave caravans on site. A block of land now sells for $120k or more. Prior to the Covid 19 pandemic you could still get a block for $60k but by 2022 the cheapest blocks were going for around $90k. That is when I decided it was time to buy a block for investment.
Wellington Shire has made lovely improvements to the foreshore of Lake Victoria by building a lovely pavilion and electric barbeques, playground and an amenity block and pathways and a skatepark. Lovely artwork depicting native animals and decorated bollards add a nice touch. The Loch Sport Marina Hotel has also had murals painted on its walls and it is adjacent to the Marina and yacht club.
Loch Sport doesn’t have a large shopping precinct as most people travel to Sale or Traralgon for retail therapy. It is what a lot of residents like about Loch Sport. There is a Foodworks supermarket, medical center, pharmacy, two cafes, two real estate agencies a Post Office and Gallery, bakery, BP service station with a kebabs van on site and a fish and chip shop. The town goes crazy for the toasties and food served up on certain days by a food van run by Neirbo Eats. Also because there are not many shops in town, residents are running businesses from their homes like yummy treats from the Gourmet Shed and a wonderful talented hairdresser called Daniel Ryan regularly posts before and after pictures of a lot of his customers on Facebook. The nearby town of Golden Beach also has shops and shower facilities available for public use.
If you love garage sales and op shopping you would love living in Loch Sport. The CFA have the largest and best op shop in town but they only trade on Sundays and there is one at the Men’s Shed. Residents use the Loch Sport Community Notice Board on Facebook to post the dates of their garage sales.
LOCH SPORT- PARADISE FOR RETIREES
You could take up sailing at the yacht club and moor your boat at the marina. You could join the local fishing association and fish in the lakes, rivers and beaches. You could join the canoe club or boat club and explore the different parts of the Gippsland lakes and have fun and make new friendships. You can play table tennis every Wednesday at the Community Hall or join the new choir.
If it is golf you love then you will love the Loch Sport Golf Club which is an 18 hole par 72 sand green course shared with wallabies, kangaroos and sometimes emus. Check out other golf courses at Golden Beach, Sale and Traralgon. Hire a court at the Loch Sport Tennis Club or learn to play lawn bowls at the Loch Sport Bowling Club. Join the RSL club, Senior Citizens Club and there is even a Men’s Shed in town. Go hiking on the many walking tracks in town or the trails in the Lakes National Park. Cycling is a popular pastime for many residents.
WHAT MAKES LOCH SPORT REALLY UNIQUE IS……
There are not many towns in Victoria that still have kangaroos roaming the streets and entering the front and backyards of homes or grazing on the vacant blocks. Also koalas are still active in town. Residents are urged to drive slowly and keep their dogs contained but many do escape the properties that are not adequately fenced and some kangaroos have got injured or orphaned. So thankfully there are volunteers running several sanctuaries to save and return the wildlife from near where they were found.
It is one of the very few towns in Victoria that have three conservation areas to protect the native flora and fauna. As you travel into town through the heathlands you will see signs on both sides stating that the areas are Coastal Parks. There are many tracks through these heathlands to the lake foreshores to explore, either on foot or car but some are best suited to four wheel drive vehicles .If you are lucky you might spot a wallaby, wombat, echidna or reptiles. In spring the heathlands flower en masse like I have never seen anywhere else not even in the Grampians.
At the end of the town of Loch Sport there is a 16km gravel road, rough at times that takes you through the Lakes National Park. It is a large conservation area that has many scenic spots, walking trails and only one main camping ground suitable for caravans and camping at Emu Bight. At the end of the road there is a jetty and lovely views. You are more likely to see a koala here and watch for kangaroos and other animals that may cross the road in front of your vehicle.
DISASTER STRIKES THE HEATHLANDS
Unfortunately back in October 2023 a bushfire was accidently started by a resident clearing his property that bordered the heathlands nearly five kilometers from Loch Sport. Three thousand hectares were destroyed by the bushfires that raged for five days fanned by high winds. As the fires headed toward the town of Loch Sport, the CFA were warning the residents to evacuate while the only road into town was still accessible to outbound traffic. When the fire finally jumped the road residents were trapped and the CFA sent alerts to their phones saying “Too late to leave and stay indoors.” On the fifth day just as the fire reached the back of the golf course located on the edge of town, the rain came and the winds abated and the fire was contained with only minor damage to one house. During that harrowing week I was following all the messages being sent to and fro in the community through the noticeboard group on Facebook who were helping each other and checking that neighbours and friends were okay. Some residents got stuck and were refused entry to the town during those five days so they were sending messages asking if people could check to see if their pets were okay. The sixteen children that attend the primary school next to the golf course sent thank you letters to the Loch Sport CFA crew for saving their school and town.
POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATION
At Easter and over the summer period, the normally quiet and sleepy town becomes host to around seven thousand visitors annually. Camping is popular either at the local Caravan Park, or owners of land are allowed to camp or have caravans on site or people camp in the Lakes National Park. Boating, fishing, kayaking, swimming and other water sports are popular with visitors.
The Ninety Mile Beach is beautiful but dangerous and is not patrolled so swimmers do so at their own risk as there have been sharks seen over the years along the Loch Sport section. If you go to the Golden Beach section of the Ninety Mile Beach they have a surf patrol during peak times and showers for visitors to use. A fishing contest at the surf beach is held at Easter time. Whales and seals have been seen by residents as well as the odd snake that may cross the path down to the beach!
Lake Victoria has their own special species of dolphins called Burrunan dolphins which can be seen from the foreshore of Loch Sport sometimes. Lake Victoria provides safe swimming spots for families with young children and the most popular section is located across from the local shopping center near the children’s playground. The sunsets over the lake are often stunning and the sunrises at the Ninety Mile Beach are often worth getting up early to watch or photograph.
If camping is not your style then look up Stayz, Airbnb, hometogo.com.au, cshellrealestate.com.au or contact Rachelle from CShell Real Estate on 0407460936. There is a house to cater for everybody’s budget and taste with over a hundred places to choose from over these sites.
Loch Sport has limited options when it comes to take away foods and if you want a pizza the nearest place is in Golden Beach. There is Uncle Tony’s Fish and Chips at Loch Sport and Loch Sport Kebabs is a food van located at the BP service station (on the corner of Goodlett Avenue and National Park Road) that also sell chicken nuggets and chips, fish and chips and seafood like crabsticks, scallops and flathead and assorted HSP packs as well as the many types of kebabs on offer. Neirbo Eats is a popular food van operating only one or two days a week (usually on a Friday) in Seagull Drive at the boat ramp and has the best toasties I have ever tasted as well as a good assortment of cooked meals. Neirbo Eats usually posts on the Loch Sport Community notice board on Facebook to let residents know when they will be trading.
When it comes to dining out then you have a good choice in town. The most popular spot is the Loch Sport Marina Hotel on the foreshore of Lake Victoria. The local RSL club have a good menu as does the Loch Sport Bowls Club. Bookings are recommended or you may miss out. During the day Lochie’s Cafe in Lake Street has nice meals or dine in at the Loch Sport Bakery on the corner of Goodlett Avenue and National Park Roads.
I hope you enjoyed my blog and feel free to subscribe to follow my journey as I build my website and start to become an active affiliate marketer soon.
Hi, Regina!
I’m glad you are feeling better. I’ve heard that the second round of Covid is worse for many people. I’m happy you are well again.
I loved hearing about your small-town life. Being able to see the wildlife and the flowers is a beautiful blessing. I miss seeing cows, as I now live in a city in TX. I try, emphasis on try LOL!, growing flowers and plants in my backyard, but there is something wonderfully different about seeing wildflowers growing spontaneously.
I think it must be wonderful to live in such an active little town. You must know so many people and look out for each other.
I’m happy for you. And look forward to hearing more about life in your town.
Please include pictures 🙂 I’d love to see them!
Good luck as you start affiliate marketing.
Have a great week!
Nakiona
Hi Nakina,
I haven’t yet moved permanently to Loch Sport but hope to retire there in a few years. So I haven’t met many of the local residents yet apart from some tradesmen that live in town. My next blog is about what happened after I bought my block of land at Loch Sport. So stay tuned for part two about Loch Sport.
There is more activities to do in Loch Sport than there is in my home town of Skye in Melbourne.
One of my favourite television shows is called Fixer Upper about the couple who live on a farm in Texas who renovate houses in Texas. Joanna Gaines is so good at decorating the houses for her clients and gets her children involved in each project.
I am feeling much better and luckily getting Covid the second time was not as bad. There are many different strains and some are worse than others.
I plan on editing some posts and putting up pictures soon. I hope you have a good week too.
Hi Regina,
Sorry, you got Co-vid, for a while I’d forgotten all about it.
I had it twice also and the second time was more difficult.
Thank you for sharing Loch Sport with us. there is so much I would enjoy.
I love garage sales and would love to visit one day.
I would love to take up sailing, hiking, cycling, playing table tennis, or joining a choir.
Kangaroos, Koalas & sanctuaries, with a large conservation area with many scenic spots, and walking trails.
I love pizza particularly as it’s on Golden Beach. And would feel right at home with Tony’s Fish and Chips.
Hi Eleanor, Thank you for your lovely comments. Sorry to hear that the second time you got Covid you felt worse. This time before I tested positive I was getting heart palpitations. I am not sure that had anything to do with the virus taking hold. I am still feeling a bit more tired than usual weeks later.
I tried kayaking with my daughter a few years ago near where I live in Melbourne and the experience was so enjoyable.
Regina, I’m sorry to hear about your recent bout with Covid-19, but I’m glad to see you back and sharing your experiences. Loch Sport sounds like a hidden gem with its unique location and vibrant community. Your detailed description truly paints a picture of a place worth exploring. Thank you for sharing your insights and I look forward to reading more about your adventures in the future! Atif
Thank you Atif for taking the time to comment. I am feeling much better now and thought I would take a break from writing about affiliate marketing.
I hope I have inspired people to come and explore this part of Victoria. The town has a booming holiday rental opportunity as there are at least 100 homes listed on Stayz and Airbnb alone. Their are plans going before Wellington Council to approve a lakeside hotel with a large accomodation complex. I fear that this development will be the start of many more and the town will end up being like Lakes Entrance which is on the main highway to Sydney, Australia on the other side of Lake Victoria.
Regina
Sorry to hear about your encounter with the dreaded Covid again. I hope you are fully recovered now. Loch Sport sounds amazing. Coming across the wildlife is a splendid experience. My mother-in-law, who lived in Park Orchards, had the pleasure of seeing a kangaroo hopping down her street on a couple of occasions. Up here in FNQ we have a particular paddock just off the highway into town (Cairns) where you can see wallabies grazing. They are so cute. A fascinating blog and thank you sharing.
Hi Andy,
Wow you live in a nice part of Australia. It has been more than 30 years since I got that far north in Australia. Covid wasn’t so bad this time but has left me a little more tired than usual. Yes it is amazing when you are a city girl and come across wildlife when you least expect it. I fear the new BAL rating system in fire prone areas is making people totally clear their blocks unneccesarily. Every year that goes by there is less trees for the population of koalas in the town to feed on and the problem with the roaming dogs can scare the kangaroos off or kill them. Kangaroos must be territorial as I often see them in the same spots when I visit Loch Sport. Wallabies are not seen as often on the outskirts of town and I have not seen any in the streets yet. I am glad you enjoyed my blog
Hi Regina,
Wishing you a speedy full recovery and thank you for giving us such a beautiful description of what seems to be paradise on earth!
Wishing you all the best!
Thank you Marc for taking the time to comment. I am doing another blog about Loch Sport this coming week about what happened after I bought my block of land. I plan to retire to Loch Sport in a few years if all goes well. I still have to post some pictures soon. Residents often post their sunset pictures over Lake Victoria on Facebook.
I didn’t feel as sick this time around with Covid 19. Thank you for your good wishes.