Holiday houses in Paynesville

Surrounded by lakes on three sides, the pleasant East Gippsland holiday town of Paynesville was made for activities on the water — from fishing to waterskiing, kayaking to windsurfing. Known as the boating capital of Victoria, Paynesville offers boat hire, or you can bring your own. Explore the Mitchell River silt jetties, the longest in the Southern Hemisphere, to the north; go koala spotting on Raymond Island to the east; or give your binoculars a workout at Rotamah Island, part of the Lakes National Park to the south, which is known for its year-round birdwatching opportunities.

On the southwestern side of town, Sunset Cove is a great place for a paddle or perhaps a relaxing picnic. Sunset Cove is also the start of a scenic walking track that takes you along the water to the end of Newlands Drive, which meets the Esplanade, Paynesville’s dining hub.

The warmer summer months, particularly from December to March, are Paynesville’s busiest, when the weather is ideal for water-based activities. Typically held over a weekend in February, the Paynesville Music Festival is a fun time to be in the area, with free entertainment at various venues around town, along with a foreshore market, food vans, busking, and music cruises. While it can be chilly in Paynesville during the winter months, the East Gippsland Winter Festival, launched in 2021, makes for a compelling reason to visit at this time, with pop-up events, art installations, lavish winter feasts, lantern parades, and workshops hosted around the region over a three-week period from mid-June until early July. In spring, Lakes National Park’s wildflowers come into bloom.

Explore Mitchell River National Park

Under an hour’s drive northwest of Paynesville, Mitchell River National Park is another great place to get back to nature in the area. A key draw is the Den of Nargun, a cave formation and a sacred Aboriginal site, where you’ll find a picnic area and a 3.4-kilometre-loop track that also takes you to the Bluff Lookout, which offers superb views of Mitchell River Gorge.

Spot koalas on Raymond Island

Home to around 200 koalas, Raymond Island is a great place to spot these iconic furry marsupials. Catch the free, four-minute ferry from Paynesville and take a stroll on the 1.2-kilometre Koala Trail, keeping your eyes peeled for echidnas and kangaroos, too. Great for families, two- and four-seater surrey bikes are available to hire. With no shops on the island, you might want to bring a picnic lunch.

Check out St Peter’s by the Lake Anglican Church

Built of Gippsland limestone bricks, Paynesville’s quirky, mid-century St Peter’s by the Lake Anglican Church has a nautical theme, complete with a pulpit shaped like the prow of a fishing vessel and a sanctuary lamp fashioned from a ship’s riding light. Look out for the mosaic of fish, an early Christian symbol, on the building’s exterior, high above the sanctuary windows.