Central Gippsland Pub Trail

Central Gippsland, an area spreading from Yarragon in the west, through to Bairnsdale in the east, linked by the Prince's Hwy, is another example of where some great one, two or three day trips can be enjoyed, by slipping off the main highway to explore some more Pub Trails.

For travellers coming into Victoria from the NSW coastal border, we've outlined East Gippsland with its many attractions coming in from the border. Throughout the itineraries presented here, we'll also lead you into South Gippsland as you head closer to the capital of Victoria: Melbourne.

Don't miss the round trip from Traralgon up into the goldmining town of Walhalla, and back through Rawson and Erica down to Moe. See the Walhalla Pub Trail for this great escape into history!

Central Gippsland.

Whether you enjoy the remote wilderness of the High Country to the North, seek long stretches of private beaches to the south or like exploring ancient rain forest walks in between, Central Gippsland has a lot to offer the traveller. And there's lots of interesting goldrush history nearby as well.

Here's an overview of the areas we'll explore, and you'll find Traralgon a good central location for all the itineraries mentioned.

Here's what lays south of the Prince's Highway for you:

heading west, slip into Yarragon Village for a great bakery treat and pickup some fine gourmet produce of the area, in readiness for exploring some more great Aussie Pub Trails!
try the many award winning ales at the Grand Ridge Brewery in Mirboo North
take the Grand Ridge Road Tour, reached by heading south from Trafalgar, or out of Traralgon over Mt Tassie through Tarra Valley rain forest area and the Tarra-Bulga national Park.
enjoy the picturesque hillside regions dropping far south from Trafalgar through Thorpdale to Mirboo North and onto Meeniyan, Foster down to Port Welshpool and Corner Inlet
slide along the coast and enjoy the maritime history of Port Albert, and visit one of Victoria's oldest pubs (1842)!
Explore the 90-mile beach region accessed south from Sale to Paradise Beach and Loch Sport, taking in the southern regions of Lake Wellington.

On the northern side of the Princes' Highway:

take a diversion north up from Moe to the historic goldmining township of Walhalla and back to Traralgon for a round trip.
inspect Melbourne's largest Dam: Thomson Dam north of Rawson and Erica.
go back in time, seeing all the originally furnsihed buildings on display at the Old Gippstown Heritage Park in Moe.
Inspect the three Power Plants of Victoria: Yallourn, Hazelwood (Moe) and Loy Yang (Traralgon South)
Head off north into the High Country to either </b>Licola</b> (out of Rosedale/Heyfield), or up through Dargo (out of Lindenow/Bairnsdale)

We hope you enjoy the "Central" Gippsland area, but remind you that there's plenty more deviations to enjoy as you travel either direction into South Gippsland or East Gippsland exploring more great Aussie Pubs!

Happy Pub trailing!

Gaz

Gary Pope
0408994799

Introduction: What are Pub Trails?
Want more local trails?
refer to: An Overview of Pub Trails in Victoria

Central Gippsland Pub Trail Location Map

Yarragon

Yarragon, on the Prince's Hwy has a full range of the local produce the region has to offer.

cheese
wine
smoked meats
olive oil
jams and honey
sauces and biscuits

Top village to stroll through for crafts and gifts, and some great gourmet delights. So stock up some nibbles for enjoying on some of your travels in the Central Gippsland area.

Yarragon Village on the Prince's Hwy.

Commercial Hotel »

Yarragon's Commercial Hotel right in the heart of the Village.

Trafalgar

Mirboo North from Trafalgar

An alternative route to Mirboo North, is out of Trafalgar, with the option of a loop back to Morwell.

Mirboo North is home of the Grand Ridge Brewery and a 'must see' of the area.

Head out of Trafalgar from the Prince's Hwy, taking the Mirboo North-Trafalgar Rd. This will take you through the potato growing area of Thorpdale. From there the road eventually merges into the Strzelecki Hwy coming in from Morwell.

Views of the Tarra-Bulga National Park.

Criterion Hotel »

Princes Hwy
Trafalgar
Victoria 3824

Moe

Power Plants of Victoria: Yallourn (itself), Hazelwood (near Morwell) and Loy Yang (near Traralgon)

South of Morwell, is the Hazelwood power station and further east, out of Traralgon, you'll find the Loy Yang Power Station. Inquire about guided tours of the mines and power stations at Power Works.

The township of Moe is well known for its racecourse which borders the western edge of town bordered by the railway, and you pass this as you arrive from the Melbourne (western) end of town.

To the far north of town, about 30 minutes drive, you can venture out to Erica and Rawson on your way to visiting the Thomson Dam which provides the bulk of Melbourne's fresh water supply. Also from Erica/rawson, is the road out to Walhalla Gold Mining town.

Old Gippstown Heritage Park in Moe.

Contrasted against the fast moving traffic down the Prince's Highway, arriving at Old Gippstown at the western highway exit to Moe, presents you with a walk into yesteryear.

A huge number of buildings have been restored and furnished to illustrate the lifestyle of living in the mid 1800's. There are numerous exhibits on show, as well as lots of machinery and vehicles. Old Gippstown is a regularly used for functions too.

Moe Hotel »

Moe Hotel opposite the railway at the southern end of town

45 Lloyd Street
Moe
Victoria 3825

Yallourn

Power Plants of Victoria: Yallourn, Hazelwood (Moe) and Loy Yang (Traralgon)

Three power stations are located in the Latrobe Valley, providing the bulk of the power for Victoria.

The original township of Yallourn disappeared as the huge open cut coal mine was developed to fuel the Power Station. The former production management buildings now form the Powerhouse Hotel right in the middle of the facility.

Yallourn Power Station

Distant view of the Yallourn Power Station, with the open cut in thr foreground

Powerhouse Hotel »

Powerhouse Hotel in the middle of the Yallourn Power Station operation

Yallourn Power Station
Yallourn Drv
Yallourn
Victoria 3825

Rossmore Hotel »

58 North Rd
Yallourn North
Victoria 3825

Traralgon

Grand Ridge Road from Traralgon and Mirboo North from Trafalgar

One of the highlights of the attractions that lay just south of stretch from Trafalger to Traralgon is the Tarra-Bulga National Park. (And you thought it was the Mirboo North Grand Ridge Brewery!) Well, both answers would be correct, as a trip into this area would have to involve both! But take a closer look at the road conditions, this probably best tackled from two different directions.

To build up your thirst, then some serious walking is in order, down into the rain forest tracks at Tarra Valley.

If you head out of Traralgon, try this route:

start at the botantical gardens in the big sweeping s-bends of the Prince's highway in the middle of town, and take the southern exit at Whittakers Rd.
follow that around, under the railway, over the round-abouts and it becomes Traralgon Creek Rd
you'll pass the western end of Loy Yang power station
then you begin the uphill climb through Callignee to the top of Mt Tassie.
shortly you'll arrive at the T-intersection of the Grand Ridge Rd at Balook, where you take a RIGHT
Tarra Bulga National Park is just down the road from this point.

Enjoy a visit into the park and explore the rain forest at this point.

The Grand Ridge Rd actually runs for about 135kms from end-to-end, and can be fairly tretcherous in parts, particularly in bad weather. You need to allow about 6 hours to do the full extend of the road, and careful planning is advised.

Exploring some of the forest in the Duff Sawmill Heritage Trail - one of the many side tracks along the Grand Ridge Road.

However, there are the options of returning back to Traralgon the way you came, or heading on down the Tarra valley Rd through to Devon and into Yarram to the south, and onto Port Albert.

So, yes, reaching Mirboo North is possible from here, but it is along an unsealed road for quite some distance.

Exploring some of the forest in the Duff Sawmill Heritage Trail - one of the many side tracks along the Grand Ridge Road.

Tarra Valley in the Tarra-Bulga National Park. Rainforest walk entrance.

	Crown Hotel » Franklin St Traralgon Victoria 3844
	Grand Junction Hotel » Cnr Franklin St & Princes Hwy Traralgon Victoria 3844
	Royal Exchange Hotel » 64-66 Princes Hwy Traralgon, Victoria 3844
	Ryan's Hotel » Corner Franklin and Kay St Traralgon Victoria 3844

Port Albert

The Ports: Port Franklin, Port Welshpool, Port Albert
south of Traralgon

Port Albert offers same great history to see, starting with the port of course, which has one of Victoria's oldest hotels right on its entry.

Take a self-guided walk through the town, and be suire to visit the Maritime Museum in the middle of town.

View of Port Albert Hotel

Port Albert Hotel »

Wharf St
Port Albert
Victoria 3971

Rosedale

The High Country: Licola and Dargo from Rosedale and Bairnsdale

Rosedale to Licola

Time for some long distance High Country driving? Well, what better place to head out to Licola, than from the top little town of Rosedale. Totally entrenched with woodwork memorabilia, the town really shows off its wooden artworks.

Even the Rosedale Hotel is full of interesting carvings - so make a point of stopping off here and checking them all out, before heading into the wilderness up north of here.

Rosedale Hotel »

29 Lyons St,
Rosedale,
Victoria 3847

Rosedale Tavern »

2 Prince Street,
Rosedale
Victoria 3847

Sale

90-mile beach region accessed south from Sale. Paradise Beach and Loch Sport

Between Port Albert and Lakes Entrance, there is a 90-mile stretch of straight beach of pristine sand. Typical access is from Sale on the Prince's Hwy, south through Longford.
There is only one way in and out of this area.

A few of the key coastal towns along the narrow neck of land that lays between the ocean and Lake Wellington include:

Seaspray
Golden Beach
Paradise Beach
Loch Sport

As the names imply, this area is a beach paradise, and with so much of it, you're likely to have the entire beach to yourself! So come and enjoy.

	Colonial Club Hotel » 105 Foster Street, Sale Victoria 3850
	Former Crown Hotel » 317 Raymond Street, Sale Victoria 3075
	Gippsland Hotel » 153 York Street, Sale Victoria 3850
	Jack Ryans Irish Bar » 154 Raymond Street, Sale Victoria 3075
	Rivers Inn » 1-15 Princes Highway, Sale Victoria 3850
	Star Hotel » 173 Raymond Street, Sale Victoria 3850
	Criterion Hotel »

Bairnsdale

The High Country: Licola and Dargo
from Rosedale and Bairnsdale

Bairnsdale to Dargo

Clock Museum examples in Bairnsdale.

Another interesting thing to see before leaving the area, is the Bairnsdale Clocks. Now in the hands of Trevor Herbstreit, this family business boasted the status of being one of the biggest Clock Museums around. With David's retirement in 2015, the business still has a lot of interesting historical clocks and time pieces to see, and of course repairs are their specialty. Plenty of nearby parking and good coffee, so check out their operation. Check their new address at: www.bairnsdaleclocks.com.au [Bairnsdale Clocks].

Bairnsdale is a huge number of hotels to choose from, so you'll definetely want to stop awhile if you want to check some of them out.

And if you're intending heading up through Lindenow, just west of the town heading up to Dargo, then this is the place to fuel up and get ready for your trip into that area of the High Country.

On the road again - documenting trails!

What's Next

So, have you explored Central Gippsland fully? It's truly a big area, and deserving of many more visits to really get to see it all. If you're travelling through, it's time to link back up with the adjoining South Gippsland Trail heading to Melbourne, or East Gippsland Trail heading to the NSW coastal border.

Decisions decisions! Perhaps it's just time to stay here and enjoy the hospitality of some of our great Aussie Pubs!