Take a walk along North Arm

North Arm, the Back Lake or the lower reaches of Mississippi Creek, call it what you will, but like its big brother the Front Lake, North Arm has an amazing and varied number of sights to see. If you are not up to the length of the walk along the front lake try the back lake for size. Flat easy going mostly paved and with a couple of opportunities for refreshment and a sit down overlooking the water. It is also cycle friendly for the two wheelers.

Theraputic, restful, relaxing, interesting and ever changing.  We will start our walk from the end of North Arm where it meets Reeve Channel and from there the waters exit into Bass Strait. This can be accessed by crossing the highway bridge and talking the pathway down to the waters edge.

From its exit into Reeve Channel, some great fishing can be enjoyed, North Arm extends past the Gippsland Ports fuel supply jetty, the fishing clubhouse, and a linking channel into the front lake, and under the highway bridge. From that bridge some good views can be enjoyed especially at dusk, and there is a pathway on the west side which links to Kalimna Jetty. This is a dirt and gravel top surface so not accessible to all, never the less it is a great walk alongside the water.

Once under the bridge the scene changes and adjacent to a sandy and shallow beach and reedy area, frequented by many is the recently upgraded playground. This has proved very popular with the younger generation and is well equipped with a variety of activities the vast majority of which us older people would not even contemplate trying. The playground has ample parking and some new and covered Bbq areas and a recently added toilet block.

As you travel further upstream you pass the large boat trailer park which services one of the most popular launching ramps in the area. This is a quadruple ramp (provided each keeps to their own lane), and is a busy spot in the high season and a source of much entertainment for some locals watching shall we say, the less experienced boaties, launch and retrieve their craft. It is also a haven for our pelican population always on the look out for a free feed from any benevolent fisherman.

Looking down from Seaview Parade, you gain a better understanding of the location of Lakes Entrance town itself in relation to the front and back lakes and the ocean beyond. I can recall the last major floods in 2007 when the intersecting streets were awash and the fixed jetties under water. There is also a walking track up Kalimna Hill to Seaview Parade for the fitter specimens amoung us.

From the pathway a variety of boats can be seen moored at jetties and on buoy moorings all along North Arm. These add to its interest and variety, a haven for those who enjoy photography with reflections, sunsets, sunspots and all manner of lighting conditions to test and experiment with the art-form, or simply watching the water wildlife and boats.

The pathway from the launching ramp all the way along to the Recreation Reserve is almost flat and paved so it is accessible for all, ideal for those with prams, pushers, mobility scooters, wheelchairs etc. This provides a great opportunity for those with mobility issues to get out and enjoy the local scenery and fresh air. North Arm has a great advantage over the other side of town, it is in the sun almost all day, and is mostly protected from the south westerly wind. 

Now as you walk along the slightly winding path you come across the first of three locations where you can become your own skipper and take a hire boat out onto the lakes. There is always one of these businesses open and during the summer months all three are kept busy. Blue, Red and Yellow boats are there to be enjoyed and a very important and popular part of the tourism business in the town. No licence is required to hire and skipper these little craft, (I still call them "put puts") they are all powered by modern reliable outboard motors.

The pathway is also a haven to ride a bike (with care), and many a young rider can be seen learning the basic skills along this pathway, more parking is available at the sand ramp adjacent to the town's War Memorial. This was moved from the its original location on the Esplanade, and has since been augmented with memorials to later campaigns. 

Here please take a few moments to stop, to reflect,and to pay respect to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and to those who still serve our nation. 

The sand ramp itself is also used to launch aluminium craft made at Commercial Catamarans in Palmers Road, being transported by low loader from the factory together with other larger craft unable to use the other smaller ramps. The sand ramp is also a favourite for a variety of birds who frequent the waterside and more sheltered areas of North Arm.

From the war memorial to the end of the walk is not far but does provide the opportunity for a break, a sit down on the benches provided in the shade and overlooking the waters with the many boats moored nearby.  Take a look up North Arm, where you can access by boat, and I recommend it, it is both picturesque and a winding route up to where the barges used to bring rock down to build the Entrance itself.  Access to the Wyanga Winery can also be made from the water and Peel's Tourist and Ferry Service, a locally owned an operated company which has been running for 100 years this year, operate regular return trips there to enjoy a lunch. Tasting the wines are of course, part of the experience.

North Arm and its major tributary Mississippi Creek have an important place in our towns history.  A granite quarry was opened in 1904 to provide rock to reinforce the man-made entrance to the Gippsland Lakes. Two interpretive signs at the quarry site provide details on how the granite was taken from the quarry and then shipped to the entrance. A tram line was built to transport the rock 13km from the quarry site along Mississippi Creek to barges at the head of the North Arm inlet. 

There are still remnants of the quarry tram line, together with several large granite boulders that are rumoured to have fallen off the very last rail journey because the workmen were in such a hurry to get to the pub before it closed!  This can be seen if you take a drive to Quarry Road, off Uncles Road and park at: S37 46.906 E147 55.733 - from there the walk is only 120m

The barges then took the rock a further 6km to the entrance site. Once the entrance was completed, granite was later taken to Melbourne for other building purposes. The quarry ceased production in the 1940s.

So now you are at the end of the waterside walk, although you can continue past the recreation reserve to the Bowling Club to enjoy some refreshment, or , if you are feeling energetic take the return trip and see things from the reverse perspective. (perhaps another day !). Whatever your choice North Arm waterside walk is there to be enjoyed. For excercise, training, photography, painting boating, cycling or fishing perhaps, it has it all. I hope you take the time to enjoy its many scenes and changing faces.

Along this route there are plenty of food stops, in the car park near the playground opposite the Visitor Centre is a food van selling coffee and a range of donuts "Big Bear" donuts , one of my regulars stops, The Boatshed Cafe is situated near the old Service Station, with a wide range of faire including home made offerings, and just along from the end of the walk is the Bowling Club which have a range of menus including a cafe area. There is also a food van selling Asian style dishes which sets up adjacent to the sand ramp area. 

After all those you will need to walk back to the start! 

Enjoy. 

Footnote: Images are available for sale, some on display at Artspace in Lakes Entrance Visitor Centre.

Images copyright John Munns

Resources: Victorian resources online  Visit Victoria.com