Corringle Slips Camping Area

One of Victoria’s most affordable accommodation options unsurprisingly is Corringle Slips Camping Site, equipped with all the best things a camping spot has.

Where is it?

Corringle Foreshore Reserve , East Gippsland, Vic. Situated at the mouth of the Snowy River estuary, this beachfront camping area offers a host of activities, from boating or surf fishing in the estuary or canoeing in the Corringle Slips backwater and Frenches Narrows.

Swimming is not advised at Corringle due to strong rips and currents, but bushwalking is another alternative.

What’s it like?

Although still in a relatively natural state, Corringle Slips camping area is equipped with barbecues, designated fireplaces, picnic tables, pit toilets, a boat ramp, and jetties. However, drinking water is not available and visitors must bring their own or know how to make untreated water safe to drink.

The area is accessible to all vehicle types. At Christmas and Easter, bookings are determined by ballot. But all other time of the year, this accommodation is a steel for that off-the-grid weekend away.

Choose between 24 sites on the property, with the majority allowing all vehicles. Load up the campervan and trailer for a comfy sleeping situation, but if you want to feel at one with nature – bring your swag and sleep under the stars.

Corringle Slips Campground — A concrete boat ramp is located at the slips, providing access to campers who want to go surf fishing.

Water and boating activities can be enjoyed within the estuary, at Mots Beach, Sampsons Beach and up from the Marlo jetty. Swimming is not advised as the ocean beach at Corringle is unsafe due to strong rips and currents. Surf fishing is very popular. The most common fish caught are Salmon, Tailor and Gummy Shark. A concrete boat ramp is located at the slips, providing access to the Snowy River estuary.

Things to do nearby

Due to the remote location, you’ll have to drive a bit to get to any main sites. But if you’re happy setting down roots and playing beach cricket, then bat away.

Snowy River Estuary Walk

Hit the coastal town Marlo, only a 20-minute drive away, for a walk along the Snowy River estuary, winding all the way across to Ocean Beach. Roughly a 5 kilometre walk, the snags you cook on the barbie will be well deserved.

Of course, if you want a quick and snappy stroll, loop round at Mots Beach for a cool 2 kilometres each way. And for that extra motivation, bring the dogs along.

Beach Hopping

As you know, swimming is not advised at Corringle (and Ocean Beach) due to strong rips and currents, but we know a few other beaches you can pop down to. Mots Beach and Sampsons Beach are close by, so pump up the floaties and pack on the sunscreen.

Salmon Rocks Corringle, VIC — Perch yourself on top of Salmon Rocks to watch the sunset.

If you want to change it up, head east up to Cape Conran. You’ll find Salmon Rocks Beach, a perfect area to bring the jetty out onto. But if you perch yourself on the iconic rocks, and it’ll show off one hell of a sunset.

Activities

Rent out a paddle board from SUP Marlo for the day. Prices range from $30 for 2 hours and $40 for half a day. Take a paddle out through the calm waters of Snowy River, while keeping an eye out for local animal and bird life along the coast.

East Gippsland Rail Trail — Bike all the way from Orbost to Bairnsdale, VIC.

15-minutes up the road lies Orbost a small town, that’s known for the starting points to the East Gippsland Biking Rail Trail and Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail. Hire out a mountain bike (or e-bike with pedal assist for an easy option), and explore the tracks. The whole trail is 94 kilometers, so do’t expect to knock it out in one day.

If you’re taking a day trip all the way up to Snowy River National Park, along the water you can hire out canoes to sail out onto the calm lagoons, or whitewater rafts for those fast-moving rapids.

Wilsons Promontory

Wilson’s Promontory National Park, on Victoria’s south-east coast, is something very special. We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 things to do at Victoria’s oldest national park. Approximately a 4 and a half hour drive, if you’re up for the road trip, the view is totally worth it.

Where to eat?

For a classic Aussie staple meal, head over to Marlo Ocean Views Takeaway & Kiosk . Frying up all things fish n’ chips, greasy burgers and crunchy potato scallops, throw the picnic blanket down along the beach for the best spot in all East Gippsland.

For a touch of class, check out The Marlo Hotel has got you covered. Order a standard chicken parma with a bevvy on tap and feel the warmth of the perfect summer night out on their deck. If you don’t feel like dining out, grab the meal to-go and feast around your personal fire-pit back at the campsite.

How much does it cost?

Camping fees from $15.10 per night per site, covering up to six people.

The details

Corringle Slips Foreshore Reserve

Address: Corringle Road, East Gippsland, VIC

Planning a trip over to Gippsland? Hit here for our curated Gippsland guide on all-things to do.

A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes

Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours . While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli

Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

“Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

Mussels are a sustainable food.

Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard

Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.