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.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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.

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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.

Winding down in the Yarra Valley, where ‘work from home’ becomes ‘work from wine country’.

Steam from my morning coffee curls gently into the cool valley air, mist-veiled vineyards stretch out in neat rows below me. Magpies warble from trees, and the morning’s quiet carries the soft bleating of lambs from a nearby paddock. Midweek in the Yarra Valley has its own rhythm. It’s slower, quieter, with more empty tables at cafes and cellar doors, and walking trails I can claim all to myself. It’s as if the entire region takes a deep breath once the weekend crowd leaves.

walking trails in the Yarra Valley — You’ll find walking trails are less crowded during the week. (Image: Visit Victoria)

I haven’t come here for a holiday, but to do a little work somewhere other than my home office, where I spend too much time hunched over my desk. Deadlines still loom, meetings still happen, but with flexible work evolving from ‘work from home’ to ‘work from anywhere’, I’m swapping the view of my front yard to the vineyards.

A quiet afternoon at Yarra Valley Dairy

holding a glass of wine at Yarra Valley Dairy — Wine time at Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can enjoy a toastie or bagel in the cafe. (Image: Visit Victoria)

With the Yarra Valley just over an hour from the CBD, many Melburnians could drive here in their lunch break. I arrive late in the afternoon and am delighted to discover the Yarra Valley Dairy still open. On weekends, I’ve seen queues spilling out the door, but today there’s only one other couple inside. There’s no need to rush to secure a table; instead I browse the little store, shelves stacked with chutneys, spices, artisan biscuits and gorgeous crockery that would look right at home in my kitchen. It’s hard not to buy the lot.

a cheese tasting plate atYarra Valley Dairy — A cheese tasting plate at Yarra Valley Dairy.

I order a coffee and a small cheese platter, though the dairy has a full menu, and choose a wooden table with bentwood chairs by a wide window. The space feels part farm shed, part cosy café: corrugated iron ceiling, walls painted in muted tones and rustic furniture.

Outside, cows meander toward milking sheds. If pressed for time, there’s the option of quick cheese tastings – four samples for five dollars in five minutes – but today, I’m in no rush. I sip slowly, watching a grey sky settle over the paddock. Less than an hour ago I was hunched over my home-office desk, and now my racing mind has slowed to match the valley’s pace.

Checking in for vineyard views at Balgownie Estate

Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate has views across the vines.

As my car rolls to a stop at Balgownie Estate, I’m quietly excited, and curious to see if my plan to work and play comes off. I’ve chosen a suite with a spacious living area and a separate bedroom so I can keep work away from a good night’s sleep. I could have booked a cosy cottage, complete with open fireplace, a comfy couch and a kettle for endless cups of tea, but as I am still here to get some work done, I opt for a place that takes care of everything. Dinner is served in Restaurant 1309, as is breakfast.

oysters at Restaurant 1309, Balgownie Estate — Oysters pair perfectly with a crisp white at Restaurant 1309.

On my first evening, instead of the usual walk about my neighbourhood, I stroll through the estate at an unhurried pace. There’s no need to rush – someone else is preparing my dinner after all. The walking trails offer beautiful sunsets, and it seems mobs of kangaroos enjoy the view, too. Many appear, grazing lazily on the hillside.

I wake to the call of birds and, after breakfast, with the mist still lingering over the vineyards, I watch two hot-air balloons silently drift above clouds. Perched on a hill, Balgownie Estate sits above the mist, leaving the valley below veiled white.

kangaroos in Yarra Valley — Spotting the locals on an evening walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Exploring the Yarra Valley on two wheels

the Yarra Valley vineyards — Swap your home office for a view of the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria/Cormac Hanrahan)

Perhaps because the Yarra Valley is relatively close to where I live, I’ve never considered exploring the area any way other than by car or on foot. And with a fear of heights, a hot-air balloon is firmly off the table. But when I discover I can hop on two wheels from the estate and cycle into Yarra Glen, I quickly realise it’s the perfect way to step away from my laptop and experience a different side of the region.

COG Bike offers pedal-assist e-bikes, and while the bike trail and paths into town aren’t particularly hilly, having an extra bit of ‘oomph’ means I can soak up the surroundings. Those lambs I heard calling early in the morning? I now find them at the paddock fence, sniffing my hands, perhaps hoping for food. Cows idle nearby, and at a fork in the bike path I turn left toward town.

It’s still morning, and the perfect time for a coffee break at The Vallie Store. If it were the afternoon, I’d likely turn right, in the direction of four wineries with cellar doors. The ride is about 15 kilometres return, but don’t let that put you off. Staying off the highway, the route takes you along quiet backroads where you catch glimpses of local life – farmers on tractors, weathered sheds, rows of vines and the kind of peaceful countryside you don’t see from the main road.

A detour to the Dandenong Ranges

legs hanging over the sides of the train, Puffing Billy Railway — The iconic Puffing Billy runs every day except Christmas Day.

The beauty of basing myself in the Yarra Valley is how close everything feels. In barely half an hour I’m in the Dandenong Ranges, swapping vineyards for towering mountain ash and fern-filled gullies. The small villages of Olinda and Sassafras burst with cosy teahouses, antique stores and boutiques selling clothing and handmade body care items.

I’m drawn to RJ Hamer Arboretum – Latin for ‘a place for trees’. Having grown up among tall trees, I’ve always taken comfort in their presence, so this visit feels like a return of sorts. A stroll along the trails offers a choice: wide open views across patchwork paddocks below, or shaded paths that lead you deeper into the quiet hush of the peaceful forest.

The following day, I settle into a quiet corner on the balcony of Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis and soon hear Puffing Billy’s whistle and steady chuff as the steam train climbs towards town. Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most beloved steam trains, running through the Dandenong Ranges on a narrow-gauge track. It’s famous for its open carriages where passengers can sit with their legs hanging over the sides as the train chugs through the forest. This is the perfect spot to wave to those on the train.

After my midweek break, I find my inbox still full and my to-do list not in the least shrunken, just shifted from one task to another. But I return to my home office feeling lighter, clearer and with a smug satisfaction I’d stolen back a little time for myself. A midweek wind-down made all the difference.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Balgownie Estate offers everything from cellar door tastings to spa treatments and fine dining – all without leaving the property.

Playing there

the TarraWarra Museum of Art, Yarra Valley — Visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Wander through Alowyn Gardens, including a stunning wisteria tunnel, then explore the collection of contemporary artworks at TarraWarra Museum of Art. Cycle the Yarra Valley with COG Bike to visit local wineries and cellar doors.

Eating and drinking there

Olinda Tea House offers an Asian-inspired high tea. Paradise Valley Hotel, Clematis has classic pub fare, while the iconic Yering Station offers wine tastings and a restaurant with seasonal dishes.

seasonal dishes at the restaurant inside Yering Station — The restaurant at Yering Station showcases the best produce of the Yarra Valley. (Image: Visit Victoria)