Within Gippsland, Victoria, lies the city of Sale, just three hours’ drive east of Melbourne. Founded in 1851, Sale became a staging post for people drawn to the goldfields of the Victorian mountains. A second resources boom gave Sale a fresh burst of prosperity starting in the 1960s when oil was discovered under the Bass Strait. Today, gas and oil are piped from offshore platforms to nearbyLongford before being processed.
Sale’s proximity to the sea is also a big draw for tourists. The Port of Sale provides access to the Gippsland Lakes, a network of waterways, including Lakes Wellington, King and Victoria, which is cut off from the ocean by Ninety Mile Beach.
Fishing and boating are very popular and every March the lakes play host to the Marlay Point Overnight, the longest inland yacht race of its kind in the world, between Lake Wellington and Paynesville.
The lakes are also an important natural resource, and are home to many nature reserves, including the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park.
