We stayed at a dog-friendly apartment hotel at Sale, Victoria which is near the Gippsland Lakes area. Our favourite activity at the Ninety Mile Beach is catching crabs (to eat) but this time we travelled to other nearby towns, Bairnsdale and Paynesville.
Bairnsdale seemed to be bustling with shops and cafes, but not overcrowded even during the long holiday weekend.
Paynesville was more of a pleasant surprise: beautiful lake with lots of activity. Jet skis, boats, kayaks, and people jumping off the pier to swim. Black swans both on the water and on land. We missed the weekend market but quickly found out we could ride the ferry for free to go to Raymond Island.
Raymond Island is great for nature trails (and looking out for wild animals), bike rides, and possibly even fishing (though we didn’t have fishing rods when we boarded the ferry…).
The best thing was that it was only $14 to bring your car via the ferry (and the island is big enough to warrant the use of a car) and dogs are allowed on lead. There were barbecue and picnic tables on the island so you can just as easily ride the ferry for a chill picnic with friends.
