Welcome to spring on the Lakes

Birds returning, longer days and the promise of summer sums up Spring in Talikatoor - the Gippsland Lakes.

We are delighted to present an update on what's been happening around the Lakes as part of the Love Our Lakes program.

Talikatoor - Gunaikurnai Country

Talikatoor – Little Flood – known today as the Gippsland Lakes is, and has always been, an important place for Gunaikurnai Traditional Owners. Ancestors travelled across the Bassian Plain – the land bridge to Tasmania now under Bass Strait – for thousands of generations and when the lake system formed after the last Ice Age, the Tatungalung and Krauatungalung clans utilised the abundance of resources provided.

In recent times, stronger involvement in the management of Sea Country is creating opportunities to improve economic outcomes for Gunaikurnai Traditional Owners, whose relationship with these cultural landscapes continues, even when the evidence of their previous occupation now lies beneath the ocean.

We are privileged to work with the Lakes' Traditional Owners to deliver these programs on Gunaikurnai Country - particularly the projects led by Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation which continue to deliver great outcomes’.Join Gunaikurnai Elder Uncle Russell Mullett as he talks about the Lake's significance in the beautiful short video above.

Love and positive results for the Lakes

New homes for native fish, seagrass friendly moorings, annual pelican counts, renourishing islands for endangered birds and much more – that’s the dynamic Gippsland Lakes program in action with achievements detailed in the latest Program Summary Report demonstrating the importance of collaborative, sustained effort.  

The precious series of coastal lagoons and fringing wetlands covers over 60,000 hectares and is fed by five major rivers across its 20,000 square kilometre catchment that connects to the ocean at Lakes Entrance.  

The program operates under the Love Our Lakes banner to deliver innovative, collaborative projects informed by the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar Site Management Plan with the Gippsland Lakes Priorities Plan identifying the highest priority management actions. 

 Read the full story and report

Rare magpie geese visit the Lakes

Two rare sightings of Magpie Geese have been confirmed on and across the Gippsland Lakes catchment in both Maffra and Bairnsdale. 

“We are excited about these sightings of Magpie geese visiting Gippsland,” said Sean Phillipson, Senior NRM Advisor for East Gippsland CMA.  

The birds are found on floodplains and in freshwater wetland areas across coastal northern and eastern Australia but are a rare visitor to Victoria where their conservation status is listed as Vulnerable. 

Passionate field naturalist Duncan Fraser, a resident in the Maffra-Newry area since 1945, spotted three birds near Newry Creek. A member of the public reported a further three Magpie Geese in Bairnsdale with East Gippsland CMA confirming both sightings and also that they were two separate groups of geese. 

 Read the full story and report

Putting trust in nature 

Trust for Nature completed some amazing work to protect & enhance priority wetlands in the lower Avon & Perry River catchments. 

The Trust worked with GLaWAC and landholders to assess wetland for condition & threats. These ecological & cultural assessments help us understand their significance & how to protect them. The team completed 4km of fencing of wetlands, controlled 70ha of high threat weeds and planted 3.8ha to enhance wetland condition.Why? The Lakes’ fringing wetlands are precious and important. Learn more

Gippsland Lakes Environment Report released

The Gippsland Lakes continue to support significant social, cultural, economic and ecological values, according to the latest environment report. 

East Gippsland CMA has released the 2024 Gippsland Lakes Environment Report (PDF 4MB), which indicates the Gippsland Lakes’ current condition as ‘fair to good’. 

“Over the last ten years the Gippsland Lakes and the catchment have experienced unprecedented events, including extreme drought conditions and the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires, followed by consecutive wet years with storms and flooding,” said Bec Hemming, CEO of East Gippsland CMA. 

“This latest report represents a snapshot that describes and interprets the environmental condition over the five year period from 2019 to 2023”. 

 Read the full story and report

Small Terns, big responsibility

We re proud to celebrate the united effort of care that resulted in 15 Small Tern chicks successfully fledging from the Lakes in the 2024-25 summer breeding season.

Fairy Terns and Little Terns, collectively known as Small Terns, are two of Australia’s smallest and most threatened seabirds. Across Gippsland Lakes, they rely on undisturbed beaches for feeding and breeding. Disturbance from humans, predation by dogs and foxes and storm surges all can affect the success and survival of this important species.

“We thank everyone for their part in protecting the Lakes’ Small Terns,” said Bec Hemming, CEO of East Gippsland CMA. 

 Read the full story and report

Vital saltmarsh conservation works

Parks Victoria in partnership with the Gippsland Lakes Coordinating Committee, has undertaken vital saltmarsh conservation works in the Gippsland Lakes. 

The Gippsland Lakes are a significant and unique landscape. Coastal saltmarsh protection works have been undertaken around Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, Lake Reeve and Blond Bay Wildlife Reserve Halfmoon swamp. 

As part of this work, the Business Enterprise team at Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), was engaged to install rock bollards to help protect sensitive areas from inappropriate vehicle access. These saltmarsh communities are extremely important and provide feeding and breeding habitat for fish, birds and crustaceans, act as filters for nutrients and sediments, reduce erosion and maintain water quality. 

Read the full story

Welcome back the birds festival 

Each Spring, the Gippsland Lakes’ incredible migratory birds return to the Lakes after completing flights of over 10,000 kilometres from their northern hemisphere breeding grounds.

So, we are very excited to be part of this FREE event to welcome back the migratory birds to the Lakes.

Friday 10 October 2025
11am - 7pm at Eagle Pt Foreshore Hub

- Cultural Dance and Basket Weaving
- Boat Tours and Nature Walks
- Stalls, Live Music & more

Information and updates