Venus Bay, Prom Country, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia

Looking for a good place to holiday? 

Look no further than VENUS BAY...

If you have just wandered in from the other side of the world

 I hope you'll enjoy visiting this spectacular Victorian small coastal resort.
If you have been with me throughout our April A to Z Wander Victoria* adventure, we are just across the bay from jet - skiing in Inverloch day!

We love Venus Bay! 

We very nearly bought a holiday house there a few years ago, before deciding on a closer location on the Mornington Peninsula, and being the unadventurous types, opting for a town on mains drainage! However for many, the pristine surf beaches make it worth going the extra mile. Venus Bay is a two-hour drive, being 170 km South East of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The town is on a narrow peninsula of land, so it offers the holiday maker the choice of the wild, open sea of Bass Strait, or the calm waters of Anderson Inlet.  

Being just that bit further than many of the other more popular South Gippsland holiday destinations it is less crowded. A greater distance than the favoured Melbourne escapes of Cape Paterson and Inverloch and well down the coast from Phillip Island, famous for its tiny fairy penguins and for when Miley Cyrus visits Liam Hemsworth's family. Venus Bay remains unspoilt and is certainly not 'wrecked' by tourists.

Having said that, this sleepy pretty town with a winter population of around 500, can surge into the thousands in January. Word has got out amongst anglers, surfers and families about what a great holiday can be had here... 

Well apart from the fisherman who posted the following comment:

'It's a great place to catch whiting and squid, but there is nothing there.

You can park your 4wd on the beach while you launch your boat. 

Great fishing, but as I said there is nothing else there...'

Number One beach - Venus Bay

Yep, that's exactly the point. If you love endless unspoilt beaches, and striking scenery then this is the place for you. The weather changes the landscape here. One minute you will find the rugged landscape and golden sands peaceful and relaxing, the next minute you will feel exhilarated by the squally, choppy waters! 

Whatever the weather, you will find delight in VB, as the locals call the place, at every turn. Well, except maybe not if you are a fisherman after a riotous party weekend. Or if retail therapy is on the agenda...

There are no flash shops here - in fact in agreement with our friend above, there is not much here at all, which is definitely part of the charm. Indeed, the nearest supermarket is 5 km away in Tarwin Lower.

Although, I must give a special shout out to the lovely gift shop hidden in the Venus Bay Caravan Park on the main drag. A couple of years ago I had bought some presents (jewellery, scarves, and general beachy gifts), all very reasonably priced. So I headed straight there on this visit and happily find the same helpful owner, and the shop still as attractive as I remembered! 

Did I tell you there is even WIFI Internet at the Venus Bay Caravan Park?! 

Great choice of superb surf beaches in an unspoilt setting

Erm, how did I get onto shopping, we are here for the beach...?! There  are no less than five surf beaches to choose from, which have the rather uninspiring names of Beach 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. But this is typical of Venus Bay, this place is not out to impress. Indeed, if you are in need of being impressed, the locals would say 'go elsewhere!'

However, as you will be holidaying you will be pleased to know the Venus Bay Surf Lifesaving Club located at the No. 1 Beach. This is the only patrolled beach, although during the busy summer period surf patrols regularly make their way up and down the beaches to just beyond No. 5 beach. The beach is exposed with strong rips and they call it 'high energy' which means dangerous, swim between the flags!

In keeping with the Beach 1, 2 etc. The town is split into three estates. The First Estate is where you'll find the few shops, situated on Jupiter Boulevard at the Centre Road junction. Here you can grab a decent coffee at the General Store, enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner at the food outlets, grab some more WiFi at the Caravan Park and check out a number of speciality shops. 

Tarwin Lower - Venus Bay

It is appealing for families to have the option of the calm waters for swimming and fishing at Anderson Inlet, the state's longest sand spit which is rather like a large lake and ideal for boating and fishing. This large body of water extends all the way from Inverloch to the mouth of the Tarwin River at the small township of Tarwin Lower.

There is a certain old world charm to Venus Bay, which has been protected because it is that little bit further from Melbourne and because it doesn't offer all mod cons - you still need to take your rubbish to the tip before you leave. There is no refuse collection here. 

On arrival, your host will gently remind you, that water is from a tank and to be used sparingly. The locals reckon mains drainage is at least 30 years off. If they have their way it will stay like this. They know as soon as water, sewerage and weekly rubbish collections appear, so will more people!

Thanks to Brin Nadler for the Easter Bunny photo!

Arriving on a Friday night there is no better place to head than Cavity in the main street (no need to give you the address, you can't miss it!) Here we found Friday Paella, with a glass of bubbly was a cracking way to start the weekend. Us Townie's were impressed!!! The Friday night unwind here is a great mix of locals, holiday home owners and tourists just passing through. Everyone is welcome and there is a nice camaraderie and the locals are really friendly. 

Venus Bay is central to many natural attractions in the South Gippsland area, including Wilsons Promontory National Park, (We will be heading there tomorrow for W is for  you guessed it Wilsons Prom!) which is just under an hour's drive east. The coastline from Venus Bay to Cape Liptrap offers visitors the chance to see an old lighthouse and native Australian plants and wildlife. If you like bushwalking you'll be busy!

Tarwin Lower – Venus Bay

A favourite activity for holidaymakers is scenic and easy bike ride (or walk) between the two towns of Venus Bay and Tarwin Lower that follows the banks of the Tarwin River on a gently undulating shared pathway.

Distance: 5km one way
Track: Generally smooth dirt or gravel track
Grade: Level 1 – No experience required, suitable for beginners and children
Start: Long Table,Tarwin Lower
Finish: Town centre, Venus Bay

Sunset - Beach Number 1 - Venus Bay

So if you are after a holiday retreat where you are at one with nature, 

with bush walking, fishing, and swimming, and surfing,

where kangaroos lollop around the streets in the Third Estate, 

with fabulous 20km's of beaches

and everything from 

'nothing to do' and everything to see,

 then check out Venus Bay. 

See you there... 

but don't tell too many people!

Thank you for joining me as part of my Wander Victoria* April A to Z challenge.

I appreciate your visits!

PS: * Wander Victoria is an initiative of our Victorian State Government to encourage us to explore the charms of regional Victoria. You can find out more on my previous post here

This post has been updated and republished from an earlier Little Wandering Wren post

I am linking this post to :

Our World Tuesday

Thank you to all the hosts.