• Canoeing, kayaking and rafting

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Canoeing, kayaking and rafting

Canoeing and kayaking create many opportunities for exploring, photographing wildlife and sunlit landscapes, a healthy workout and fishing. Visitors can spend a few hours on the weekend or a week or more on the water. The best time for canoeing is September to April. For the more adrenaline-seeking visitors why not try white water rafting for a thrilling, wide-eyed journey down turbulent rapids, rafting covers the full adventure spectrum.

Popular parks

Two kayakers come across a group of pelicans on the Gippsland Lakes.

Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park

The tranquil Gippsland Lakes are a system of coastal lagoons separated from the Tasman Sea by the coastal dunes of the Ninety Mile Beach. Seven rivers terminate at the lakes – the Latrobe, Avon, Nicholson, Tambo, Mitchell, Macalister and Thomson rivers.
A woman playfully splashing a friend in another canoe with her paddle on the Glenelg River

Glenelg River Canoe Trail

The Glenelg River offers excellent opportunities for flat water canoeing over the 75kms from Dartmoor to its mouth near Nelson. For much of its distance the river flows through the Lower Glenelg National Park, enabling enthusiasts to observe wildlife in its natural environment.
A young couple paddle kayaks on a sunny afternoon across Lake Eildon.

Lake Eildon National Park

Lake Eildon National Park is in the northern foothills of Victoria's Central Highlands, 150 km north-east of Melbourne. Situated on the shores of Lake Eildon, the park protects 27,750 ha of rugged hills with open woodlands through to dense forest.

Need to know

Canoeing, kayaking and rafting

Safety tips

Prepare carefully for any river trip. Remember to check river levels and weather conditions with the Bureau of Meterology before you leave. Always leave details of your itinerary with a responsible person and note mobile phones rarely have signal in some areas.

If you do not have an experienced canoer, kayaker or rafter in your group or someone who knows rivers we strongly advise booking or checking in with a Licensed Tour Operator.


Licensed Tour Operators


Group/Education providers

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A diver takes a photo a school of fish in the Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.

Scuba diving

Dive to the depths of the ocean floor in marine national parks or explore shipwrecks at the bottom of the bays.
A man in a red wetsuit and a women with the top half of her wetsuit undone follow two men in to the surf on the Morning Peninsula.

Surfing

Learn to surf from beaches dotted along the coast or for experienced boarders ride the ultimate wave at ocean back beaches or famous Bells Beach.
Mum helps her young son as he jumps off a large piece of drift wood at West Cape Beach.

Beaches

Walk white sandy beaches, swim in cool coastal waters or surf the wild waves of the Southern Ocean.
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