Introduction

The Gippsland Lakes area was once an immense lake enclosed by long sandspits, low sand islands and the narrow stretch of dunes along the Ninety Mile Beach. Rivers deposited silt and clay which divided the water into a series of lakes and swamps.

The Lakes National Park is one of a number of parks which lie around the 400 square kilometers of estuaries, lakes and coastal lagoons.The park occupies 2390 ha of low-lying land covered with woodlands and coastal heath. It includes Sperm Whale Head, Rotamah Island and Little Rotamah Island.

Preparation

The idea of running a Sailing Camp was first conceived over a casual conversation with one of the Scouts, Nicola's parents Garry & Katrina towards the end of 1998. Garry and Katrina suggested that we should do our Sailing on the Gippsland Lakes. They have a share in a fairly large holiday house on Raymond Island and they were more than happy to let the Scouts use it for the Sailing Camp. It was an opportunity too good to miss! Originally the trip was supposed to be during the April school holiday, but due to the toxic Blue Algae in the lakes it was shifted to the July school holiday period. This change created an opportunity for us to combine the Sailing Camp with the planned 30 km two nights Adventurer Level hike for the senior Scouts.

All the Scouts going on the trip have Sailing and Canoeing Charge and there was minimum preparation required as far as sailing was concerned. All we needed to bring were life jackets and a rescue boat. There were sufficient sail boats at the holiday house for everyone. But for the Scouts going on the hike it was a different "kettle of fish". They have to plan the hike, pick the route, estimate the time and distance, prepare the program, prepare the menu and purchase suitable food. The night before departure all the backpacks were checked and weighted to make sure they were at the correct weight for the individual Scouts.

Below is the adventure based on diaries written by the Scouts: Julian Coleman, Madeleine Higgins, Christian Marsh, Conor O'Hanlon, David Simpson and Kevin Weston.

Day 1

We began our journey from the15th Essendon Scout Hall at about 8am on Saturday. It was relatively low key and without any drama. The drive took over 4 hours. It was fairly boring if not for the rather enthusiatic discussion on 'Pokemon'. But to me it was like a foreign language. May be I should start watching the Pokemon series and get 'educated'! We eventually arrived at Paynesville, the boating capital of the Gippsland Lakes.

We got over to Raymond Island by car ferry and it took less than 5 minutes. Once on the island we tried to find Nicola's holiday house but got lost. Luckily Katrina saw us. Well, sort of, because she was wondering why these lot of city slickers were driving round in circles disturbing the tranquility of the island. Anyway she showed us the direction to the holiday house. After unpacking and lunch we were ready to start the hike. Garry was busy getting the boat ready to transport us from Raymond Island to Sperm Whale Head where we planned to start our walk. When everything was ready we loaded all our backpacks and got on board. Garry started the engine and 'stepped' on it. The engine roared. But wait, we were not moving an inch. Initially we thought the Scouts were too heavy up front. So we unloaded them, but the boat was still not going anywhere. After some very 'scientific' deductions we reckoned it must be lots of barnacles making the propeller their permanent home over the last year. Without delay the contingency plan was put into motion - Garry asked the neighbour to take us across on his boat instead.

When we disembarked at Point Wilson jetty on Sperm Whale Head it was already 3pm and we needed to get 'cracking' immediately otherwise we could be walking in the dark. After expressing our gratitude to Garry and his neighbour we were on our way. According to the map the distance to our first destination, the Emu Bight Campsite was approximately 10km.

The Lakes National Park is a peaceful bushland, fringed by the water of Lake Victoria and Lake Reeve. The hike took us through some beautiful eucalypt and banksia woodland on sandy soil. It was tough going at the end because we were trying hard to get to the campsite before dark. But after all that effort we still had to pitch our tents and eat our dinners in the dark. While we were having our dinners under candle light we were visited by a monstrous kangaroo. Julian reckoned Christian was attacked by the kangaroo. But you know how it is, Scouts have fantastic imagination!

Day 2

We were woken up at the 'crack of dawn' by a symphony of birds consisting of kookaburra, parrots, lorikeets, robins, wrens and who know what else. Just as well, we did not want to wake up too late because we had a very challenging 29 km hike in front of us. The first part of the hike was reasonably easy walking mainly on unsealed road towards the town Loch Sport. Just before Loch Sport we turned right and went on the causeway over Lake Reeve, connecting the mainland and the Ninety Mile Beach. The causeway was a lot longer than we first aniticipated. Luckily the scenery was really nice.

When we set foot on the soft sand of Ninety Mile Beach it was already noon. We decided to have a short rest and have lunch on the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day. Hard to imagine it was winter. After lunch we set off at about 12.30pm for the long gruelling hike along kilometers of sand along the Ninety Mile Beach. Our destination was the campsite on Rotamah Island. Along the beach we decided to walk bare footed. It was a lot of fun walking in the waves on the constantly shifting sand. But the going was fairly hard and we needed regular stops to rest. Hours went by and the initial excitement and novelty started to wear off. Everyone was getting tired. The anticipated Beach Access to Rotamah Island was nowhere to be found. The beach just went on and on. By 4.30pm we decided to get off the beach and try to find the track on the other side of the sand dunes. We found the track without too much difficulty. The spirit lifted a little bit so we pushed on. One and a half hours later we still could not find the turn off to Rotamah Island and it was getting dark. So we decided to stop and rest while the PL, David went ahead without his backpack to see if he could find the turn off. We had the option of spending the night at where we stopped and continued the journey next day. But luckily David found the turn off about 100 meters ahead.

By the time we got onto Rotamah Island it was already 6.30pm. It was getting a bit too dark to find the campsite but we managed to get to the Jetty on the other side of the island. To our surprise we saw a light coming from a small house close to the Jetty. The Caretaker of the Rotamah Bird Observatory was kind enough to show us to the campsite. Again we had to setup tents and eat dinner in the dark. We were too tired to stay up and enjoy the crystal clear and beautiful night sky.

Day 3

Again we were woken up by another symphony of birds. After breakfast we took a moment sitting around the warm campfire for Scout's Own. We reflected on the past two days especially the challenging hike along the Ninety Mile Beach. We realised the importance of loyalty. How sticking together, supporting and having faith in one another helped us to overcome difficult times. After Scout's Own we went for a walk, checking out Rotamah Island in the day light. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were serenaded by birds everywhere we went. During our walk we also visited Little Rotamah Island which was connected to the main island by a wooden bridge.

After lunch we packed up and headed back to the Rotamah Island Jetty where we were picked up by Garry and 'ferried' back to Raymond Island. The wind was up and the boat trip back was a bit choppy. But we didn't mind. It was nice to unload our heavy backpacks and sit down. The rest of the day was mainly free time. Resting or exploring Raymond Island on bicycles for the energetic ones

.

Day 4

Another beautiful day - sunny and blue sky but no wind. Sailing was out of the question. So we decided to circumnavigate the island in a relay format using bicycles, canoe, kayak and the rescue boat. It took four change-overs to cover the whole island. The condition was perfect both on land and water. It was a very relaxing trip and it provided the opportunity for the Scouts to observe the local fauna and flora. The trip also enabled one of the Scouts to learn to ride a bike and a number of Scouts to try their hands on kayaking in a fairly safe and supportive environment.

The total trip took us about 4 hours. After we got back it was time to wash and put away the boats. The rest of the afternoon was free time. But most of us were too tired to try anything too energetic. Few of us went fishing off the jetty and everyone were pleasantly surprised when we came back with a number of good size breams!

Day 5

We got up reasonably early today. It was the last day and everyone had to pack and help with the cleaning-up. At about 11am we reluctantly said thank you and good bye to Garry and family and started our long journey home. Everyone agreed it was a most enjoyable trip.

Epilogue

It was a really fun and enjoyable adventure. Besides having lots of fun the Scouts also achieved their Adventurer Level badgework. I like to take this opportunity to thank Garry & Katrina for sharing their holiday house with us and their warm hospitality during our stay. Thanks also go to Brendan Coleman for helping in transport and looking after the Scouts on Raymond Island.

Soon Lee Lim is the Scout Leader of the 15th Essendon Sea Scout Group

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