FIRE ESCAPE

A NO-STRINGS-ATTACHED FREE CAMPSITE WITH POWER SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, BUT SUCH A PLACE EXISTS AT LAKE TYERS IN EAST GIPPSLAND.

- MIRIAM BLAKER

THE SIGN once read: “Free power, free shower, turn left at the road, go down to the pub, buy a beer or just say gidday.” These days the sign has mysteriously disappeared, but the deal hasn’t. Ring ahead and you’ll find a free campsite literally on the doorstep of one of the best pubs and locations in Victoria’s East Gippsland.

We’re in Lake Tyers, a small coastal hamlet barely ten minutes from the recreational mecca of Lakes Entrance. It’s a quiet, secluded spot, yet on the Australia Day long weekend just gone the Water Wheel Beach Tavern is the local hub and is buzzing with life.

At a time when many of the local businesses in East Gippsland and beyond are doing it tough – losing seasonal income during their typically busiest holiday period, due to the 2019-20 bushfire crisis – it feels good to be injecting some money into the area, knowing that every little bit makes a difference.

Over the course of the weekend it becomes clear that the Water Wheel Tavern is both an oasis for travellers and a local haunt for many. They come in their droves, many of them utilising the services of the tavern’s courtesy bus. For campers, the best bit is the area out the back. With free power and even a free shower, this has got to be one of the best finds in East Gippsland.

Part owner of the tavern is Kevin Campbell, who’s a chef by trade. Growing up in nearby Bairnsdale with a love of the sea, it’s perhaps understandable he’d end up in a tavern at Lake Tyers. Seven years ago, Kevin bought the tavern, which included the tiny caravan park out the back, and in 2019 he decided to remove the small cabins and convert the space to a free camp area. Now you’ll find marked-out sites with free power and water on each one, and access to a shower and toilet plus a small barbecue area.