LAKES COAST VISITOR GUIDE | PAGE 39 SALE A colourful Gippsland town with an artistic side A colourful regional town with a population of over 15,000 people, Sale is an ideal place to base yourself for a few days of exploring the region, including the iconic Ninety Mile Beach, which is less than a 30 minute drive from town. Sale Botanic Gardens An excellent place to start your exploration of this beautiful town is at the award-winning Sale Botanic Gardens, one of the oldest regional Botanic Gardens in Victoria. Located adjacent to Sale's Lake Guthridge, the tranquil grounds of the 150-year-old Sale Botanic Gardens owe their botanic heritage to Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller, Victoria's first state botanist. Here you'll find beautiful walks, a playground (including flying fox) and a water play park for kids on those warmer spring days. There are also immaculately manicured gardens, lakes, birdlife, a seed garden, and stunning, shady elms to sit under. A walk through the Gardens' outdoor sculptures and artwork provides a fascinating insight into the nature-inspired work and stories of local artists. If you're still feeling energetic after your stroll, head for the nearby Sale Common, which has a network of boardwalks from which you can explore extensive wetlands and red gum woodlands, resplendent with native flora and fauna. A port history When travelling in Sale, you will be visiting the lands of the First Nations' Gunaikurnai People. From a European perspective, the historic Port of Sale first opened to shipping in 1890 as the westernmost port in the Gippsland Lakes. The cutting of the Sale canal in 1898 linked the town to the Thomson River and established Sale as a busy port for steamers. Its prosperity grew from nearby mountain gold rushes and its strategic location on the route between Port Albert and the gold diggings. It developed from being declared a borough in 1863, to a town in 1924, to finally a city in 1950. Latter day prosperity stemmed from its proximity to the offshore oil and gas fields of Bass Strait. Sale's cultural hub The Port of Sale cultural precinct has a number of cafés and restaurants, public library, visitor information centre, a skate park, and the renowned Gippsland Art Gallery, all of which are open seven days a week. Shopping and dining Sale's main business district has a large shopping centre, major supermarkets for stocking-up on supplies, as well as strip shopping and a landscaped mall, with plenty of seating, grassed areas and picnic tables, making it an ideal place to grab a coffee, a bite to eat and relax. Centre Bakery After arriving in the vibrant town of Sale, be sure to treat yourself to coffee and cake at the locally-owned and operated Centre Bakery. Open seven days a week, Centre Bakery serves breakfast, lunch, and organic fair-trade tea or coffee from early morning, with handcrafted traditional breads baked daily. Cakes are also baked fresh daily and can be decorated for any occasion, and the bakery's take-home pies are a favourite with locals and travellers looking for an easy family meal. The bakery has a 4.3-star rating across more than 300 Facebook reviews, including this five-star appraisal from a recent happy customer: "A nice local shop! Friendly staff, affordable price and yummy food. Certainly this explains why people were lining up during the whole time we sat down for our meals. They made great coffee too!" Centre Bakery is located at 103 Cunninghame Street, Sale, and offers dine-in and take-away. Sale’s Centre Bakery makes fabulous coffee to take away, or to enjoy at the bakery with a meal or snack. The renowned Gippsland Art Gallery is part of the Port of Sale cultural precinct. Photo: Visit Victoria Find us on f 103 Cunninghame St, Sale VIC 3850 P (03) 5144 1202 Historic Bakery & Cafe Fresh Bread daily Homemade cakes & pastries Fresh take home meals OPEN 7 DAYS Open: Mon-Fri 6:30am - 5pm, Sat 7am - 3pm, Sun 8am - 3pm PB5675
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