LAKES COAST VISITOR GUIDE | PAGE 41 SALE Why Sale’s wetlands are far from‘common’ Just south of Sale is the Sale Common Wetlands, an area of abundant wetlands that are home to significant bird and animal life. The Common is one of eleven Indigenous sites of significance found on the Bataluk Cultural Trail. The site covers around 300 hectares, 70 percent of which is freshwater marsh, with the remaining area covered by red gum woodland and grasslands. The heart Sale Common Wetlands were known as ‘Wayput’ by the local Gunaikurnai people, which means ‘the heart’, and the wetlands were a rich source of foods and raw materials. Many of the red gums today carry the scars where bark was removed to make canoes. Internationally recognised as a significant natural and cultural site, you can wander the boardwalk, which winds its way through changing landscapes of river red gum woodlands, grasslands, and salt marshes, all of which provide a sanctuary for a wide variety of birdlife. The long boardwalk winds its way through a variety of habitats, starting from the edge of the swamp, through deeper water, past islands and through a small reed bed. There is a bird hide at the eastern end of the boardwalk, where you can watch the birdlife, which includes swans, pelicans, ducks and many more. Spottings here might even include migratory birds from as far away as Japan. Along with providing important wildlife habitat, the wetlands play an important role in the purifying of water and as flood modifiers in the region. This habitat supports a variety of animals, including kookaburra, whistling kite, swamp wallaby, black swan, superb fairy wren, southern brown tree frog, eastern banjo frog. Rarer species here include the white-bellied sea eagle, green and golden bell frog, and the growling grass frog. The best way to explore this park is on foot, via the extensive network of tracks and boardwalks, many of which feature interpretive signage highlighting the importance of this area to the Gunaikurnai people, the uses of the land during early European settlement, as well as present-day uses, including commercial harvesting of eels for eating, and European carp supplied to the fertiliser industry. Heritage trail The Sale Wetlands and River Heritage Trail is a gentle 5.1-kilometre walk (one-way from the Port of Sale) or 10.2 kilometres (roughly two hours return) on a gravel and concrete pathway. The walk, which is relatively wide and flat, making it suitable for those with prams or wheelchairs, offers wonderful riverine and wetlands scenery and heritage places, all marked with interpretive plaques. The trail, which can be broken into sections, has multiple start points, including the Port of Sale, Lake Guthridge and South Gippsland Highway near Cox’s Bridge. It extends as far south as the historic 1883 Swing Bridge (which is still in operation today) at the junction of the Thomson and Latrobe rivers, and takes in Sale’s beautiful lakes – Guyatt and Guthridge – as well as an historic powder magazine. Much of the Sale Common Wetlands section of the trail is on a boardwalk, and has a number of surprises, including a blazed tree evocative of Gippsland’s earliest explorers, an old rifle butt reincarnated as a bird hide, and a large brick water trough, which now looks a little out of place in its wilderness setting. From there, you emerge onto a part of the Punt Lane flanking the Thomson River, so named because it led to a punt, the first river crossing linking the upper districts to Port Albert in the south. A boardwalk in the Sale Common Wetlands, part of the Sale Wetlands and River Heritage Trail. Photo: Wellington Shire Information correct at time of publication. Source: toiletmap.gov.au Here’s a list of all-abilities public toilets in this region. All toilets are open during daylight hours, unless otherwise specified. More info at toiletmap.gov.au CENTRAL GIPPSLAND ALL-ABILITIES PUBLIC TOILETS Need a stop? comfort Rosedale CBD Car Park Reserve, 9 Queen Street, Rosedale (24 hrs) Sale Sale Railway Station, Pettit Dr, Sale (Venue hours) Port of Sale, Canal Road, Sale (24 hrs) Wellington Centre, 70 Foster Street, Sale Gippsland Centre, 37-39 Cunninghame Street Little McMillan Park, McIntosh Drive, Sale (24 hrs) Longford Hall & Tennis Courts, 6-8 High Street, Longford Botanic Gardens, Guthridge Parade, Sale (24 hrs) Maffra Macalister River Regional Park, McMahon Drive, Maffra (24 hrs) Maffra Old Court House, 96 Johnson Street, Maffra Lions Park, Boisdale Street, Maffra (24 hrs) Stratford Apex Park, 23 McMillan Street, Stratford (24 hrs) Soldiers Memorial Park, Princes Highway, Stratford (24 hrs)
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