The Town On The Edge: Part One
By: Phoenix Arrien
If you travel along the east coast of Australia between Melbourne and Sydney you will come across secret little towns that are hidden gems. Mallacoota is such a one.
The farthest town in eastern Victoria, the population of several thousand people welcome visitors warmly, but don’t look for them. The ‘coota view is that they live here for the peace and tranquillity, the beauty and natural attractions and the artistic flavour of the community. Being such a stunningly wild place, it is a magnet for artists and writers…and holiday makers.
We are here…puttering along in a small boat along the wild shores of Mallacoota River for half an hour before we found…. there it is! The furry teddy sitting up in the fork of a spindly green gum tree.
Koala bears look gingerbread cute with little round furry ears and big black triangular noses, but such sweetness can be deceptive. These bears have long sharp claws and are known to use them. Therefore they are perfect to look at from a distance, which is exactly where Simon Buckley and his little boat, the equally cutely named boat, the ‘Porkie Bess,’ had places us; close enough to look but not too close for mauling.
Wildlife along the rugged coast and wild forests of Far East Gippsland in south-eastern Australia is abundant. Sparsely populated, with large forests and blessed by a mildly cool climate, this large area making up the easternmost part of the southern mainland state of Victoria, has a diverse range of eco-systems; enough for a wide number of animals and birds to flourish.
We make true and lasting friendships with two retired potters who now run the Karbeethong Lodge where we prop our feet on a chair on the Lodge’s long back porch and spend much time gazing at the view. The shimmering blue waters of the Mallacoota Inlet are only metres away from the porch down a green lawn and around a few trees. Blue misty mountains carpeted with green forests line the horizon above the inlet.
Bruce Heggie and Julie Ford came here from a dry and dusty inland town to absorb the lush nature and peaceful lifestyle. The beauty of the region has even inspired them to take up painting. They bring a warmth that infuses the lodge and helps us relax.
Last night, around the open fire with the sun setting over a golden water vista through the large bay window, friends, visitors, Bruce and Julie and owners Rosemary Luker and Russell Freeman gathered for an evening of swapping life stories, local gossip, historic retellings and jokes. It was a cosy few hours of the sort that can’t be planned, but gracefully appeared to fall lovingly together out of the warm dark woods of the Edwardian décor, the open hearts of the people at the lodge and the tranquillity and beauty of the environment.
