Diving & Travel Guide to Victoria – Gippsland

About Victoria – Gippsland

Gippsland, Victoria's southeastern coastal region stretching from Wilsons Promontory to the New South Wales border, offers rugged and remote diving in some of Australia's most pristine and least-crowded marine environments. The region's diving is centered on the offshore islands and rocky headlands that dot the wild Bass Strait coastline, with the highlight being The Skerries, a group of rocky islands that serve as one of Australia's most important Australian fur seal breeding colonies. Diving at The Skerries provides extraordinary seal encounters, with the playful and curious seals providing some of the most interactive wildlife experiences available in Australian waters, alongside vibrant sponge gardens, kelp forests, and schools of pelagic fish. Gabo Island, at the far eastern end of the Gippsland coast, offers remote diving with exceptional marine life including seals, schooling fish, and dramatic underwater cliff faces. The Wilsons Promontory region provides accessible diving at Waterloo Bay and Glennie Island, with granite boulder fields creating dramatic underwater landscapes covered in vibrant invertebrate life. Anser Island and Rabbit Island offer more sheltered diving with diverse marine ecosystems, while Beware Reef Marine Sanctuary protects an extensive rocky reef system with abundant marine life and the protection of sanctuary zone status. The Gippsland Lakes, Australia's largest network of inland waterways, provide sheltered diving and snorkeling opportunities, and the Ninety Mile Beach offers a dramatically different coastal landscape with long sandy beaches and submerged reef systems. The region's remote and wild character, combined with its outstanding national parks, pristine wilderness, and growing artisan food scene, makes it one of Australia's most adventurous diving destinations.

Highlights

• ✓The Skerries – Australian fur seal colony with extraordinary interactive encounters
• ✓Gabo Island – remote diving with dramatic underwater cliff faces and abundant marine life
• ✓Wilsons Promontory – granite boulder fields with vibrant invertebrate life
• ✓Beware Reef Marine Sanctuary – protected rocky reef with diverse ecosystems
• ✓Remote and uncrowded diving in some of Australia's most pristine marine environments
• ✓Extraordinary wilderness and national park experiences alongside the diving

Getting There

Gippsland is accessed from Melbourne via the Princes Highway, with Wilsons Promontory approximately 3 hours southeast and Lakes Entrance approximately 4 hours east. The region does not have major commercial airports, though Latrobe Valley Airport (TGN) receives limited regional flights. The main dive departure points are Walkerville or Port Albert (for The Skerries), Mallacoota (for Gabo Island), and Tidal River (for Wilsons Promontory sites). The dive sites are spread across a large and remote area, making a rental car essential. Several dive operators run trips from the coastal towns, though the remote nature of the region means that some sites, particularly Gabo Island, require advance planning and favorable weather conditions. The Gippsland region is best explored as part of an extended road trip, combining the diving with the outstanding national parks, wilderness areas, and the Gippsland Lakes.