The State Government is set to start work on the training walls for the Gippsland Lakes – improving access for offshore commercial and recreational vessels.
The training walls form the entrance channel to the local port of Lakes Entrance and works are set to begin to stabilise the existing timber structure – with crews to install rock-filled bags into the training walls and a large armour rock along the channel side of the walls.
This is part of a $4.5 million upgrade of the Lakes Entrance Training Walls, funded in the Victorian Budget 2024/25 that will renew two sections of the training walls, which are more than 130 years old and listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
“I am pleased to see continuing investment in infrastructure at Lakes Entrance which is good for the local community and industry, as well as tourism and the businesses that it supports,” Member for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh said.
The training walls are accessed by tourists and local anglers as a spot to fish, sightsee and observe seals, dolphins and other marine life.
These works will reduce hazards including unstable rock surfaces, as well as protecting the stability and increasing longevity of the structure which will be operated and maintained by Gippsland Ports.
Construction on the project will start in the coming weeks and works are expected to be completed later this year subject to weather and wave conditions.
“We’re ensuring the Lakes Entrance training walls continue to meet the needs of the local fishing, boating and tourism industries for years to come,” Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne said.
“These works will deliver more resilient training walls, protect Gippsland’s waterways and provide safer access for thousands of locals and visitors.”
Further heritage and pedestrian access works will continue in 2026.
Recreational fishing in Gippsland contributes $350 million to the Victorian economy and supports more than 1700 full-time jobs – making the safe and accessible operation of the Lakes Entrance port critical to the region’s tourism and fishing industries.
Local ports like this are vital to regional economies, connecting communities and supporting industries from tourism and transport to seafood and recreation.
