VICPort & river
Lakes Entrance
A man-made sea entrance turned inland lakes into a working port.
1870Cunninghame post office opens · lakes port settlement
WHAT STARTED IT
A settlement grew at the narrow opening between the Gippsland Lakes and Bass Strait as pilots guided vessels through the shifting natural channel. The Cunninghame post office opened in 1870 while work proceeded on a more reliable artificial entrance.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Commercial fishing began in 1878 and the town adopted the name Lakes Entrance in 1915. A substantial deep-sea fleet developed during the twentieth century, alongside a growing holiday industry.
TURNING POINTS
1870Cunninghame post office opens.
1878Commercial fishing begins.
1915Town adopts the name Lakes Entrance.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
An East Gippsland fishing port and holiday centre where boats, lakes and the engineered ocean entrance remain the town’s defining features.