It’s the start of spring and I could not wait to get out of the city! Hence, I’ve decided to plan a random weekend camp out in Lake Eildon. I’ve drove up north before, passing Healesville and Marysville but not all the way up to Mansfield. Lake Eildon is about 2 and 1/2 hours drive from the city and widely known for its fishing and water activities. Driving up from Melbourne means we’ll be passing the towns Healesville and Marysville anyway. So you might as well make a pit stop. We took the Maroondah highway up, which allowed us to make good stops along the way. As per my previous post on Marysville, you can pretty much do all those things along the way up to Lake Eildon.

For this particular campground we chose, you are required to make a booking. Luck was definitely on our side, knowing how crazy the weather can get in Melbourne, the weekend we were out camping was beautiful! There was an option for overnight hikes, which I would have gone if we had enough time. Unfortunately this was just a weekend trip, so we couldn’t afford it. The campground I chose, Jerusalem creek was really nice. It is close to the lake and the campsites are not too near each other. And there is a good proportion between the campfire place to the amount of campsites. On the weekend we went, there was almost nobody there. So we had the whole campfire to ourselves which made our night! The next day, we head out to search for some water activities to do. Unfortunately, according to the lady at the information center, Lake Eildon has stopped the canoeing and kayaking activities due to safety reasons. Too many people have gone too far out into the lake and not put on their safety jacket! Well, we decided to rent a picnic boat and drive out into the lake. The boat fits maximum 6 passengers and it is $40 per hour hire. It might be a bit steep for some of you guys, but the bonus is you get to drive the boat yourself! Drive the boat as far as you want into the lake and have it just floating while you take a dip! Or even stop to do a little bit of fishing. Knowing we were going to be on the boat for at least two hours, we packed some lunch, wore our wet suits and brought with us, a bottle of wine. (Do not forget your shades and sunscreen! The sun here in Australia is harsh on your skin!) And so you can tell, we were quite prepared.

The sun was out, the music was on and while the boat lightly rocked in the middle of the lake, we laid down, just staring into the blue skies. We were singing, dreaming and letting our thoughts, memories float as the boat float. It was the most peaceful and serene feeling. What a way to escape all your troubles, stress from the busy life. It was definitely one of those moments you will never forget in your life. Would I recommend it? I would DEMAND it. You can’t leave Lake Eildon without at least experiencing this!