This was published 13 years ago
Down by the river
Sue Wallace visits a town where the pace is gentle and the fishing is 'easy'.
Steam driven ... the PS Curlip II cruises the Snowy and Brodribb rivers.
I'm at the historic Marlo Hotel, perched on a hill overlooking the Snowy River and Tasman Sea, listening to a colourful tale about the one that got away. For the past 120 years, the pub has been the centre of this pretty fishing town, which sees its permanent population of about 340 swell over the summer break as holidaymakers take up residence.
The once-a-year angler, a Wangaratta farmer who has been holidaying at Marlo for the past 20 years, assures us anyone can catch a fish here.
''It's a true fisherman's paradise - you can hook perch, bream, trevally and yellow-eyed mullet and the good thing is, if you don't catch anything, you can always have fish and chips at the pub,'' he says.
He also lets slip a local secret about the best place to go prawning when the sun goes down.
''Just head to the backwaters and you'll get heaps of prawns and you can catch good-sized bream and flathead from the town jetty,'' he says.
Located at the mouth of the Snowy River in eastern East Gippsland, 14 kilometres south of Orbost, Marlo is surrounded by stretches of pristine beaches, pockets of rainforest, wetlands and rich grazing land.
The town has been the inspiration for many writers and poets, including Edwin James Brady, who described it as ''one of these peaceful, out-of-the-way places''. But things haven't always been so quiet. In the mid-1880s, Marlo was a busy port, with paddle steamers, schooners and ketches sailing the lower reaches of the Snowy River transporting produce to ships bound for Melbourne.
These days, however, the only paddle steamer to be seen is the PS Curlip II, a replica of the original Curlip that was a familiar sight along the river from the early 1900s for 30 years.
In 2002, Gil Richardson and a group of mates decided it would be a great tourist attraction and it became a community project, with volunteers clocking up 16,000 hours building the replica.
Captain Harry Ferrier takes daily cruises along the Snowy and Brodribb rivers in the busy tourist season and on weekends during quieter times.
As we chug along the Snowy on our 90-minute cruise, we see herons, black swans, cormorants, pelicans, ducks and a large sea eagle's nest high on a tree. After the cruise, we step up the pace with a half-day Forest Rush bike ride.
Cyclist Liz Mitchell leads us through the forest, where the silence is only broken by the sound of a river and the many birds.
The uphill effort is worth it as we reach the top, turn and experience the ''rush'' part of the tour - a 10-kilometre downhill descent.
Home for the night is the West Cape Cabins Retreat, 10 kilometres from Marlo in the Cape Conran Coastal Park on the edge of the Croajingolong National Park. The comfortable cabins have been built from salvaged timber.
Cape Conran is known for its wild beauty and spectacular coastline and caters for all, with a surf beach at West Cape and gentle beaches at East Cape, as well as rock pools, boardwalks and coastal walking tracks.
We decide fish is on the menu for dinner and head to the Marlo jetty to test my friend's theory. We throw in a line but only get a few nibbles. Then we do the sensible thing - pack up and head to the Marlo pub for a great feed of fish and chips and my own tale of the one that got away.
Sue Wallace was a guest of Tourism Victoria and East Gippsland Marketing.
FAST FACTS
Getting there
Marlo is 400 kilometres east of Melbourne. Head up the Princess Highway to Orbost, then follow the Snowy River south to Marlo.
Staying there
West Cape Cabins, 1547 Cape Conran Road, Marlo. Timber two-bedroom cabins, from $215 twin share a night peak season, group accommodation is also available. Phone 5154 8296, see westcapecabins.com.
Eating there
Marlo Hotel, 19 Argyle Parade, Marlo. Phone 5154 8201, see marlohotel.com.au.
Things to do
Snowy River Cycling, phone 0428 556 088, see snowyrivercycling.com.au.
CurlipII paddle steamer, adults $25, children $15, family $60, bookings essential. Phone 0411 395 903, see paddlesteamercurlip.com.au.
Discover East Gippsland, phone 1800 637 060, see discovereastgippsland.com.au.
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