Those following my updates will already know that I moved to the Buloke region from Brisbane in 2013.
Recently, however, it occurred to me that in my seven years living in the shire, I still hadn’t seen all of it — and so I took myself for a weekend away to Sea Lake.
With the stress of the last year, and road trips forever taking me to Melbourne for hospital visits, the hour-long drive and mini break of three nights staying at the pet-friendly Sea Lake Motel was a great opportunity to decompress with a couple of critters for company.
My skin sensitivity kept me from enjoying all that this little getaway had to offer, spending most of the daytime sheltered from the sun in the motel room, but it’s also what enabled me to find out one of the “perks” of the place. With free Wi-Fi came Netflix on the smart TV in my room. I could binge-watch anything I liked!
In my opinion, it’s quite a neat little motel. Bright and colourful, sitting on the Calder Highway in front of the footy grounds, it has very friendly staff, a pool, barbecue area, 24 hour check-in and, of course, Netflix!
The 24-hour check-in process was new to me. Instead of a desk clerk I was met with a computerised machine into which I punched the details of my reservation, and it spat out my room key. But manager, Helen Geri, was easily contactable, and a lovely person with a wealth of knowledge of the area.
With her I made my reservation, over the phone through the “BOOK DIRECT” feature that ensures my payment goes directly to the local business. Anyone seeking to stay at this motel can visit the website www.sealakemotel.com.au or book by calling 0418 487 188.
Tickled at Tyrrell
With the motel located close to both Green Lake and Tyrrell Lake, I was up and out at Tyrrell in time to see the sun rise on the first morning. Not knowing the area, I parked at the toilet block and walked with the dogs out to the point, before realising that you can drive out there too (if the walk might be too taxing for you).
At that time of a weekday morning, I was there alone with a coffee bought from the local shop, enjoying the silence and the watching changing colours of the rising sun over the salt flat stillness. The dogs enjoyed stretching their legs in a new place, and the walk was stimulating. A perfect morning!
Once I made it to the point, I made quite the exciting discovery of the new Sky Lounge. A circle of steel recliners to take in the night sky in such an isolated location, with signs displaying different constellations to look out for. I immediately promised myself a return trip at night to take it in. You will have to imagine the stars from this isolated location, as a mere smart phone cannot capture the beauty of such a sky.
The knowledgeable Helen advised me that the recent infrastructure of boardwalks and the Sky Lounge at Lake Tyrrell were part of a $2.4 million upgrade that only opened on December 19, 2020. But it is actually coming into the right season now; with more rain, the lake surface will become more reflective than the drier period when I visited.
Green Lake
For those who enjoy camping, swimming, skiing and other water-based activities, camping rates are reasonable at Green Lake for both powered and unpowered sites, and I found it to be a beautiful and busy spot to visit. The lake is situated 10km from Sea Lake on the Sea Lake-Birchip Road adjacent to a woodland reserve that offers scenic flora and fauna for those who enjoy bushwalking.
Unfortunately for me, I didn’t arrive there as early as my visit to Tyrrell the day before and couldn’t stay too long in the strengthening sun.
What I did see was a beautiful lake with shady surrounds occupied by myriad campers, boats, and tourists taking advantage of this incredible spot. It has powered camping sites, a playground, showers, barbecue areas and picnic tables under shelters, all surrounding a picturesque lake to make it a great spot to visit within our shire.
Sea Lake Silo
It had taken me too long to take in these sights, but I enjoyed the art displayed on the silo in Sea Lake very much. I also made my own personal connection with the night sky depicted in the image after my exciting discovery of the Sky Lounge at Tyrrell.
I felt a bit like that little girl on the swing, out on an adventure, taking in new sights in my very own (and might I say BIG) backyard.
Sea Lake is well worth a visit if you haven’t been, and worth a re-visit if you have. Supporting towns within our own region is something of particular importance to me and I enjoyed my visit thoroughly.
For more information on things to see and do in Sea Lake, visit www.sealake.vic.au a site that has numerous links to aid the newcomer to town.