Meeniyan, want a quick break and only a short drive from Melbourne? The townsfolk have created a park like setting for RV stopovers. You can camp on grassy lawns amongst attractive native plants with plenty of birdlife and koalas. There’s a concrete path leading to the main street shops that are only a few metres away. You’ll find interesting shops, a gallery, good eateries, a pub and excellent coffee. The East Gippsland rail trail runs through the park. You’ll feel like you are much further away from the city and it’s a spot that warrants more than one visit. What’s it got? Flushing toilets and water is available.

Loch, this quirky little village has a good café / bakery, a distillery, and a winery. There’s not much else but the footy ground camping area has power and toilets for campers. Although the park is on the other side of the South Gippsland Highway, cross the swing bridge and you’ll discover a walking tunnel underneath.

Yinnar, this little gem is south of Morwell past the old power station pondage near Churchill. One tends to think of coal power stations and such, but this is another dairying area with a rather artsy main street. Residents have built a well laid out freedom camp with views across the paddocks. There’s a brilliant café selling great coffee and the pub has the best, most ingenious and largest parmies we’ve ever tasted! There’s a toilet behind the community garden. I nearly forgot the butcher. Opposite the RV stopover, you can’t miss it, and very good meat. We highly recommend the sweet and juicy crumbed lamb cutlets.

Paradise Valley, Gippsland. We’ve visited but we haven’t stayed, yet. A private campground located in a secluded bend of the Macallister River with grazing sheep for company. Power is available but the unpowered sites are a dream. Water available, toilets and showers.

The townsfolk of Heyfield had the bright idea to turn their old footy groundinto a freedom camp they call the Heyfield Top Spot. They invested a bit of cash into building a smart toilet and shower block and donations from campers ensured that they got their money back quickly. Now the whole town benefits from donations and extra business. There’s a good bakery, a pub, cafes and a hardware store for those things that always break on a van. The town has also invested in turning their wetland area into a series of peaceful walking trails. Heyfield is a good base for exploring this lush green dairying area.

Maffra Golf Club, just a short drive from Heyfield is the Maffra Golf club where you can park on lawn with power and water. Toilets are available at the clubhouse a few steps away. Take the clubs with you.

Kilcunda, if you watch the weather forecast keenly and pick a time of warmth without wind, the views from this clifftop caravan park can be heavenly. Across the road there is a good café and of course, the Killy pub. There are rock pools to explore at low tide and a little further down the beach is the old railway trestle bridge.

Inverloch, Ingenia Holidays Inverloch Foreshore to be specific as they run both the family park a block back and this one. Being on the sandy foreshore tucked into the vegetation and close to the ebb and flow of Anderson’s Inlet is relaxing. It’s only a short walk to the town shops. All facilities.

The fishermen of Port Albert are happy to share the boat ramp car park, as long as you keep out of their way and park on the grass, which seems odd, but it works. This tiny village has great fish and chips. Other than that, there are pleasant walks around the boats and a seriously good maritime museum. Waking up to the silence of mist on the waters of Corner Inlet is well worth the visit. Toilets.

The Victoria Hotel at Alberton is a few minutes’ drive north from Port Albert. The publican has kindly made a lawn area out back for RV’ers and the meals are excellent. Toilets are in the pub and you may get a chance to chat with the chef.

Down Seaspray way where the 90 Mile Beach stretches forever, you’ll find the ‘Shoreline Drive’ free campgrounds tucked in behind the dunes. This is a good spot during the week and after the summer holidays when there are less people around. I sat on the steps here one morning sipping a coffee and watching the sun come up over Bass Strait, when suddenly a woman appeared and said “Hello, I’m from the Netherlands”. So much for thinking that I was miles from anywhere. No facilities.

Marlay Point, is on the northern shore of Lake Wellington and a part of the Gippsland Lakes. The local yacht club allows free camping along the shore and the birdlife is plentiful. A quiet overnighter. No facilities.

Orbost is a charming little town and the drive down to Marlo along the Snowy River provides several overnight fishing spots. No facilities but solitude aplenty. (sorry, no pics)

Everyone’s favourite Mallacoota in East Gippsland, has a huge Foreshore Holiday Park that stretches up the hill and along the river. The town has all you will need, the inlet and beaches are beautiful and check out the World War 11 Underground Bunker Museum for an understanding of Mallacoota’s role in the war. BTW thanks to Mallacoota an old friend of ours survived when his Merchant Navy ship was sunk off the coast by the Japanese.

The almost non-existent town of Genoa near the NSW border has a delightful donation campground. This was once a caravan park so there are flushing toilets and chooks. Don’t ask me, but it seems that the chooks have made the place their home. This is a great overnighter when doing the NSW south coast and forgetting the chooks you’ll probably see lyrebirds dashing across the highway in the forests of the border area south of Eden.