Mallacoota

Mallacoota is a town of about 1,100 permanent residents at the end of the Genoa-Mallacoota Road, roughly 530 kilometres east of Melbourne and only 25 kilometres from the New South Wales border. It sits on Mallacoota Inlet, a large estuary system that opens to the Tasman Sea through a narrow channel, and is almost entirely surrounded by Croajingolong National Park, one of Australia's 15 designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.

The town's defining quality is its remoteness. There is one road in and the same road out, and it takes around six hours to drive from Melbourne. This isolation has kept Mallacoota small, quiet and remarkably unspoiled. The inlet system covers around 22 square kilometres and provides sheltered kayaking, fishing and boating, while the ocean beach on the eastern side has good surf breaks and long stretches of empty sand.

Croajingolong National Park wraps around the town and protects 875 square kilometres of coastal wilderness, from warm temperate rainforest in the gullies to heathland on the headlands. The park supports over 300 bird species and is one of the most important birding sites in Victoria. The rare ground parrot and glossy black cockatoo are both present, and the inlet is a major feeding site for migratory waders from the northern hemisphere. Gabo Island, a nature reserve 14 kilometres offshore, supports one of the largest colonies of little penguins in Australia.

Mallacoota gained national attention during the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, when the town was cut off by fire on New Year's Eve and around 4,000 residents and visitors were evacuated by Navy ships. The community's response to the crisis, and the ongoing recovery effort, became a defining story of the bushfire season. The surrounding forests have regenerated strongly since the fires.

The town has a small but loyal food scene, a genuinely excellent bakery, and a cooperative general store. The annual Mallacoota Arts Festival in March showcases local creative talent. Mallacoota rewards visitors who are willing to invest the travel time, and most people who find it become repeat visitors for life.