Metung

Town in Victoria, Australia

37°53′0″S 147°51′0″E / 37.88333°S 147.85000°E / -37.88333; 147.85000Population1,449 (2016 census)^[1]Postcode(s)3904Location

314 km (195 mi) E of Melbourne
31 km (19 mi) SE of Bairnsdale
20 km (12 mi) W of Lakes Entrance

LGA(s)Shire of East Gippsland State electorate(s)Gippsland East Federal division(s)Gippsland

Mean max temp	Mean min temp	Annual rainfall
19.2 °C 67 °F	10.3 °C 51 °F	731.7 mm 28.8 in

Metung is a town in East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The town is 314 kilometres (195 mi) east of the state capital Melbourne and between the larger towns of Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance. It is on a small peninsula 31 kilometres (19 mi) south-east of Bairnsdale, separating Lake King and Bancroft Bay on the Gippsland Lakes.

Metung Post Office opened on 2 June 1879.^[2]

Metung is a popular holiday spot, near to larger towns but off any main routes itself. Many of the permanent inhabitants commute to work at Bairnsdale or Lakes Entrance.

Golfers play at the course of the Kings Cove Metung Golf Club on Kings Cove Boulevard.^[3]

Legend Rock

The original inhabitants of the area—the Aboriginal Gunai or Kurnai people—tell a story about an unusual group of rocks now found alongside the boardwalk in the Metung Marina on Bancroft Bay. This legend or fable indicates how greed will be punished.

The legend goes that some fishermen made a good catch and ate the fish around their campfire. The fishermen, however, did not share their catch with their dogs, despite having more than enough to eat. As a punishment, the women, who were guardians of social law, turned the greedy men to stone.^[4]

Originally there were three rocks found at this location that related to the legend, but two of them were destroyed during road works. The remaining Legend Rock is now protected.^[4]

Gallery

The remaining Legend Rock in the marina
Metung Wharf on Bancroft Bay

References

^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Metung (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
^ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 11 April 2008
^ Golf Select, Kings Cove, retrieved 11 May 2009
^ ^a ^b Bataluk Cultural Trail Site Signage, Site 7 - Legend Rock, East Gippsland, Victoria