Metung is a town in

East Gippsland East Gippsland is the eastern region of Gippsland, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia covering (14%) of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It has a population of 80,114. Australian Bureau of Statistics2006 Census Community Profile Series: Ea ...

region of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia. The town is east of the state capital

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and between the larger towns of

Bairnsdale Bairnsdale (locally ) (Gunai language, Ganai: ''Wy-yung'') is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, situated in a region traditionally inhabited by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The estimated popu ...

and

Lakes Entrance Lakes Entrance is a town in the Shire of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It is situated approximately east of Melbourne, near a managed, artificial channel connecting the Gippsland Lakes to Bass Strait. At the 2016 census, Lakes Entrance ...

. It is on a small

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

south-east of Bairnsdale, separating Lake King and Bancroft Bay on the

Gippsland Lakes The Gippsland Lakes are a network of coastal lakes, marshes and lagoons in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an overall area of about between the rural towns of Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale and Sale. The largest of the lakes are ...

. 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.

History

Metung Post Office opened on 2 June 1879. A sanitorium named 'Iona', was established by G.A. Stow in the early 1880s opposite the Rosherville Hotel, originally known as 'Stow's Sportsman's Home', or 'Stow's'. Stow attempted to rename 'Mosquito Point' to 'Point Normandby' with a view to attracting visitors. It was later owned by H. Teychenne.

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 A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

on Bancroft Bay. This

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

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. 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.

Gallery

Image:Legend-Rock-NorthSide,-Metung, Vic.jpg, The remaining Legend Rock in the marina Image:Metung-Wharf-Pano,-Vic.jpg, Metung Wharf on Bancroft Bay

References

External links

Official East Gippsland tourism website
Coastal towns in Victoria (state) Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of East Gippsland {{Gippsland-geo-stub