Why Metung Should Be on Your List This Winter

The June school holidays arrive every year with the same challenge. Two weeks, kids who need to get out of the house, and a wish list that involves something worth the drive.

Metung doesn’t always make the shortlist. It’s tucked away at the end of a peninsula on the Gippsland Lakes, about two and a half hours from Melbourne. But that distance is part of what makes it work. You arrive somewhere that feels properly different from home.

This year, the first weekend of the Victorian school holidays lands on the Metung Winter Festival. That’s a useful coincidence, and a good reason to build a trip around it.

What Families Actually Want from a Winter Break

Fresh air helps. So does having things to do that don’t involve a screen. And a base that makes the logistics easy rather than complicated.

Metung delivers on all three. The village is small enough to feel safe and easy to navigate on foot. The foreshore along Bancroft Bay is right there. Patterson Park, adjacent to Metung Waters, has a children’s play area. And on the evening of Saturday, 27th June, the Village Green turns into the Metung Winter Festival.

For families who’ve done the Mornington Peninsula or the Great Ocean Road a few times, Metung is a real change of pace.

The Metung Winter Festival: A Proper Family Evening Out

The festival runs from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Saturday, 27th June 2026 at the Metung Village Green. Entry is free.

For kids, there’s face painting, giant lawn games, children’s colouring activities and the chance to sit behind the wheel of the Metung CFA fire truck. The dumpling eating competition runs a separate children’s heat this year, with trophies and prizes for the winner. Entry is on the day.

On the food front, there’s something for most tastes: fish and chips, woodfired pizza, a range of international dishes, sausages, hot chocolate with marshmallows, popcorn and fairy floss. BK Carving runs a live wood carving demonstration throughout the afternoon, and the evening closes with a lakeside lantern parade down to the Metung Wharf.

Kids can bring a handmade lantern or buy one on the night from local primary school students. It’s the kind of ending that makes the drive home unnecessary, if you’ve already booked your room.

Metung Waters: A Family-Based That Works

Metung Waters Motel sits at 9 Kurnai Avenue, a five-minute walk from the Village Green and right next door to Patterson Park. View accommodation options at metungwaters.com.au/accommodation.

The two-bedroom apartments are the obvious choice for families. Each has a queen bedroom with a private balcony overlooking Lake King and a twin room with its own balcony. There’s a spa bath and a full self-contained setup, which means bedtime doesn’t have to mean everyone’s quiet at the same time.

You won’t need the car once you’ve checked in. The village store is 50 metres away. The Metung Hotel is a short walk. The town beach is within easy reach. The motel is 4-star AAA rated, which matters when you’re travelling with children and need things to actually work.

What to Do Beyond the Festival

The school holidays run for two weeks, so there’s time for more than one evening.

The Gippsland Lakes offer excellent fishing, and hire boats are available in the area for getting out on the water. Metung is a walking village, which makes morning strolls easy with younger kids. The foreshore is flat and good for prams.

For a day trip, Bairnsdale is about 35 kilometres to the west. Lakes Entrance is roughly 30 kilometres to the east, with its well-known waterway entrance and the Ninety Mile Beach nearby.

Closer to home, the village rewards slow exploration. Art galleries, gift shops and a chemist are all within walking distance of Metung Waters.

What the Trip Feels Like

Winter on the Gippsland Lakes has a quality that’s easier to feel than explain. The water is calm. The light in the mornings is low and gold. The village is unhurried in a way that feels rare.

After a morning at the beach and an evening at the festival, the kids are genuinely tired. The spa bath is yours. The balcony is cold, but the view over Lake King is worth a minute before bed.

It’s the kind of trip that feels longer than it is, in a good way.