Snake Island is part of the Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Park and all activities on the Island are regulated by Parks Victoria.
Download the Snake Island Camping Guide from the Parks Victoria website.
A useful summary of the unique environment of Corner Inlet can be found in the Marine Natural Values Study Summary provided by Parks Victoria.
Aerial Views of Corner Inlet and Snake Island:
Bush walking
Snake Island can only be accessed by boat, but once there you can experience nature at its unspoilt best.
Whether its just a day trip or you camp overnight, the island offers the opportunity to get up close to the many species of animals present on the island.
The animals are wary but not frightened of visitors, so you’ll be able to quietly observe kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and the extremely shy Hog Deer go about their normal routines. Great photo opportunities are everywhere.
Camping
Three recognised camping areas exist on Snake Island: Swashway, Gulf and Huts. Facilities are not provided so campers need to be self sufficient, including all water (water on the island is not suitable for drinking).
Dispersed bush camping is permitted for groups less than 12, provided the site is not used for more than two consecutive nights. Campfires are permitted in accordance with fire protection regulations, although the use of portable stoves is encouraged.
Fishing
The sheltered waters of Corner Inlet yield snapper, salmon, whiting, trevally and flathead, and the area is popular with game fishermen because it offers the safest ocean entrance between Westernport Bay and Eden in NSW. Port Welshpool is the major town and is situated at the entrance to Corner Inlet behind Little Snake Island.
Fishermen who value the opportunity to fish off a more isolated and less crowded beach can try their luck on the southern beaches of Snake Island with the wind and waves rolling in from Bass Strait. Some great flathead have been caught off the beach opposite Wilson’s Promontory.
Bird Watching
Corner Inlet is a Ramsar site and has a high diversity of bird species, with thirty-two wader species recorded. The Inlet provides extensive tidal flats that are exposed at low tide, which are important feeding areas for waders. It is estimated that nearly 50 per cent of the overwintering migratory waders in Victoria occur in Corner Inlet.
More information can be found at:
Australian Wetlands Database (Ramsar Wetlands) – Corner Inlet
Precious birds at Corner Inlet (ABC Gippsland)
Kayaking
Kayak clubs and groups leave from Port Welshpool and head along Lewis channel toward Wilsons Promontory. After exploring the Prom, groups cross to Snake Island and set up camp at the Cattlemen’s Huts … Read More
Horse riding
The Snake Island Cattlemens Association under licence from Parks Victoria operate regular riding tours of the Island during the summer and winter seasons.
The Cattlemen administer the agistment of cattle on the island and members undertake land management activities as well as cattle welfare and control. The Association offers a limited number of places for horse riders to join them and participate in this unique and time honoured experience.
Riders cross from the mainland at low tide to the island under the guidance of an experienced Cattleman known as a “Pilot”.
People who are interested to find out more information about this activity should contact the Snake Island Cattlemens Assocation via our contact form. Please note that due to high demand and an extensive waiting list we are not taking any bookings until further notice .
Education excursions and research
Corner Inlet is an impressive 67,000 hectare Ramsar-listed wetland and is significant for its unique intertidal mudflats and barrier islands including Snake Island situated west of the Ninety Mile Beach.
The wetland provides vital habitat for resident wader birds and each year tens of thousands of migratory birds use its coastal and wetland vegetation as important feeding, breeding, nesting and resting habitat.
Corner Inlet is recognised as home to the most southern stand of White Mangrove in the world and supports seagrass meadows, including the rare broad leaf seagrass, critical to fish feeding and breeding cycles.
Corner Inlet also supports an array of marine life such as the pot-bellied seahorse, King George whiting, brightly coloured sea stars and sponges, and communities of sea squirts and anemones.
School Groups have been visiting and camping on Snake Island for many years. Students not only get to experience the natural environment of the island but opportunities exist for groups to participate in some of the research projects currently being undertaken on the island and Corner Inlet more generally.
Research projects are regularly undertaken by organisations such as Parks Victoria, the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (WGCMA) and the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (DELWP)
The following are just some of many projects being undertaken in and around corner Inlet: