A red river gum a few kilometres from Marlo on the banks of the Snowy River

Marlo (including Cape Conran)
Small and attractive town on the Gippsland coast
For a settlement of only a few hundred people, Marlo has produced an inordinate amount of enthusiastic prose and poetry. It seems that every writer who stumbled upon this tiny settlement (which is perched about 90 m above sea level on a headland overlooking the flood plain and estuary of the Snowy River), has been inspired to write about the experience in the most glowing terms.

John Stanley James, while travelling through east Gippsland in 1886 wrote: 'Nothing can be lovelier than the early morning at Marlo, with sea, and sky, and land glowing in the tints of recent dawning ...' and E.J. Brady, who lived for years up the coast at Mallacoota, wrote that 'Marlo is one of these peaceful, out-of-the-way places, where nerves and worries, and the disappointments of cities may be curbed or forgotten. 'The little seaside hamlet is perched on the side of a scrubby hill, where the shingled roofs of a few old bush cottages, and a hotel, give just the necessary touch of habitation.' While the minor Victorian poet Nathan Spielvogel was inspired to write:

I stood alone on Marlo beach
Beside the broken sea
Without a care, without a fear
The world was far
As sky-held star,
And God came wondrous near,
Together we, on Marlo beach,
The ocean, God and me.

Located 15 km west of Orbost and 396 km east of Melbourne, Marlo is a tiny, and sleepy, holiday/fishing village which was once an important port at the mouth of the Snowy River.

Despite the difficulty of crossing the sandbar (Discovering Marlo states 'Tides and currents at the mouth are strong and negotiating the entrance can be extremely dangerous'), Marlo developed into an important port between the 1850s and the 1880s. It was at this time, before the arrival of the railway at Orbost, that paddle steamers, schooners and ketches plied the lower reaches of the Snowy River and the rich produce of the Snowy River valley (reputedly one of the richest river valleys in the world) was carried by sea to Melbourne.

Today Marlo is a popular holiday resort, particularly for fishermen and people who like messing around with boats.

Things to see:  

Fishermen on the wharf at Marlo

Fishing in the Area
Anyone planning to spend time in Marlo, or to go fishing in the Marlo area, should obtain a copy of Discovering Marlo and the Snowy River Estuary, an excellent brochure with a very detailed map, information about fishing spots and sandbanks, and even a scale for measuring the legal size of fish, published by the Conservation Forests & Lands.

It has a number of slipways including the historic Corringle Slips. Access to the Corringle Slips is via Corringle Road which leaves the Princes Highway at Newmerella south of Orbost. The Discovering Marlo map notes that 'The Corringle Slips were built by Samuel Richardson and sons during the time when the Orbost Shipping Company was operating. The Slips were washed away in the 1893 floods and reassembled by Martin Jorgensen who then became a part owner of the Slips.'

The Slips have camping facilities, toilets, a picnic area and are known as a good fishing area.

Sightseeing
If you approach Marlo from Orbost the road follows the Snowy River and passes an unusual area of warm temperate rainforest with vines, lianas and lilly pilly trees on the far-side bank of the river. This pocket of rainforest is home to bell-birds and thornbills.

It is near here that it is easy to see the impact of flooding on the river banks (the Snowy has been known to flood three times in a year). There is a point where the sheer cliffs beside the river have been whittled away into a series of small outcrops.

As a township Marlo is really for fishermen and holiday makers. It is a sleepy and undistinguished. However, beyond the town¹s jetty and boat ramp the Marlo-Cape Conran Road offers a number of superb lookout vantage points where visitors can see where the Snowy River reaches the sea. The sand dunes across the estuary and the opening to the sea are dramatic.

Cabbage Tree Creek and Cape Conran
Beyond the Marlo shopping centre, on the road to Cabbage Tree Creek and Cape Conran (19 km east of Marlo), there is a substantial community which consists of holiday homes.

Cape Conran Reserve is an attractive rocky peninsula which has a pleasant 2.5 km clifftop walk and is ideal for swimming, fishing, diving and boating. The Department of Conservation, Forests & Lands has a sheet map of the area which is available at either the Cann River or the Orbost Information Centres.

	Motels
	Marlo Caravan Park & Motel 10 Argyle Pde Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8226 Rating: ***1/2
	Hotels
	Marlo Hotel Argyle St Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8493
	Apartments
	Paddies Holiday Apartment 30 Willis Ave Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8364 Rating: ***
	Cottages & Cabins
	Cape Conran Cabins Yeerung Rd Cape Conran Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8438 Rating: **
	Lodges & Chalets
	Tabbara Lodge Marlo 1 Marlo Rd Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8231 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Banksia Bluff Bush Camp Yeerung Rd Cape Conran Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8438
	Burbang Caravan Park Cape Conran Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8219 Rating: **
	Marlo Caravan Park & Motel 10 Argyle Pde Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8226 Rating: ****
	Municipal Camp Park Marine Pde Marlo VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 8268 Rating: **