A timber jinker in Forest Park below the Slab Hut and Tourist Information Centre, Orbost

Orbost
Small and interesting town near the Snowy Mountains
Located 375 km from Melbourne and 670 km from Sydney, Orbost is a medium-sized township on the river flats of the Snowy Mountains. Close to the coast it is only 45 m above sea level.

The town is a service centre for the surrounding primary producers who raise beef and dairy cattle, grow beans and maize, and operate no fewer than 27 sawmills. If you stay in Orbost for a few hours you will quickly realise its dependence on the timber industry. Huge timber trucks pass through the town centre on their way to the mills.

The Orbost area was first settled by Europeans in 1842 when Peter Imlay (one of the famous Imlay brothers) took up grazing land which he called the Snowy River Station. Three years later he sold the land to Norman McLeod, a Scot who named the area Orbost. There a number of explanations for the word. Some sources claim it was the name of a town on the Isle of Skye, others claim it was the McLeod seat on the island, while others claim it is a Gaelic word meaning 'winged island' which was common on the Isle of Skye, the birthplace of McLeod.

The historical sources are similarly confusing. In their excellent book on the Aborigines of the area, The Kurnai of Gippsland, Phillip Pepper and Tess de Araugo describe the area in 1851 in the following terms: 'Archibald Macleod and his son John held a run of 24 322 acres in the fertile country of the Snowy River. The station was named Orbost and it extended from the Brodribb River on the east to the Snowy River on the south and west and about fifteen miles below the Buchan River junction to the north.' No mention of Norman McLeod.

Certainly a township didnšt emerge until the late 1870s. However by 1880 the Snowy River Shipping Company was shipping produce (mainly vegetables) from the area to Melbourne. The arrival of the railway in 1915-16 stopped this trade. Since then the town has grown as a major service centre for the surrounding area.

Like many country towns, Orbost is a one-street town. Most of the town's hotels and businesses are located on Nicholson Street which runs north-south through the town centre and features a large, well-grassed median strip.

Things to see:  

The Slab Hut and Tourist Information Centre

Tourist Information and Forest Park
The Snowy River Orbost Visitors Centre is located in Locheil St, tel: (03) 5154 2424. It has all the information you need regarding the area's tour operators and accommodation (they can execute bookings for you if you ring 1800 637 060). The centre also has free tourist drive brochures, maps, national park information, local arts and crafts, souvenirs, and information relating to museums, wineries etc. The centre is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily.

There are rainforest audiovisuals and a number of rainforest walks head off from the centre through Forest Park in Nicholson St. There is also a Koori Sensory Trail which focuses on local plantlife. One of the trails leads to a slab hut relocated from the Upper Snowy River. It has been furnished as a period settler's home with bric-a-brac, furnishings etc. It is open seven days a week and also sells souvenirs. The park also contains ducks, hens, a mill race, a mill which is attached to a crusher and an old timber jinker - a suitable symbol of the industry which has sustained the town.

Further information about local walks is available from the Parks Victoria office at 171-173 Nicholson St, tel: (03) 5161 1341.

Snowy River Country Craft
Artist Bronwen Di Bari makes unusual lamps and oil burners using pottery, gemstones, crystal and pewter. Other works in the gallery include functional pottery, paintings of the Snowy River region and local woodcraft. The shop is located at 110A Nicholson St and is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., tel: (03) 5154 2296.

The Bataluk Cultural Trail
The Bataluk Cultural Trail extends from Sale in the east, through Stratford, Mitchell River National Park, Bairnsdale, Metung, Lake Tyers, Buchan and Orbost to Cape Conran in the west. It follows the trails and trading routes of pre-colonial days and focuses on elements of Koorie history and culture, including Dreamtime stories, traditional lifestyles, the Den of Nargun, Legend Rock, Aboriginal Keeping Places, archaeological sites such as canoe trees and shell middens (some dating back 10 000 years), cultural centres of the region, and aspects of European invasion, colonial settlement and present-day existence. At Orbost the focus is on Moogji Aboriginal Council.

Tours
Eastour conduct 4WD tours of the Snowy River and Errinundra National Parks, tel: (03) 5154 2969.

	Tourist Information
	The Snowy River Orbost Visitors Centre Locheil St Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 2424 Facsimile: (03) 5154 1699
	Motels
	Country Roads Motel 94 Salisbury St Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 2500 Rating: ***
	Orbost Motel Lodge Irvines Rd Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1122 Rating: ***
	Snowy River Lodge Princes Hwy Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1242
	Countryman Motor Inn Cnr Livingstone & Salisbury Sts Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1311 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Club Hotel 63 Nicholson St Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1003
	Commonwealth Hotel 159 Nicholson St Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1077
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Kuna Kuna Bed & Breakfast Cnr Buchan & Birkins Rds P.O. Box 179 Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1825 Rating: ***
	Riverview Rural Retreat 15 Irvines Rd Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 2411 Rating: ***
	Killarney Bed & Breakfast Duggans Rd Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1804 Rating: ****
	Caravan Parks
	Orbost Caravan Park Lochiel St Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1097 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Club Hotel 63 Nicholson St Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1003
	Commonwealth Hotel 159 Nicholson St Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1077
	Countryman Motor Inn Livingstone & Salisbury Sts Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1311
	Orbost Motel Lodge Irvines Rd Orbost VIC 3888 Telephone: (03) 5154 1122