YANAKIE

YANAKIE

YANAKIE
Yanakie is located on the Peninsula of Wilsons Promontory, South Gippsland, and the Southernmost Landmass on the Australian Mainland. Yanakie is approximately a two hour drive from Melbourne via the South Gippsland Highway, (just follow the Wilsons Promontory signs at all times), and the last (and only) town on the peninsula before the 'Prom' National Park gate. The village is situated in a rural location, overlooking rolling farmland, and is only a few minutes drive to beaches (Corner Inlet & Shallow Inlet) on either side of the Peninsula. This is a great destination for those interested in discovering the majestic beauty of the Southern Coastlines, Inlets and bays; access to the giant timbers, the ferny valleys and water falls of the Strzelecki Ranges.
 Village Services - The Yanakie Licensed General Store, fuel outlet and Yanakie House & Gallery Café.
Local attractions & services - Milparinkis Yabbie farm and Tingara View Tea Room
 B&B and Self Contained accommodation providers.
 Two caravan parks on either side of the peninsula
 Boat launching facilities · Population - in village 12 people (increasing in season) and in the whole peninsula region - 261 people (varies seasonally)
 On the Meeniyan - Promontory Road in South Gippsland, 185 Kms from the GPO in Melbourne. · 8 Kms from the National Park gate, travelling time approx 5 mins, and 30 minutes to Tidal River.
 The main town is Foster, 28 Kms to the north, a 20 minutes drive
 Surrounded on two sides by Inlets (Corner & Shallow Inlets), 5 minutes drive either way.
 Local tennis courts & children's playground.
 Fishing, boating, swimming, windsurfing and bushwalking.
 A great base for the artist, photographer, fisherman, Prom enthusiast, or weary traveller.

HISTORY 'YANAKIE (yan-a-key) - a Koori name from the Gunai (Kurnai) language interpreted generally as 'between waters' - More than 12,000 years ago, when the sea level was six metres higher than at present, 'The Prom' was a group of islands with only the mountain tips showing above water level. When the sea level dropped, (to form the land bridge to Tasmania), a series of sand dunes formed over a basalt base creating the Yanakie Peninsula. This constructed a link between the previous islands and the mainland, so that when the sea level rose again, it thus formed what is now the present day Wilsons Promontory.
Wilsons Promontory was first travelled by the Koories (as south-eastern Australian Aboriginals prefer to call themselves). These people were the Gunai (Kurnai) community with the Brataualung clan occupying the surrounding areas of South Gippsland. To the Koories, Wilsons Promontory is known as 'Wamoon', (also known as Yirik or Woomom), watched over by their spirit ancestor, 'Loo-errn'. These people had been spending at least part of their year on the Yanakie Peninsula for approximately 6500 years prior to the arrival of George Bass in 1798.
Originally, in the shire of South Gippsland, Yanakie was one of the parishes in the County of Buln-Buln on Wilsons Promontory, along with the other parishes - Beek-Beek, Warreen, Kulk and Tallang. The northern section of Yanakie was probably exempted from the National Park (declared in 1905 - internal section only, 1908 - the coastline, and in the 1950's - the Yanakie southern section) on the grounds of revenue. A lease had been granted in 1852 for the Yanakie Station or Run (a profitable business), which originally grazed cattle through to Darby River. Yanakie has only been developed into dairying country since the 1950's... Prior to development, Yanakie (also called the Yanakie Common) was open heathy plains with the 'Red Swamp', 'White Swamp and 'Black Swamps', supporting vast birdlife including the black swans and brolgas. It is interesting to note that very few of these original Koori (aboriginal) parish names exist on the National Park today…

Since the time of European discovery, exploitation has vastly changed some of the land and the surrounding sea. One record of the extent of this is the impact on seal numbers - in 1804 the American ship 'Union' obtained 600,000 seal skins - today we have nowhere near this number in the whole of the southern Australian waters. When this industry collapsed they turned their attention towards harvesting the oil of muttonbirds (short-tailed Shearwaters), and whaling. (Local timber was used for fuel to boil down the blubber) A timber mill was set up in Sealers Cove in 1849, but lasted only until 1858, when presumably all the accessible tall timber had been removed. (A revival of the timber milling occurred again between 1903 to 1906, with a small town comprising 16 buildings, a boarding house and a community hall existed). Pastoral leases were granted from approximately 1851 onward in Sealers Cove and the Yanakie region, with varied successes.