pop. 14,000; 20min from surf of the 90 mile beach; 40min from the High Country; 212km from Melbourne;
has more clear days, cooler nights and a little less rainfall than Melbourne
popular petrol stop en route back from Merimbula;
settled after explorer Strzelecki passed through in 1840
Sale grew on the back of the gold rush in Omeo, Stringers Creek & Crooked River in the 19thC, becoming established as a busy port for steamers to Port Albert when the cutting of the Sale Canal in 1888 linked the Thomson River, and during the 1880's the swing bridge operated 20 times a day to allow larger vessels to dock in the heart of Sale.
Sale Powder Magazine built in 1864 to store explosive powders used in the gold industry is now restored.
It became Gippsland's 1st city in 1950;
it is a transfer base for the off-shore oil rigs in Bass Strait & the home of the RAAF air base;
Lake Wellington & Gippsland lakes to its east
Holey Plains State Park to the south-west - camping & picnic facilities
Omega Navigation Facility - massive 427m tower - one of eight in the world which link up to provide world-wide communications system for navigation