Lakes Entrance, Australia

LAKES ENTRANCE is named after the entrance to the Gippsland Lakes. A sandy barrier between the Gippsland Lakes and the sea formed about six thousand years ago, when first seen by white men in the 1840s; the outlet was a seasonal, intermittent gap, unsuitable for reliable trade. In 1889 the present stable entrance was opened 6km east of the old one: the artificial entrance effectively cuts off the town's access to the length of Ninety Mile Beach.