| Regions of Gippsland |
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West Gippsland is a region ofGippsland inVictoria,Australia. It covers an area of 19,639 km2 (7,583 sq mi) around the eastern shores of theWestern Port Bay, extending fromSan Remo in the west to theStrzelecki Ranges in the east, up toMount Howitt in the north.[1][2]
TheShire of Cardinia and thePhillip Island both are parts of West Gippsland geographically, although administratively those are assigned to theGreater Melbournemetropolitan area (due tourban sprawl) andSouth Gippsland, respectively.
The western part of the region around Western Port Bay and theBunyip River is mostly flat (much of it having been reclaimed from the drainedKoo-Wee-Rup Swamp), while the eastern part consists of low rolling hills.[3]
To the north these hills become steeper as they merge into the Great Dividing Range. In the mountainous north aroundNoojee logging remains an important industry, while a small winter resort is located to the northeast atMount Baw Baw. Further to the east are the small township ofErica and the historic gold mining town ofWalhalla.
Nature reserves in the region includeBunyip State Park,Mount Worth State Park andBaw Baw National Park. Principal towns of West Gippsland include (from west to east along thePrinces Highway)Drouin,Warragul andTrafalgar.