Maffra is a small town in Gippsland.
Understand
Maffra is an agricultural town in Gippsland. Historically, the sugar beet industry in the town has been highly profitable, beginning in the 1890s and windin up after World War 2. The town was also connected to the state's rail network, however railway services ended in the 1990s, with the railway line being replaced with the Gippsland Plains Rail Trail.
Get in
By car
The easiest way to get into Maffra is by car. All 4 roads leading into Maffra are named for Maffra. From Stratford, the Stratford-Maffra Road (C105) is an easy 5-10 minute journey. The Sale route is similarly straightforward, taking 15 minutes using the Sale-Maffra Road (C492). If you're travelling from Briagolong, the Maffra-Briagolong Road (C493) takes about the same amount of time. From Traralgon, the Traralgon-Maffra Road (C105) is a longer 1 hour journey that goes through towns such as Glengarry, Heyfield and Tinamba.
If you're travelling from Melbourne, it's a question of whether you want to stay on the Princes Highway. If you don't, you can turn off at Traralgon, otherwise follow it to Sale and then turn off towards Maffra. However, if you're travelling in a western direction from, say, Bairnsdale or Lakes Entrance, the best option is to use the Stratford-Maffra Road.
By coach
V/Line operates coach services to Maffra from Traralgon to Maffra 7 days a week, with Sale to Maffra services available once a day from Monday to Friday. These are supplemented by train services V/Line operates from Melbourne to Traralgon and Sale. While train services terminating in Traralgon use Myki cards, all coach services and train services to Sale require paper tickets, which can be purchased at Southern Cross, Traralgon and Sale train stations, though oddly enough they can't be purchased in Maffra. A full timetable is available here.
Get around
Maffra is small enough that most points of interest in the town can be traversed on foot. However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, there is a bus service that operates in Maffra. The full timetable is available here.
See
- 1 Gippsland Vehicle Collection, 1A Sale Rd, ☏ 61 03 5147 3223. F Sa Su M 10AM-4PM, every day of the school and public holidays (closed Good Friday, half of Anzac Day, and Christmas Day). This motor museum containing over 160 historic vehicles, machinery and auto memorabilia. Feature exhibits change every 4 months. Adults $15, concession $10, under 15s free.
- 2 Sugar Beet Museum. Contains displays on the history of Maffra's sugar beet industry.
Do
- 1 Maffra Golf Club, 13 Fulton Road, ☏ 61 03 5147 1884, ✉[email protected]. Casual golfing is available here. The golf club also operates an RV park on site with 21 powered sites, with sites available for $25 a night.
Buy
Maffra has branches of Bendigo Bank, Commonwealth Bank and NAB, with ATMs available outside these banks.
- 1 Foodworks, 87A Powerscourt Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 1140, ✉[email protected]. Grocery store. 4:30AM-9:30PM.
- 2 Maffra Post Shop, 98 Johnson Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 2022. M-F 9AM-5PM. Post office. Banking services, foreign currency exchange and Western Union money transfer are available here.
- 3 Ritchies IGA, 102 Johnson Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 1090, ✉[email protected]. Grocery: M-Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 8:30AM-9PM, Liquor: M-Sa 9AM-9PM, Su 10AM-7PM. Grocery and liquor store.
- 4 The Pickle Pot, 109A Johnson Street, ☏ 61 0438 454 368, ✉[email protected]. M Tu W F 8AM-5:30PM, Th 8AM-6PM, Sa 8:30AM-1:30PM, Su 9AM-1PM. Wholefoods store and cafe with friendly service.
- 5 Woolworths, Corner of Johnson Street and Purdy Lane, ☏ 61 03 5139 2640. M-Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 1-9PM. Chain supermarket. Also contains a liquor section.
Eat
- 1 Cafe L'Attitude, 72 Johnson Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 1188, ✉[email protected]. M-F 8AM-2PM, Sa Su 9AM-1PM. Cafe and brunch restaurant. Breakfast $16-$23, lunch $5-$19.
- 2 Coffee House 138, 138 Johnson Street, ☏ 61 03 5141 1161, ✉[email protected]. 7AM-2PM. Cafe that offers breakfast and lunch. Takeaway and preorder options are available. Breakfast $10-$20, lunch $6-$20.
- 3 Maffra Bakery, 18 Foster Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 1832. M-F 8AM-3PM. Bakery specialising in the locally famous Maffra Pies.
- 4 Maffra Pizza and Take Away, 181A Johnson Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 2977, ✉[email protected]. Tu-Th 8AM-8PM, Fr 8AM-9PM, Sa 9AM-9PM, Su 10AM-8PM. Takeaway store that sells pizza, kebabs, fish and chips, and other fast food.
- 5 Maffra Takeaway, 127 Johnson Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 2784, ✉[email protected]. 11:30AM-2:30PM, 4:30-8PM. Fish and chips store. $1.50-$14.
- 6 Mr Pizza, 52 Johnson Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 1311. M F Su 4:30-9:30PM, Tu W 4:30-9:30PM, Th Sa 4:30-10PM. Pizza restaurant, with nachos and potato wedges also available. If you're staying in Maffra, delivery is available.
Drink
Liquor is also available from Woolworths and Ritchies IGA.
- 1 Captain Johnson's Bar and Bistro, ☏ 61 03 5141 1566. M-F 12noon-2PM and 5-7:30PM, Sa 5-7:30PM. Pub and bistro with gambling facilities.
- 2 The Vines on Avon, 446 Stratford-Maffra Road, ☏ 61 03 5141 1146, ✉[email protected]. Th-Su 10AM-4PM. Restaurant and winery.
Sleep
- 1 Maffra Motor Inn, 184 Johnson Street, ☏ 61 03 5147 2111, ✉[email protected]. Motel with 18 rooms. All rooms have WiFi, television, air conditioning, a microwave, a fridge, tea and coffee making facilities, and a toaster. Interconnecting family rooms can accomodate up to 6 people.
Connect
4G coverage is available from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. 5G coverage is also being rolled out by Telstra. 1 Maffra Library is also open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10AM to 6PM, and on Saturday from 10AM to 12PM (noon).
Go next
- Sale is a regional centre which is useful for shopping and eating.
- Stratford is the closest town to Maffra, and is located on the Avon River. There's a variety of interesting cafes and attractions to see.