 Three hours north of Melbourne, these wetlands did not disappoint...especially in the raptor department. We headed to Benalla for a few days and had planned at least one of those days to be at the Winton Wetlands....actually, we spent pretty much most days at the wetlands - they were mesmerising. We stayed at the River House, a super cute cottage farm stay ten minutes north of Benalla. It was absolutely delightful and we recommend it to anyone looking for a peaceful* getaway (*be warned: peaceful includes cockatoos making their noises, but this didn't bother us at all). From our little cottage, it was a half hour drive via Benalla to the wetlands. The history of the Winton Wetlands area is somewhat contentious - check it out, and the restoration of the wetlands project currently underway, here (note you can download an app and do self-guided tours). what we enjoyed most...1. Raptors The wetlands are great for seeing a range of raptors - we saw a wedge tailed eagle, brown falcons (including a pair fighting), and others we are still struggling to identify. Let's just say there were plenty of opportunities to practice raptor photography. 2. The Lunette We had the most luck finding raptors at the Lunette (see below) - this is a 10km drive (pretty rough) along a spit, followed by a 1.5km walk to a round hill that juts out into the wetlands. It was a hot day and a challenging walk, but an experience we will never forget. PLUS, there were two brown falcons right on the hill, and they flew very close. Breathtaking!  The reflection of the sky on the water was amazing, and also we could see the expanse of the wetlands. 3. Rainbow bea-eaters We really lucked in at the Duck Pond - we came upon a flock of rainbow bee-eaters coming and going about their business, perching, chatting, and supping on dragonflies. We pulled up our camp chairs in the shade nearby, and watched the show. 4. A kingfisher and a bunch of parrots We are always delighted to see these fabulous birds, as well and all the little bush birds - there was really quite a variety, as we noted on our eBird entry. 5. Wetlands infrastructure, especially the Cafe We were impressed by the amenities, picnic tables, reasonable roads (also they could add some gravel to the road to the Lunette), and especially the Cafe - it's an excellent space with really friendly and helpful staff, a small selection of quality gifts, and a good menu. We even braved eating out for the first time in months. WHAT WE ENJOYED LESS...Very little, but if we had to be picky: just a few less flies and mosquitoes, so pack the insect repellant (as you would expect to do for an outing at any wetlands). WHAT ELSE?We thought Benalla a delightful town, even though we didn't explore it in great detail on this occasion - it had a nice feel to it. The silo art trail was good to see, especially the very moving artwork at Devenish depicting the women who have provided medical assistance during times of war. But mostly we just loved being in the great outdoors... 
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