Best Weekend breaks in greater Gippsland

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There’s a rumble of curiosity building around Gippsland, with weekend wanderers discovering impressive scenery and welcoming locals just beyond Melbourne’s city fringe.

Set off from Melbourne on a drive through rolling countryside to discover boutique food, award-winning wines and vintage finds in the pretty villages and coastal towns of greater Gippsland. Where should you start, you ask? These are the hot spots everyone is talking about.

Lakes Entrance

Treasured for its swimming beaches, waterfront cafés and colourful fishing fleet – many of which sell the day’s catch to local restaurants – Lakes Entrance has long been one of Victoria’s premier holiday destinations. Cross the footbridge to Ninety Mile Beach and hire a fishing boat, kayak, surfboard or stand-up paddleboard (SUP) for a chance to see the playful and curious Burrunan dolphins that thrive in the sheltered waters of the Gippsland Lakes.

An aerial view of Lakes Entrance.

Walhalla

Turn back the clock in charming Walhalla to experience life as it was in the gold mining era. Wander through lovingly restored heritage buildings, ride the Walhalla Goldfields Railway and explore the underground mysteries of the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine. This pocket-sized mountain town is pretty as a picture in spring in particular, with blossoms hanging  heavy from the trees.

Loch

Lovely little Loch is truly picture-perfect and bursting with collectables, antiques and gifts. The locals are also strong advocates for having zero ‘food miles’, with most cafés and restaurants only using produce from the area. Gin is what really put Loch on the map, however, so stop in at the Old Bank – now home to Loch Brewery & Distillery – to sample their signature gins, traditional craft ales and a single malt whisky that’s so good it’s snapped up as soon as it hits the shelf.

Loch, Gippsland
Sample the signature gins, traditional craft ales and single malt whisky at Loch Brewery and Distillery.

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Inverloch

The seaside village of Inverloch is just a stone’s throw from Melbourne and fast becoming the go-to weekend getaway when you need to escape the city hustle and bustle. Check out the popular surf beach and sheltered foreshore, plus the string of lively cafés and restaurants in town. To see more of the scenic surrounds, take the Bunurong Coastal Drive to explore a dinosaur dig, spot a passing whale or simply stroll the many beaches, caves and rock pools.

Inverloch, Gippsland
Check out the string of lively cafés and restaurants in town.

Mallacoota

Over in the east, Mallacoota could quite possibly be Gippsland’s greatest escape. Perched on the edge of the UNESCO-listed World Biosphere Reserve of Croajingolong National Park, the town boasts one of the most picturesque camping spots in all of Australia. Walking, cycling, fishing and simply slowing down are Mallacoota’s most popular pastimes.

Mallacoota, Gippsland
Mallacoota jetty’s the perfect spot to go fishing.
To discover more about the greater Gippsland region, visit Visit Gippsland.

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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe Cann Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington, like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours. While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.

    The best weekend break spots in greater Gippsland