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A self-drive 3-day foodie adventure in Portarlington

  • Suggested Time: 3 days, 2 nights
  • Melbourne to Portarlington

Known as Australia’s mussel capital, Portarlington is a charming seaside town with fertile volcanic soils that have made this spot a diverse foodie bowl with everything from seafood to blueberries. Spend three days in this coastal foodie destination enjoying fresh Australian blue mussels onboard a boutique tour, sipping award-winning wines with stunning bay views and indulging in locally grown produce.

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    Day One - Morning in Geelong

    Start your journey towards Portarlington. Take a break from driving and have a pitstop at the Geelong Waterfront Visitor Information Centre inside…

    Start your journey towards Portarlington. Take a break from driving and have a pitstop at the Geelong Waterfront Visitor Information Centre inside The Carousel. Chat with the volunteers and get tips for your travels or inspiration for your next visit to the region before continuing the 35 minutes to Portarlington.

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    Day One - Midday

    Arrive at Portarlington and get acquainted with this charming seaside town which was established in the 1800s. Take a stroll through the main…

    Arrive at Portarlington and get acquainted with this charming seaside town which was established in the 1800s. Take a stroll through the main shopping strip along Newcombe Street, be sure to stop by boutique store the Ducks Nuts for quirky and one-off gifts.

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    Day One - Lunch

    Head down to the foreshore and take in the views at Pier Street Café. This water-side café is run by hatted chef Peter Roddy and he offers dishes…

    Head down to the foreshore and take in the views at Pier Street Café. This water-side café is run by hatted chef Peter Roddy and he offers dishes showcasing the local shellfish such as smoked mussel chowder; Sri Lankan mussel curry; and smoked bacon mussels.

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    Day One - Afternoon

    Check in for your stay with Portarlington Grand Hotel. Built in 1888 and known as the jewel of The Bellarine, the hotel reopened in 2022 after being…

    Check in for your stay with Portarlington Grand Hotel. Built in 1888 and known as the jewel of The Bellarine, the hotel reopened in 2022 after being impeccably restored with 18 boutique rooms. Keep an eye out for the room names, which are named after ships significant to the town’s maritime history. Relax inside your room and enjoy a beverage while sitting on the balcony. Rooms start at $200 per night (off peak).

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    Day One - Dinner

    Book in for a prime dinner spot on the deck overlooking the bay at Arlo Wine Bar. This bar specialises in seafood, as well as pasta and wine from…

    Book in for a prime dinner spot on the deck overlooking the bay at Arlo Wine Bar. This bar specialises in seafood, as well as pasta and wine from near and afar. Menu favourites include squid ink risotto with salt and pepper calamari, and anchovy crostini. The pasta is handmade fresh every day and the bay views from the deck are unrivalled. Look out for the great value lunch specials of your choice of focaccia, snack and pasta for $35.

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    Local Tip - Evening Drinks

    After dinner stay up for a cheeky tipple or two at the newly opened Pop’s Wine Bar. Hosts Mark and Gary will give you a warm welcome in this boutique…

    After dinner stay up for a cheeky tipple or two at the newly opened Pop’s Wine Bar. Hosts Mark and Gary will give you a warm welcome in this boutique spot and can recommend a variety of local wines or several from further afield. It’s conveniently a few doors down from your accommodation and open until 9:00pm most days (excludes Monday and Tuesday).

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    Day Two - Morning

    Get in early at Portarlington Bakehouse (open daily at 6:30am) for a light breakfast and to sample the popular woodfire baked goods. Walk the 350…

    Get in early at Portarlington Bakehouse (open daily at 6:30am) for a light breakfast and to sample the popular woodfire baked goods. Walk the 350 metres to the foreshore and enjoy a stroll along part of the 17-kilometre Bellarine Coastal Trail, taking in the sights as you go. For the more adventurous and to take on the full trail towards Indented Head, you can hire a bike with Rent My Bike Australia and have it dropped off at the hotel. Bike hire starts at $45 per day.

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    Day Two - Midday

    Head back to Portarlington Pier and join Hop It Bellarine’s hop-on, hop-off winery tour which departs at 11:00am. Choose your own adventure with 11…

    Head back to Portarlington Pier and join Hop It Bellarine’s hop-on, hop-off winery tour which departs at 11:00am. Choose your own adventure with 11 wineries, distilleries and breweries to visit. Top picks include Jack Rabbit Vineyard with sweeping bay views and a choice of fine dining or casual eats or neighbouring Terindah Estate offers similarly impressive views and wines plus a restaurant and W-class tram which has been converted into a fun bar for wine tasting and charcuterie boards. For the art lovers, Lethbridge Wines at Hat Rock is a cosy winery (ranked highly with the Halliday Wine Companion) that has a gallery of rotating contemporary art onsite. Transport with Hop It starts at $79.95 with drinks and food not included.

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    Day Two - Evening

    After a full day of winery hopping (returning 4:00pm), settle in for a comforting pub classic at Portarlington Grand Hotel. Or for an ultra-relaxing…

    After a full day of winery hopping (returning 4:00pm), settle in for a comforting pub classic at Portarlington Grand Hotel. Or for an ultra-relaxing evening, get into your robes and order room service to be enjoyed in your room or balcony as the sun sets over the bay.

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    Day Three - Breakfast

    Head around the corner to Staple Eatery and Deli for a full breakfast. Choose from a range of melt-in-your-mouth toasties (our pick is the…

    Head around the corner to Staple Eatery and Deli for a full breakfast. Choose from a range of melt-in-your-mouth toasties (our pick is the slow-cooked beef brisket with sauerkraut, pickles and two types of cheese) or more classic items like eggs benedict and Belgium waffles. After breakfast return to Portarlington Grand Hotel and check out before 10:00am ahead of your tour with Portarlington Mussel Tours. The Grand has an in-kind luggage service to hold onto your bags until you return.

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    Day Three - Lunch

    Walk the 350 metres to Portarlington Pier and meet at the Huon pine vessel Valerie in time for your tour with Portarlington Mussel Tours, which…

    Walk the 350 metres to Portarlington Pier and meet at the Huon pine vessel Valerie in time for your tour with Portarlington Mussel Tours, which starts at 11:00am. More than 60 per cent of the nation’s blue mussels are harvested in Portarlington which are served at top restaurants around the country – the best way to try them is onboard this boutique tour. Join an intimate group for three hours and be hosted by local mussel farmer, Lance Wiffen, where you can pluck your own from the water before a chef cooks them up on board. The Classic Mussel Tour will set you back $310.

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    Day Three - Afternoon

    When the tour wraps up and returns you to Portarlington Pier at 2:00pm, pick up your luggage and prepare for one last pitstop before heading home.…

    When the tour wraps up and returns you to Portarlington Pier at 2:00pm, pick up your luggage and prepare for one last pitstop before heading home.

    Minutes after leaving Portarlington town, make a stop at Fat Fox Art Gallery in Bellarine. Here you’ll find a rotating array of paintings, photography, drawings and prints by local artist Trung Truong. Open on weekends and by appointment other times, be sure to book ahead if your visit is on a weekday.

    After a few days of great food, art and coastal surrounds, it’s time to head back home.

Highlights of itinerary

• Enjoy mussels fresh from the bay onboard a boutique bay tour

• Sample wine and the bay views at Jack Rabbit Vineyard

• Take a wine tasting and share a charcuterie board inside a repurposed tram

• Stay at a restored heritage boutique hotel

Getting to Portarlington

Located on the tip of the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Portarlington is a 31-kilometre drive east of Geelong or 104 kilometres south-west of Melbourne.

Avalon Airport is the closest airport, which is just 25 minutes from Geelong and has regular flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Gold Coast. Hire cars are available to be picked up from the airport when booked in advance. Or you can take the car on a 45-minute trip across the bay with Searoad Ferries, departing regularly from Sorrento to Queenscliff – which is an additional 20-minute drive to Portarlington.

Wherever you’re travelling from, we want you to arrive safely. Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission’s (TAC) Pause Stop campaign provides some great tips on travelling by car to ensure you reach your destination safely:

  • Plan a pause from the road every two hours
  • Get enough sleep before driving
  • Avoid driving late at night
  • Don't travel for more than 8 - 10 hours a day
  • Share the driving wherever possible
  • Don't drink alcohol before your trip
  • Take a 15-minute powernap if you feel drowsy
  • Grab a coffee to recharge

Our Visitor Information Centre (VIC) located at The Carousel in Geelong is a Pause Stop location. Take a break at the VIC, grab a coffee from a nearby business and get some tips from locals for the rest of your travels.

To find out more about the TAC Pause Stop Campaign please visit TAC Pause Stop Campaign.

Geelong Waterfront Visitor Information Centre

Open 10:00am to 4:00pm daily, seven days a week (excluding Christmas Day).

A: 1 Eastern Beach Rd, Geelong

P: 1800 755 611 (free call)

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