The East Gippsland town of Mallacoota is bringing back its seafood festival for 2024, so clear your calendar from April 26 to to 28. The fishy three-day affair invites visitors from all over Victoria (and interstate) to discover and feast on the region's pristine seafood.
After the inaugural 2019 festival was a smash hit, Mallacoota was hit hard by the 2019-2020 summer bushfires, and Covid caused the cancellation of the festival in 2020 and 2021. It's been rough, but since the festival kicked off again in 2022, the community is now bursting with excitement to welcome back visitors and re-establish Mallacoota's rep as one of Victoria's best off-the-beaten-path destinations.
At the heart of this year's event is the free, open-air Wild Harvest Seafood Market, as well as a variety of events hosted by nationally renowned seafood chefs and nature enthusiasts. You'll be able to feast on abalone, sea urchins, oysters and more, to a cruisy program of live music and entertaining events.
Got a few little ones in tow? Younger sea-lovers can engage in the popular Parks Victoria Junior Ranger program, which runs a range of free activites for kids curious about all things ocean.
The legendary folks from FishCare will return on deck this year to run their popular fishing clinics, and you can learn all about the pristine Mallacoota lakes system aboard the M.V. Loch-Art for an exclusive inlet tour. For more information and to book your tickets, head to the Wild Harvest Seafood Festival website.