Six reasons to visit Lakes Entrance

Seafarers festival

Lakes Entrance has one of the most active fishing fleets in the state, and next weekend sees the seaside town celebrating both its maritime and multicultural heritage. The Seafarers Multicultural Festival kicks off on Friday night with a Greek-themed dinner for 300 along the foreshore. After the taramasalata and roast lamb feast, it's up early Saturday morning for the blessing of the fleet. If the weather is good, many of the trawlers could be out to sea fishing, so the townsfolk will act as proxies and take to the water in their tinnies instead. Also next Saturday is the St Nicholas parade, with local schools and community groups waving from the backs of flatbed trucks and walking along the foreshore in handmade costumes. Sunday sees the Rapid Raft Race, in which locals try to cross the lake in rafts made from found objects.
December 6-8, entry $10, seafarersfestival.com.au

Fresh fish

The fish that land at Lakes Entrance Fisherman's Co-operative are so fresh, some are still contorted with rigor mortis. Food geeks will appreciate the metal viewing platform from which the public can watch the unloading of fish into the processing hall. Ring ahead to see when the boats are coming in (Bullock Island, Lakes Entrance, 5155 1688). You can buy fresh fish at the co-op's retail store, Omega3, based in a nearby shopping centre. Here you'll find excellent fresh fish and chips. Foodies come here for the lesser-loved but amazingly tasty local fish such as gurnard and the super-sweet yellow-eyed mullet caught in the fresh water of the lakes themselves.
Omega 3, Shop 5, Safeway Arcade, 5155 1120

House by the sea

This is our very own house by the sea, a historic weatherboard home on 120 hectares surrounded by sprawling gardens and forest on a cliff overlooking the Gippsland Lakes. Nyerimilang was owned by a series of wealthy gentlemen but was purchased by the state government in the 1970s and is now managed by Parks Victoria. Come here for walks in the bush and lazy picnics overlooking the water. Nearby is the early 20th-century farmhouse dressed as it would have been mid-century - it conjures many memories for older visitors and talking points for younger ones. Access to the main house is determined by the availability of volunteer staff. Call ahead.
Myer Road, Nungurner, daily, 9.30am-4pm, 5156 3253, parkweb.vic.gov.au

Pub by the beach

This is one of the best pubs in the nation to watch the ebb and flow of the tide on the yellow sandy beaches of a river estuary. Sit on the deck of the Water Wheel Beach Tavern at Lake Tyers Beach, ignore the ersatz water wheel and order fresh local fish from the bar menu, along with an ice-cold beer, before contemplating a quick dip in the maze of channels meandering out to Bass Strait. On the other side of the sand dunes is an open but unpatrolled beach popular with surf-fishers.
Water Wheel Beach Tavern, 577 Lake Tyers Beach Road, Lakes Tyers Beach, daily 10am-11pm, 5156 5855, waterwheelbeachtavern.com