Great Ocean Road Trip Series: Catch of the Day

Alistair McDonald describes how this traditional fishing port sits right on the edge of the continental shelf and when cold water rises up into the warmer water, it brings krill to the surface… along with whales and dolphins, too! For surfers, this magical place has plenty of great spots and if you’re lucky, you’ll be sharing some waves with dolphins and southern right whales.

From there, we visit the Cape Nelson Lighthouse Cottages. Lightkeeper, Gordon Stokes, talks about all there is to see along this rugged coastline full of wild waves, sea life and birdlife. He invites you to bring the family down to the region’s largest Gannet colony, to watch the babies learning to fly. In a relatively short amount of time, they go from gangly chicks to one of the fastest and most agile hunters around!

At Portland Game On Fishing Charters, Joe O’Connor talks to us about getting “punched out” by a gummy shark. And a 118kg tuna that took three hours to reel in! And they don’t just do fishing charters — they do sight-seeing tours, too, where you can see dolphins, humpbacks and sperm whales putting on incredible displays.

In Nelson, Neil Shelton from Glenelg River Fishing tours describes his old wooden boat as the equivalent of driving an old classic car. He’ll show you all the best spots to catch a few mulloways, which in his opinion, are the best eating and served daily at the Nelson Hotel.

We finish our episode in Portland, with dinner at Clock by the Bay restaurant. Head Chef, Matt Lipscombe, plates up a local squid salad with fried rice paper. This delicate dish is served up using local produce and he says you’ll definitely notice the difference!