An insiders guide to Portarlington’s mussels

Bet you didn’t know that mussel jerky was a thing? One of the mussel farmers has even been brave enough to trial chocolate coated mussels. Say what?

When your town’s most famous export is mussels, I guess it’s only natural to want to experiment with the product and see what might be the next big thing.

As you travel into Portarlington on Port Phillip Ferries, be sure to look out into the distance. If you spy the rows of small black floating bouys, you’ll know you’ve spotted a mussel farm. There’s heaps and heaps of them around.

As you pull into Portarlington Pier you’ll see the mussel boats all lined up after an early morning at the farms. They go out every day to ensure they meet demands of supply to every state in Australia as well the rest of the world. They’re pretty famous too. Seabounty Mussels have even appeared on Masterchef!

But don’t fret, there’s enough left for the locals as well.

Head to these places for a hit of the freshest mussels you can find:

Grand Hotel Portarlington (just a few hundred metres walk from the pier)

The Little Mussel Café (be sure to try the Mussel Stout while you’re there)

Jack Rabbit Vineyard (literally look over the mussel farms while you eat)

Mr Mussel (usually at the pier most weekends to pack you a box to take home)

Portarlington love mussels so much they even have a festival. Lock in Saturday 12th January 2019 for the Portarlington Mussel Festival.