“The town’s historical lineage runs deep,” observes Jess Graves in Broadsheet. “Walking down the main drag, the beautiful old Victorian buildings lull you into nostalgic dreams of a past life,” and that’s before you reach the “notoriously treacherous coastline”, that are the home of “many sea-wrecked vessels and stories surrounding the history of these shipwrecks.” But as well as history, says Grave, Queenscliff has “an abundance of local produce scattered throughout its coffee shops, restaurants and local weekend markets.” There’s Piknik (“many of the ingredients used on the all-day breakfast and lunch menu are handpicked from their onsite orchard”), 360Q (“a spectacular view of the Rip and both peninsulas … offers a higher scale and more modern feel than the food outlets you’ll find in Queenscliff central”), The Paddock Cafe (“made from an old tin shed in the middle of a horse paddock … as comforting as your grandmother’s house”), Salt Contemporary Art (“showcases a variety of contemporary artwork by both Australian and international artists, but with a heavy Australian tilt”) and Blues Train (“this quiet little town has a rowdy side … the Blues Train has been offering the people of Queenscliff a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll for almost two decades”).
“It’s official: the best fish and chips in Victoria are from a tiny weatherboard shop in Queenscliff,” announces the Geelong Advertiser. Trident Fish Bar was judged the state’s best fish and chip store at the 2017 Victorian Seafood Industry Awards “with the highest number of consumer votes,” reports the Advertiser. What’s the secret? “The freshness is everything,” says owner and third-generation fishmonger Fonda Tzaninis. “First and foremost is the quality of the fish, I don’t use frozen fish, I go to the market myself, bring back the fish and fillet it myself … also fresher batter and consistently changing oils — we do ours twice a day where some shops do it once a week, so there’s a big difference there.” Fonda confessed that “it was a big surprise, but it’s not like we didn’t half expect it or deserve it.”