Broadsheet Writes:

Feast on shellfish plucked fresh from the bay, and explore the source of Portarlington’s famous mussels, with a fifth generation sea farmer and his luxe Huon-pine trawler. There are plenty of local wines and eats on board, too.

Valerie is a Huon-pine shark trawler built in Mordialloc in 1979. A few years ago, two blokes in their eighties began painstakingly refurbishing the boat by hand in Tasmania. The pair had been enlisted by husband-and-wife team Lizzy Franklin and Lance Wiffen, who had wanted to start a premium mussel tour business for 15 years.

“We’ve taken people out on commercial boats before – TV chefs and things – but we needed something that was going to be really nice for people,” says Franklin.

“Once Lance saw [Valerie in the classifieds]… he could see what it was going to end up looking like. We were lucky to have the amazing craftsmen working on it down in Tassie, slowly but surely. We’re thrilled with how it came up.”

Now, Franklin and Wiffen’s Portarlington Mussel Tours is the latest reason to visit the Bellarine Peninsula, combining delicious dishes with valuable insight into the growing and harvesting one of the more eco-friendly seafoods. The waters here are considered optimal for growing mussels (and oysters too), and you’ll find both on menus across Melbourne.

Read Full Story Here