5 RCA-winning Venues Where Water Views and Seafood Go Hand in Hand

As we continue on our delicious drive around the country discovering the plethora of Readers’ Choice Award-winning venues, let’s take a look at those where water views go hand in hand with succulent seafood.

Here are five to put on your dining radar:

Boasting sweeping views across Wollongong Harbour, tri-level Harbourfront Restaurant on Endeavour Drive is stunning both night and day. Breezy outdoor decks and floor-to-ceiling windows make the most of views on every level, while friendly, professional service adds to the relaxed ambience throughout.

 

Call into levelone downstairs for a wine and a light bite after the beach, or indulge in finer dining on the floor above; start with the likes of seared Atlantic scallops, before devouring Moreton Bay bugs in a coconut cream sauce, with jasmine rice, coriander and shallots.

For the best view overlooking Urangan Pier, locals and tourists alike flock to Bayswater Bar & Grill on Charlton Esplanade in Hervey Bay. A huge deck with breathtaking vistas sets the scene for a leisurely meal and cold drop to drink, while indoors guests can unwind in three separate areas, including the bistro and pool bar.

 

Offering a diverse selection of Australian beer, wine and cocktails, along with a menu showcasing the Fraser Coast’s finest seafood, steak, gourmet pizzas and burgers; perhaps share a seafood plate with oysters, scallops, Moreton Bay bugs, battered fish and chips.

As dusk settles and the orange-pink hue of evening light plays across the waters, award-winning Waters Edge Bistro on Benowa Street in Macleay Island makes for a pleasant place to relax and admire the spectacle. Located on the upper level of Club Macleay, visitors enjoy pre-dinner drinks out on a deck by the water, refreshed by ocean breezes; while indoors is warm and welcoming, making for the ideal spot to enjoy a meal with family and friends.

 

 

Australian bistro-style fare is on offer, perhaps begin with Thai fish cakes and sweet chilli sauce, before beer-battered barramundi, chips and salad, or a seafood basket with crumbed whiting, scallops, calamari and prawns.

Ettalong locals flock to The Box on the Water restaurant and lounge bar for absolute waterfront dining in contemporary style, found ocean-side of The Esplanade on the redeveloped foreshore. In all weather, soak up panoramic views across soft sand and sheltered bay waters, dining at a leisurely pace, seated underneath lush ferns hanging from the ceiling in black pots, while surrounded by a smart casual environment reflective of nature outside.

 

Sip a craft beer or cocktail while enjoying gin-cured salmon, cucumber, lime, mint radish and crème fraiche to begin, then share a seafood paella with prawns, mussels, market fish, chorizo, peas, sofrito and saffron rice.

Take in breath-taking vistas of King Island Golf Course and the Bass Strait coastline while sipping a glass of Tasmanian wine at View Dining on Owen Smith Drive in Currie. Polished wood floors and table settings await at this spacious restaurant, where large windows offer glimpses of the rumbling fairways and waves crashing on the island's shores. 

 

Settle in to peruse a menu showcasing local KI produce as seen in starters such as beef tonato, with tuna sauce, capers, rocket and Parmesan; then devour pan-seared fish of the day, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, snow peas, crispy potatoes and fennel, thyme and garlic foam.