New café a catch at Gippsland Lakes

02/02/2024

Bullock Island’s new on-water café at Lakes Entrance is one of several destinations in the beautiful Gippsland Lakes region offering people more to see, do and eat.

The café is supported with $1.5 million from the Victorian Government. It has created 9 new jobs and is one of several projects backed by the Government to drive economic recovery across East Gippsland.

Since opening in late December, the Off the Wharf café is welcoming more than 1,300 visitors a week and offers some of Gippsland’s best water views. It provides a true sea-to-plate dining experience or the opportunity to buy fresh seafood from LEFL’s commercial fish processing and distribution facility on-site.

The café is complemented by significant infrastructure upgrades on Bullock Island as part of an additional $1.87 million investment to the Bullock Island Masterplan from the Building Works Package.

Improved parking access, new fishing platforms, barbecues, boardwalks and landscaped areas have transformed Bullock Island into a recreational destination set to attract thousands more visitors each year.

Also on the Lakes Entrance Foreshore, the Old Slipway site has been given a new lease of life as a prime waterfront location, supported with $562,000 from the Victorian and Federal Government’s Local Economic Recovery Program.

The historic site will be used for events, dining and recreation, with a large multi-tiered deck constructed over the concrete slipway, new accessible toilets, upgraded car parking and the restoration of 2 historic winch sheds.

The $68.6 million Local Economic Recovery Program supports local projects vital for community recovery, driving economic growth and boosting industry and jobs across bushfire-affected regions.

Boat charter company Riviera Nautic has also been supported through the program, redeveloping and expanding its jetties in Metung to boost its operations offering experiences across all corners of the Gippsland Lakes.

The expansion will increase the company’s fleet of boats yachts and motor cruisers by 25%, leading to an almost doubling of their berthing capacity along with an additional 400 charter days and 1,600 visitors each year.