VICTORIA
Arbory Afloat
An Amalfi Coast-style beach club on the wide brown Yarra may seem like a contradiction but Arbory Afloat gets it right. Striped umbrellas, canopied daybeds, citrus trees and a party soundtrack play backdrop to an Italianleaning menu (good pizza, zeppole, seafood pasta) that also includes excellent fish and chips. The booze list – cocktails, Spritzes and plenty of rosé – completes the smoke-and-mirrors transformation.
2 Flinders Walk, Melbourne, (03) 9629 1547, arboryafloat.com.au
Donovans
Absolute beachfront is Donovans’ drawcard, and there are few better places to watch the sun set over St Kilda while knocking back oysters and Champagne. The laid-back luxury beach-house vibe makes it the ideal setting for a menu of greatest hits, from fish and chips (enormous – consider sharing) to crab risotto, grilled prawns and pavlova, served with charm and humour. 40 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda, (03) 9534 8221, donovans.com.au
Captain Moonlite
Even without Matt Germanchis’s perfectly pitched Modern Australian menu – braised cuttlefish, spannercrab doughnuts, charred octopus, best-in-show fish and chips – the coastal views from Captain Moonlite’s spruced-up surf club dining room would draw a crowd. That you can also access great food, a short smart list of Victorian wine and efficient service in such a setting is truly cause for celebration. Anglesea Surf Lifesaving Club, 100 Great Ocean Rd, Anglesea, (03) 5263 2454, captainmoonlite.com.au