Port Lincoln, Australia

Port Lincoln is Australia's seafood capital. The town's harbour bobs with trawlers, and the main seafront streets of Tasman Terrace and Liverpool Street are full of cafés, eateries and big old Aussie pubs.

The seafood farmed or caught wild in the oceans around here is considered the country's finest. Tasting it involves some work, however, with the best stuff snap-frozen on deck and either trucked to Sydney's fish markets to be served in the country's finest restaurants or immediately exported overseas. If you're spending a few days here then buy the Seafood and Aquaculture Trail card from the visitor centre ($89) which gets you discounts and extras at restaurants all around the coast, and free guided tours (with tastings) of various seafood processing plants such as The Fresh Fish Place (Mon– Fri 8.30am–5.30pm, Sat 8.30am–12.30pm; guided tours 10.30am Mon, Wed & Fri; Tel:08/8682 2166) at 20 Proper Bay Rd, where you can buy ready-to-eat oysters. Alternatively, you could try your hand at catching your own. Get tackle and bait from Spot On at 39 Tasman Terrace where the friendly staff will draw you a mad map to their secret fishing and camping spots, or simply fish off the town jetty.

You can indulge in the sea's finest at local favourite Sarins Restaurant and Bar (daily, breakfast, lunch and dinner) at the Port Lincoln Hotel; the Boardwalk Bistro Bar (daily noon–2.30pm & 6–8.30pm) at the Marina Hotel at 13 Jubilee Drive, which boasts a deck overlooking the sea; the award-winning Del Giorno's (daily 9am–9pm), at 80 Tasman Terrace, where you can eat alfresco on the footpath; or King Neptune's Takeaway at 5 Light St. Make sure that, whatever you eat, you pair it with a bottle from the local Boston Bay Wines. While their wines are in local bottle shops and appear on all wine lists, you can buy direct from their cellar door, 6km north of Port Lincoln on the Lincoln Highway (Thurs– Mon noon–4pm; Web: www.bostonbaywines.com.au ).

Places to stay include the sleek Port Lincoln Hotel (Tel:1300 766 100; Web: www.portlincolnhotel.com.au ; Price: $101), with comfortable, contemporary rooms and the slightly frumpy Limani Motel (Tel:08/8682 2200, Web: www.limanimotel.com.au ; Price: $101–200), which has sea views. At the highway's far end lie the terraced tent sites of Port Lincoln Tourist Park (Tel:08/8621 4444, Web: www.portlincolnaccommodation.com ; un/powered sites $23/26, cabins Price: $61–130).