It doesn’t get much more enticing than an old ferry turned floating restaurant. This smart-casual bar and grill showcases the best of the region, and fish and chips is a firm favourite. The day’s local catch – flathead or flake, perhaps – is encased in a shattery ourdough batter. Take away or dine in to make the most of the water views. Middle Boat Harbour, The Esplanade, Lakes Entrance; sodafish.com.au.

You can get a bit fancy here with the Moreton Bay bug-stuffed brioche roll and the Maccas-inspired Fillet-Oh, but that would mean missing out on the star attraction fish and chips. The signature batter subs out beer for soda for ultimate crunch. Choose between sustainably sourced gummy, salmon, barra or crispy-fried fish wings with a zesty glaze. 1041 Mt Alexander Rd, Essendon; scalable.fish.

As the last working fishing harbour on the Great Ocean Road, the local Fishermen’s Co-op at Apollo Bay reaps the rewards. This 75-year-old institution’s boats reel in Bass Strait’s best, including hake, snapper and flake, to name a few, and to seal the deal you can tuck into it all from the outdoor dining tables overlooking the bay. 2 Breakwater Rd, Apollo Bay; apollobayfishcoop.com.au.

With its beachfront locale and views over Half Moon Bay, afternoons tend to disappear at this former boat shed with a welcoming restaurant upstairs and kiosk below. The kiosk turns out crowd-pulling fish and chips, including Victorian gummy, salmon and barra, and nostalgia is served up in the likes of pineapple fritters and battered sausages. 16 Cerberus Way, Black Rock; cerberusbeachhouse.com.au.

Few dining experiences beat fish and chips by the water, and this shop nails the brief. The prime position, looking out to the San Remo jetty and bridge to Phillip Island, sets the scene for a feast of sustainably caught seafood straight off the co-op’s fleets – local gummy is the star pick, cooked with a light, crunchy batter. 170 Marine Pde, San Remo; srfco.com.au.