Discover Mallacoota

40 insider guides to help you explore like a local

From pristine beaches to hidden bushwalking trails, discover the best activities, attractions, and experiences Mallacoota has to offer

Staying in Mallacoota? Start here

Where to eat What's on this summer Beaches and swimming Boat hire Walks Bringing your dog Getting here

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Water Adventures

Betka Beach Mallacoota: the Lagoon, the Surf and the Loop Walk

Betka Beach is where the Betka River meets the sea, about five minutes' drive south of Mallacoota. The lagoon versus the surf side, the facilities, and the walks from the beach.

28 Sept 2026

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Melbourne to Mallacoota: Driving, Public Transport and Flights

How to get to Mallacoota: the drive from Melbourne (around six hours), Sydney or Canberra, the turnoff at Genoa, the V/Line train and bus, and the nearest airport at Merimbula.

28 Sept 2026

5 min read

Natural Wonders

Genoa Falls Near Mallacoota, and Genoa Peak's Closure

A short walk with stairs to small falls over wide rock shelves, about 25 minutes' drive from Mallacoota. The turnoff is unmarked, and Genoa Peak is currently closed to the public.

28 Sept 2026

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Bringing Your Dog to Mallacoota: Houses, Rules and Vets

15 of our 17 Mallacoota holiday homes take dogs, and seven have fully fenced yards. Where dogs can't go, where they can sit with you for a meal, and the nearest vets.

28 Sept 2026

5 min read

Tourist Information

Birdwatching in Mallacoota: Inlet Cruises and Where to Look

Where to see birds around Mallacoota: sea eagles, pelicans and azure kingfishers on the inlet, lyrebirds at Double Creek, and Dale's guided birdwatching cruises through Mallacoota Cruises.

12 Mar 2026

5 min read

Dining & Local Flavors

Sundayss Mallacoota: Coffee, Smoothies and When It Opens

Sundayss is a seasonal café and juice bar on Allan Drive, run by Amy: specialty coffee, smoothies, juices and acai bowls. It generally reopens in the early summer period.

9 Dec 2025

5 min read

Tourist Information

Massage in Mallacoota: Sauna, Hair and Nails

Where to get a massage in Mallacoota: Massage by Jodie on Maurice Avenue, with an infrared sauna from $35. Plus Studio @ 65 for hair, lashes and nails, and how to book both.

4 Dec 2025

5 min read

Water Adventures

Barbie Boats in Mallacoota: Prices, Licences and Booking

Barbie boat hire in Mallacoota compared: Mallacoota Barbie Boats through Scallywags, Buckland's BBQ pontoon boat and the Inlet Barbie at Mallacoota Hireboats. Prices, licences and booking.

12 Nov 2025

5 min read

Dining & Local Flavors

Fresh Seafood in Mallacoota: Where to Eat It and Catch It

Where to eat fresh seafood in Mallacoota, what's local (dusky flathead and bream), and how to catch, clean and cook your own with a Victorian fishing licence.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Dining & Local Flavors

Mallacoota Cafés: Where to Get Coffee and When

Where to get coffee in Mallacoota and when: Cafe 54 all year, Origami Coffee Thursday to Sunday per its Instagram, Sundayss generally from early summer, plus the Bakery, the Beanie Coffee Van and Larry's Coffee.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Dining & Local Flavors

Origami Coffee Mallacoota: The Kiosk on Dorron Avenue

Origami Coffee is Takeshi's tiny drinks-only kiosk on a grassy slope on Dorron Avenue, near Scallywags. Where to find it, when it's open, and what to order.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Hidden Gems

Mallacoota Bunker Museum and the Town's WWII History

Mallacoota's WWII bunker is now the RSL Bunker Museum on Airport Road. When it opens, what's inside, and the lighthouses and old cruise boat that carry the area's history.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Adventures & Activities

Mallacoota Family Holiday: Houses and Days for Big Groups

Where a big family group fits in Mallacoota, from South Gateway House (sleeps 13) to seven fenced yards, plus days out for every age: the inlet shallows, Betka Beach and a barbie boat.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Adventures & Activities

Mallacoota for Teenagers: Kayaks, Surfing, Walks and Skating

Kayaks and SUPs on the inlet, surf lessons from The Surf Shack, the walk to the Secret Beach sea cave, a line off the Main Wharf and the skate park.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Adventures & Activities

Things to Do in Mallacoota with Kids: Boats, Rock Pools and Gabo

Kayaks and pedal boats on the inlet, a line off the Main Wharf, rock pools at low tide, lyrebirds at Double Creek and the fur seals near Gabo Island.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Adventures & Activities

Mallacoota with Toddlers: Calm Water, Easy Walks and Fenced Yards

Where little ones can paddle, a flat path for the pram, pedal boats at $10 a half hour, and the seven Mallacoota houses with a fully fenced yard.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Avoiding the Crowds in Mallacoota, and Places Out of Town

When Mallacoota's crowds thin, a quieter paddle up the inlet to Gipsy Point, and places out of town: Secret Beach, Quarry Beach, the Double Creek rainforest loop and Genoa Falls.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Water Adventures

Best Time to Fish Mallacoota: When Flathead and Bream Bite

When to fish Mallacoota: flathead fire roughly November to April, bream are caught year-round, and the 2026 Daiwa Mallacoota Flatty Classic runs 23 to 25 October.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Mallacoota in Autumn: Fishing, Walks and Quieter Days

What Mallacoota is like in autumn: quieter after the summer rush, flathead into April, the first-Saturday market, Easter, easy walks and lower rates at our houses.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Mallacoota in Spring: Whales, Wildflowers and Where to Look

Whales heading south with their calves, wildflowers from mid-September to late November, lyrebirds at Double Creek, and sometimes little penguins on Gabo. Where to look in spring, and what's on.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Walks in Mallacoota: Double Creek, Betka and the Coastal Walk

Walks in and around Mallacoota: the easy Double Creek rainforest loop, the Betka Beach loop, the Coastal Walk, the flat lake foreshore path, and walks further out.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Natural Wonders

Mallacoota Wildflowers: When They Bloom and Where to Look

Wildflower season peaks from mid-September to late November, with orchids, banksias, everlastings and purple flag lilies. When to come, where to look, and what's closed.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Mallacoota in Winter: What's Open and What to Do

What's open in Mallacoota in winter and what to do: Cafe 54 and the pub, the monthly market, the Bunker Museum, whales heading north, a rainforest walk, bream fishing and bringing the dog.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Natural Wonders

Whale Watching in Mallacoota: When and Where to Look

Humpback and southern right whales pass Mallacoota heading north in winter and south with calves in spring. Where to watch from, and the seals, dolphins and birds to look for.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Mallacoota: Victoria's Warmest Winter Escape

Parks Victoria describes Mallacoota as having Victoria's warmest winter temperatures. What a winter here is like, what's on, and where to stay, with or without the dog.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Mallacoota Shops and Essentials: Supermarkets, Pharmacy and Vet

Mallacoota has an IGA and a Foodworks, a pharmacy and a medical centre. Here are the IGA's summer hours, the nearest vets, which network gets better reception, and what to expect at the boat ramps.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Dining & Local Flavors

Lee's Takeaway Has Closed: Pizza and Fish and Chips in Mallacoota

Lee's Takeaway has closed. The pub does takeaway pizza, Cafe 54 does takeaway, and Cafe 54, the pub and Scallywags do fish and chips. Here are the pub's pizzas, the phone numbers and the IGA's summer hours.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Things to Do in Mallacoota Over Christmas and January

What's on in Mallacoota over Christmas and January: Saturday markets, boats on the inlet, Betka Beach, Gabo and Genoa day trips, eating out, and what to book before you arrive.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Seasonal Planning

Mallacoota in Summer: What It's Like and When to Book

What Mallacoota is like over summer: how busy it gets, when the water is warmest, what's open in January, and when you need to book a house for Christmas.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Events & Festivals

Wild Harvest Seafood Festival, Mallacoota: What It Is and When

Wild Harvest is Mallacoota's seafood festival, with abalone, oysters, mussels and sea urchin from local divers. The most recent ran 25 to 27 September 2026, and the next date hasn't been announced.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Water Adventures

Mallacoota Beaches: Where to Swim, Snorkel and Paddle

Where to swim in Mallacoota: calm inlet shallows for little ones, Quarry Beach rock pools for snorkelling at low tide, and why you check Beachsafe before any surf swim.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Water Adventures

Mallacoota Fishing: What You Can Catch and Where to Fish

What you can catch in Mallacoota and when, where kids can fish off the wharf, hiring a boat, the boat ramps, where to buy tackle and bait, and the fishing licence you need.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Water Adventures

Boat Hire in Mallacoota: Who Hires What and What It Costs

Boat hire in Mallacoota in one table: Mallacoota Hireboats, Mallacoota Barbie Boats and Buckland's Jetty Boat Hire, with prices, phones and when you need a licence.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Water Adventures

Kayaking in Mallacoota: Kayak Hire, Prices and Where to Paddle

Where to hire a kayak or SUP in Mallacoota, what it costs, which of our houses you can launch from, and where to paddle: the Narrows, Double Creek Arm and Gipsy Point.

22 July 2025

5 min read

Adventures & Activities

Mallacoota Fishing Charters, or Hire a Boat Yourself

Mallacoota Fishing Charters and its offshore trips for kingfish and snapper, what a charter supplies, the fishing licence, when to book, and hiring a boat to fish yourself.

18 July 2025

5 min read

Dining & Local Flavors

Where to Eat in Mallacoota: Restaurants, the Pub and Cafés

Where to eat in Mallacoota: Scallywags on the inlet, the pub's Family Bistro and pizzas, Lucy's, Cafe 54 and the Golf Club, plus where to get fish and chips now Lee's has closed.

16 July 2025

5 min read

Adventures & Activities

Mallacoota Wildlife: Where to See Kangaroos, Lyrebirds and Penguins

Where to see kangaroos, lyrebirds, inlet birds, dolphins, water dragons and whales around Mallacoota, plus the penguins sometimes seen on Gabo Island and the fur seals on Little Gabo.

16 July 2025

5 min read

Hidden Gems

Secret Beach Mallacoota, Quarry Beach and the Coastal Walk

Getting down to Secret Beach and when to see its sea cave, Quarry Beach's rock pools at low tide, and the Mallacoota Coastal Walk, about 9.5 km one way.

16 July 2025

5 min read

Natural Wonders

Croajingolong National Park: Short Walks, Point Hicks, Camping

The short walks near Mallacoota, Point Hicks Lightstation, the Wilderness Coast Walk and camping in Croajingolong National Park. Genoa Peak is closed to the public at the moment.

16 July 2025

5 min read

Adventures & Activities

Gabo Island

Journey to Australia's second tallest lighthouse on this remote island sanctuary, home to the world's largest Little Penguin colony and spectacular marine life.

16 July 2025

5 min read

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