On recommendation from the lovely folk at
Next Door Cafe, on our way back from
Port Arthur, we stopped in
Dunalley for a late lunch of fish and chips (or "fiss 'n' chips", as my Mum would say. I reckon it's the only remnant of her Dutch accent).
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| View from car park. Seem to have lots of those in Tassie |
As far as I could tell, there's hardly any of Dunalley. It's pretty tiny. (Wiki tells me it had a population of 313 in 2006.) And the
Dunalley Fish Market is at the arse end - or the top end, depending on your perspective, I suppose. It does have spectacular water views - which I'm sure are amplified by beautiful summer weather - and is possibly the kookiest takeaway shop you'll ever see, but it also has what is likely to be some of the best fish and chips you'll ever eat.
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| Entrance, complete with traditional fish 'n' chip shop plastic door strips |
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| Empty decorated tank thing (or a VERY large bathtub for visitors in summer) |
Tired from our
red-eye flight and
visit to Port Arthur, we were in much need of refreshment and sustenance. So it was lovely to be greeted by friendly William John, resident canine (a Blue Heeler, I think), when we arrived. After ascertaining that the kitchen was still open and placing our order, we wandered through to the dining area, which was chock-a-block with fish-, sailing- and water-related paraphernalia.
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| Nets, ornaments, boat models, posters, and William John. |
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| Back room filled with more tanks, astro-turf and random crap |
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| Fisher-lady with coconut bra and, very wisely, a sun cap |
We waited for our food next to a pot belly stove with William John keeping us company (or stealing our heat ...meh), and this view:
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| Not bad, not bad at all |
It was a cold day and, in my opinion, that always makes salted fried food taste MUCH better. Thankfully, we'd ordered this to share (it was HUGE):
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| Dunalley Fish Market's fish and chips |
It was deliciously fresh, with crumbed calamari, chicken-salted chips and huge chunks of fish, all bundled up just the way I like it: in butcher's paper that absorbs most of the grease and provides a handy clean-up packaging option at the end. (Hey, I am my mother's daughter...)
We sat for a while after eating, not wanting to leave the heater, and also feeling nicely calmed - whether from the water (as I've mentioned, I'm a sucker for that s*^t), or the peaceful isolation of the shop, I'm not sure. Regardless, we left with hunger sated - and with the owner looking at us oddly as I hurriedly snapped pics of his humble premises whilst tripping back to the car.
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| Outside |
If you should ever happen to be in the vicinity of Dunalley, Tasmania -- I highly recommend you stop here.
