Heston Blumenthal will relocate the entire staff of his three Michelin starred restaurant The Fat Duck to Melbourne for six months next year.

Blumenthal will close The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, England for an extensive refurbishment in February 2015, opening simultaneously at the former Breezes site at Crown Melbourne. The Fat Duck will return to the UK six months later, leaving the Melbourne site as another branch of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

Blumenthal arrived in Melbourne ahead of the announcement and went to Adam D’Sylva’s Coda restaurant with Eddie McGuire.

Twitter blew up with comments after Blumenthal made the announcement to a media pack in the foyer of Crown Towers today.

Now to do whatever it takes to get to Melb during those 6months and get a reservation! #onceinalifetime @VogueLiving #FatDuck @Heston_Live — Ashley Doyle (@Ashley_M_Doyle) March 31, 2014

The Fat Duck is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015.

“The Fat Duck is part of a Grade II listed building, so I always knew there would come a time when it would need a little attention,” Blumenthal said. “When we first started conversations with Crown, I saw the potential of the situation and really began to hope.”

Blumenthal says he fell in love with Australia after his first visit in 2003. “I love how Australian people celebrate good food; there is such a love of everything from coffee shops to gourmet restaurants and everything in between.”

The Melbourne restaurant will seat 45 with a staff of 70.