The Mornington Peninsula

A stunning coastal town, Rye is an oasis in the summer, with beautiful front and back beaches and a wonderland during the winter, with the Peninsula Hot Springs only minutes from the main street.  This beautiful seaside town has many attractions and activities for all to enjoy – all year round.  Rye is especially busy during December to February and is host to carnivals during the holiday periods, an enormous children’s park and of course plenty of ice creameries: there is always something to do for the whole family.  For the active holidaymakers, there is no shortage of choice with an excellent selection of golf courses, walking tracks and gnarly surf.

St Andrews Beach is a tiny coastal village nestled among the sand dunes facing the ocean of Bass Strait.  It forms part of the continuous stretch of beach that runs from Cape Schanck to Portsea.  It’s a popular surf location but you can’t surpass the views along the coastal tracks.  There is really no real heart to the village with only one small store/milk bar for amenities.  It is however, the inspiration for some unique and award-winning architecture with beautiful properties overlooking the ocean.

Blairgowrie is a cosy and quiet beachside town, located between Rye and Sorrento on the front beach.  Small local shops extend to a supermarket, speciality shops and cafes.  The calm waters of Port Phillip Bay meet the shore at the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron harbour.  Blairgowrie also stretches out to the back beach on Bass Strait, popular for its surf waters.  Spectacular walks and scenery can be enjoyed

in the Mornington Peninsula National Park which runs along the rugged Bass Strait coastline.  There are numerous walking tracks along cliff tops, through sand dunes and down to the beaches below.  Koonya Ocean Beach is the most accessible, with a lookout at the car park providing views down to the rocky outcrop of Pelly Point and inland across Blairgowrie towards the bay beach.

Cape Schanck is located at the southern tip of Mornington Peninsula, fronting the waters of Bass Strait and provides visitors with an insight into the areas maritime history, beautiful rocky coastal features, unspoilt beaches, scenic walking tracks and easy access to surrounding golf courses.

The Cape Schanck lighthouse was built in 1859 out of local limestone and features a rare spiral staircase made from stone.  Tours of the lighthouse are conducted daily and offer spectacular views from the circular viewing platform near the top.  The lighthouse is surrounded by a reserve which includes a museum, former keeper’s quarters and associated buildings.

With its village feel, this popular seaside town is a hive of activity.  Many local shops and eateries fill the commercial

Centre which leads down to the foreshore and local beach.  A market day is held in the main street every Wednesday and several annual festivities are also held locally, attracting hundreds of people to Mornington and surrounds.

There are numerous parks, gardens and historical buildings in the area, many of which are open to the Public.

If horse racing takes your fancy, a visit to the Mornington Racecourse might be just to the ticket.  Voted the number one country racecourse in Victoria on three separate occasions, it offers the glamour of a city course with the warmth if a country one.  The highlight of the calendar is Mornington Cup Day, the nation’s most valuable country cup!

The point where Western Port meets Bass Strait, it is believed that George Bass named the area after his friend, explorer and British Naval Officer Matthew Flinders.

An exceptional area for all kinds of water sports including sailing, fishing and surfing, Flinders also hosts one of Victoria’s best rock platform reefs, popular for recreational diving and snorkelling.

The town features a picturesque golf course atop a cliff, a yacht club and a pier out from the protected beach, sheltered from the waters of Bass Strait.  A tranquil area, flinders offers many bushwalking trails and beautiful coastal areas, not to mention the over 125 year old Flinders Hotel – if only those walls could talk!

Located approximately half way between Hastings and Flinders, Balnarring was one of the main areas covered in

she-oak forests and was later divided into allotments for maker- scale farmers.

Situated at the junction of two main peninsula roads, there is a good selection of services and shops including a supermarket.  This area is surrounded by wetlands which offer walking trails and access to a lagoon.  A local feature is Balnarring Beach, a 70ha nature reserve bordered by Merricks Creek and Western Port Bay.  This area forms part of the Western Port Biosphere, an internationally recognised wetland.  Its arcs of coastline provide a safe swimming area with a foreshore reserve.

The heart of the Peninsula, Red Hill is centrally located in the hinterland between Dromana and Balnarring.  Main services can largely be found along Arthurs Seat Road, Flinders Road and Shoreham Road.

Set among scenic hills and native forests, the area is abundant with vineyards, boutique wineries, orchards and berry farms – all offering a characteristically distinctive experience.

Local produce is a highlight of the area and you can indulge at the many eateries offering everything from fine dining to casual cafes.

The true treasure is in the creativity and talent of the local artists which has led to Red Hill being host to a premier art show.

Each shady road and laneway winding around the hills will lead to something interesting and unique, gems tucked away just waiting to be discovered.

Dromana is a smaller Bayside township at the foot of Arthurs Seat and lies between Safety Beach and McCrae.

The location offers a beachside feel with beautiful bushland surrounds.  The main hub faces the Dromana Pier and offers a fantastic place to watch the sunset during the warmer months.  There is a selection of local shops, boutique clothing stores and cafes.

With beautiful walking tracks and grassy picnic spots, as well as sheltered areas along the coastline, Dromana presents a relaxed, quiet family town that boasts a calm and safe beach for swimmers and boats – perfect for family outings.

Sorrento is a popular tourist destination on Mornington Peninsula.  Featuring a charming boulevard with a variety of shops, restaurants and cafes, the major landmark would have to be the multi-storey Continental Hotel built in 1875, the largest limestone structure in the Southern Hemisphere.

The crescent-shaped Sorrento Front Beach is flanked by a pristine foreshore with lawns, shelters and English trees.  Its sheltered waters make it ideal for swimming and other water activities.  Sorrento Pier is where you board the passenger and car ferry which links Sorrento to Queenscliff on the Bellarine peninsula.  As mentioned, Sorrento was the site of Victoria’s first official European Sister, located near the south-eastern end of Sorrento’s bay coastline, honours this historic event.

Portsea is on the very Southern tip of the peninsula.  Located on a thin strip, just two kilometres wide, Portsea fronts both the settled bay waters of Port Phillip and the active ocean beaches on Bass Strait.  Point Nepean National Park provides a beautiful landscape for the area.

The major landmark in the town centre is the Portsea Hotel which was built in 1927 and includes indoor and outdoor dining and entertaining areas which extend down to the foreshore and overlook the beach and pier.  At the western edge of Portsea, and extending right to the tip of the land, is the Point Nepean National Park which features relics, Aboriginal settlements and past military fortifications.

A quarantine station was built there in 1852 to protect Victoria against disease from people arriving by boat.  In 1882, a fort with barracks was established to defend the headlands of Port Phillip against invasion.