Mornington Peninsula: Where To Eat, Stay And Play

Whether you’re looking to lie on the beach and enjoy a low-key picnic lunch, spend a day at the winery or have a couples’ getaway with all the bells, whistles and glamping, the Mornington Peninsula is an ideal holiday destination for a day, a week or longer.

It was a joyful discovery for me as a Melbourne resident (it took me less than 1.5 hours to get there along the Nepean Highway). For interstate and international visitors, it’s certainly a great opportunity to show off Victoria’s wineries, beaches, food and walking riches, all a short trip from Melbourne.
If you’re not driving, there’s a bus from Melbourne and ferries to Phillip Island, French Island and Stony Point. The Visit Victoria website offers more advice on getting around.

Eat and drink

Store Fifteen All-Day Breakfast — If you love an all-day breakfast you’ll want to put Store Fifteen on your hit list

Pizza, smoothies and frozen yoghurt – oh my!

The Mornington Peninsula has become a foodie’s wonderland, where you’ll find an abundance of cafes, restaurants and outdoor picnic venues to meet your every craving. While dining in is recommended, takeaway to eat by the beach on a warm day is hard to resist.

There’s several cafes at the Peninsula Hot Springs, so you’ll be catered to if you want pizza and equally, if a low-carb, gluten-free salad appeals, that’s on offer too. If you opt for a glamping experience (more on that in the Stay section), there’s an on-site restaurant at nearby Blue Range Estate.

In the beach town of Mornington itself, Store Fifteen offers nutritious smoothies, coffees, teas and an all-day breakfast menu with plenty of vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian options. There’s a range of juices (try the refreshing celery juice) and don’t miss its super-fresh salads. And while you’re here, it’s almost mandatory to eat frozen yoghurt. Drop into YOMG for the mango matcha frozen yoghurt or maybe the salted caramel is more your flavour? There’s a whole lot of juicy burger options if you’re ravenous too.

Dine on multiple hats at Pt Leo Estate

If you’re after a side of fine dining with your wine tasting, you can’t go past a stop in at Pt Leo Estate. Aside from world-class wines, you’ll also find Laura; the restaurant named ‘New Restaurant of the Year’ in the Good Food Guide 2019. This two-hatted restaurant offers a fine-dining experience, headed up by Pt Leo Estate’s culinary director Phil Wood.

If you’re after something a little less fancy, Pt Leo Estate Restaurant has only the one hat, but all the flavour. We especially recommend trying the snapper ceviche with avocado, coconut and chilli, and the John Dory, served with teriyaki sauce, mushroom XO and macadamias.

Gravel ant-infused gin

From a sip perspective, you can’t go past a visit to Bass and Flinders Distillery in the Mornington Peninsula. Known for its impressive range of brandies and gins, it provides an attractive alternative to a weekend packed with wine tastings – especially if you’re willing to experiment with, erm… different flavours. Bass and Flinders is known for its innovative ideas, such as its ‘Angry Ant’ premium gin, created with the addition of an edible native ant: a gravel ant that has been foraged as a food source for centuries.

Though it may sound slightly startling, the infusion of the gravel ant means that the gin is enhanced with a unique, slightly tangy flavour reminiscent of the Australian outback, which those who are brave enough to try it just love. Hand on heart.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

Stay

Adults-only glamping under the stars

New to the accommodation offerings on the peninsula is Mornington Peninsula Glamping. The first glampsite to pop up on the peninsula, it’s located on the Blue Range Estate Winery, run by the Melone family.

An adults-only retreat, each of the glamping tents accommodates two people maximum. Within the five-by-five-metre tents is a queen-size bed, two lounge chairs and a coffee table. You won’t need to go device-free either, with solar power to ensure you can remain connected if you desire. Within easy walking distance is a shared cooking and dining area (barbecues, hot water and boutique coffee and tea) plus bathroom facilities, which are just as snazzy and chic as the tents.

Between Friday and Sunday, you can eat at the winery’s restaurant if embracing the great outdoors as your kitchen doesn’t appeal to you.

Art and luxury collide at Jackalope

If you’re planning a trip to the Mornington Peninsula, Jackalope undeniably needs to be a part of your itinerary – if not to stay, then to explore and appreciate.

Not only a treat for those looking for a chic place to rest their head, it’s also a deservedly acknowledged spot for the art appreciators among us to explore, as the property houses boldly curated collaborations with incredible Australian designers – some inside, some in the form of sculptures scattered around the property’s vineyard foundation.

Speaking of designers, 45 of the hotel’s ‘designer dens’ are furnished with custom-made interiors, and the hotel’s dining and drinking options are no exception to the strong art-themed decor. Flaggerdoot, Jackalope’s cocktail lounge is reminiscent of a science lab-turned penthouse, and Doot Doot Doot, the hotel’s signature restaurant will leave you floored with meals almost too beautiful to eat.

Play

Spend the afternoon taking in the views and unwinding in the Peninsula Hot Springs

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Soak in the Hot Springs

For many seeking a retreat from daily life and the rejuvenating qualities of nature and water, the Peninsula Hot Springs provide much-needed respite. Choose from the pools or private baths, where natural thermal mineral waters soak tired muscles to heal and harmonise. Whether you come purely to indulge in the thermal pools or to spend an entire day, there’s plenty of choices available. The spa offers massage, facials and body scrubs. But, if you’ve got energy to burn and a curiosity about where you are, take the Indigenous cultural walk. Return in time to do the body clay ritual or take an exercise class in water. There’s two dining venues: both the outdoor cafe, offering gourmet pizza and the amphitheatre cafe where the focus is on healthy, locally harvested ingredients to deliver an organic, wholefood menu. Depending on your timing, you may be lucky enough to experience seasonal arts and entertainment on the nearby amphitheatre stage. The spa dreaming cafe is adults-only (over 16) and also focuses on nourishing and wholesome food. Fully licensed with complete table service.

Stop and smell the roses

Mornington Botanical Rose Garden offers free entry to stroll through a garden of sculptures, gazebos and – naturally – roses of all description. There’s high tea on offer. Check the website for dates and times to book ahead.

Go slow with a beach stroll

With many lovely beaches to choose from within the sheltered waters of Port Phillip Bay, Mother’s Beach in Mornington is definitely one where you can avoid big crowds, swim, walk the shores and get out a picnic if you’re so inclined. Nearby Shire Hall Beach is home to colourful huts, along with plentiful benches, picnic tables and toilets. Fossil Beach offers geologists and budding geologists a picturesque limestone cliff-lined walk. There’s a sign-posted walk that indicates sites of significance regarding the original Aboriginal inhabitants and the first European settlers. The beach is located within the Fossil Beach Geological Reserve.

Further south between Mount Martha and Dromana, Safety Beach is another calm spot. I took a stroll along on it on weekday morning and it was relatively quiet. There was a buzz around the coffee van that sets up near a playground but apart from that, there’s some dog walkers, locals out for their usual walk and joggers. Walk all the way to the pier or stop and crack open a book as you sit and enjoy the ocean view.

Surfing and stand-up paddle boarding-a-plenty

For wilder ocean beaches along the rugged, southern coastline of the peninsula, check out Sorrento Back Beach for bodyboarding, surfing and coastal walking; or Pt Leo Surf Beach for surfing, fishing and camping on the adjacent foreshore reserve.

If you’ve never tried stand-up paddle boarding before, there’s beginner lessons with SUP Fit Mornington. You can organise individual lessons or groups with a focus on making it fun and inclusive. Their locations are varied, from Mount Eliza to McCrae and further out, but each within a half-hour drive of the other.

Discover all the region has to offer with our extensive guide to the best of the Mornington Peninsula.

Video credit: Tourism Australia

From coast to mountains, hiking in Gippsland offers a stunning array of landscapes, with trails that take you deep into the region’s heritage.

I step out onto the sand and it cries out underfoot. Kweek! I take another step and there’s another little yelp. Screet! Picking up the pace, the sounds follow me like my shadow, all the way down to the water. It’s obvious how this spot got its name – Squeaky Beach – from the rounded grains of quartz that make the distinctive sounds under pressure.

For many, Wilsons Promontory National Park is the gateway to Gippsland, and the best way to explore it is by walking its network of hiking trails, from coastal gems such as Squeaky Beach through to the bushland, among the wildlife. But it’s still just a taste of what you’ll find on foot in the region.

Venture a bit further into Gippsland and you’ll discover the lakes, the rainforest, and the alpine peaks, each changing with the season and offering summer strolls or winter walks. Just like that squeaky sand, each step along these trails has something to tell you: perhaps a story about an ancient spirit or a pioneering search for fortune.

The best coastal hikes in Gippsland

sunset at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Wilsons Promontory National Park is a sprawling wilderness with many coastal bushland trails. (Image: Mark Watson)

Wilsons Promontory National Park (or ‘The Prom’, as you’ll end up calling it) is an easy three-hour drive from Melbourne, but you might ditch the car when you arrive, with much of the park’s 50,000 hectares accessible only by foot. From the inky water of Tidal River (dyed dark purple by abundant tea trees), I like the easy walks along the coast, among lichen-laden granite boulders, to golden beaches and bays.

a couple on Mount Oberon — Panoramic views from the summit of Mount Oberon. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

The trail to the panoramic views at the summit of Mount Oberon is a bit harder, up steep timber and granite steps, but it’s a popular 6.8-kilometre return. The more remote hikes are found through the open banksia and stringybark woodland of the park’s north, or along the multi-day Southern Circuit, which ranges from about 35 to 52 kilometres, with sunrises and sunsets, kangaroos and cockatoos, and maybe even whales.

a golden sand beach at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Walk ‘The Prom’s’ golden sand beaches. (Image: Tourism Australia/Time Out Australia)

You might also see whales on the George Bass Coastal Walk, even closer to Melbourne on the western edge of Gippsland. This dramatic seven-kilometre trail along the clifftops takes in sweeping views of the wild ocean, occasionally dipping down from grassy green hills to coastal gullies and a secluded beach. It also now links into the Bass Coast Rail Trail for an extra 14 kilometres.

Over at the eastern edge of Gippsland, in Croajingolong National Park, you can wander along the lakeshores beneath koalas and around goannas (I keep my distance since one chased me here!). For those who are even more adventurous, the park is also the starting point for the 100-kilometre Wilderness Coast Walk, usually done over seven days.

the Croajingolong National Park, Gippsland — Wander along the lakeshores in Croajingolong National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The best bush hikes in Gippsland

the Baw Baw National Park — The alpine heath of Baw Baw National Park. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Deep in the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine at Walhalla, mining guide Richard tells me how this small town in the mountains east of Melbourne boomed when prospectors found gold here in 1862. These days, you’ll find most of the town’s treasure – its heritage – above ground, with the Walhalla Tramline Walk a wonderful way to explore it.

Just seven kilometres long, the walk takes you through decades of Gold Rush history, following the original rail trail from lush bushland to the mining sites, and through the charming village of just 20 residents with its wooden cottages and old shopfronts adorned with turn-of-the-century advertising posters. Blazing a trail where trailblazers once opened up the region, this is also the starting point for the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.

Nearby, Baw Baw National Park has walks through gnarled snow gums and alpine heaths that show off the colourful wildflowers in summer and the pristine carpet of white in winter. Several trails are perfect for snowshoes, including a 45-minute route from St Gwinear up to vast views across the Latrobe Valley.

Further up into the mountains, the Toorongo and Amphitheatre Falls Loop Walk is an easy 2.2-kilometre path that serenades you with the sound of flowing water as you pass mossy rocks and tree ferns en route to two sets of waterfalls cascading over boulders in the remote wilderness.

The best cultural hikes in Gippsland

the Mitchell River National Park, Gippsland — Hike the Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

Across a pool in a natural sandstone amphitheatre, deep within a cave behind a waterfall, it’s said the Nargun has its lair. A fierce creature, half human and half stone, that abducts children and can’t be harmed by boomerangs or spears, the story of the Nargun has been told around the campfires of the local Gunaikurnai people for generations.

As a culturally significant place for women, hikers are asked not to go into the Den of Nargun, but a 3.4-kilometre loop walk leads you through a rainforest gully to the entrance where you can feel the powerful atmosphere here in Mitchell River National Park, along Victoria’s largest remaining wild and free-flowing waterway.

the bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park — Bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

The Den of Nargun is part of the Bataluk Cultural Trail, a series of important traditional Gunaikurnai sites through central Gippsland. Another location is Victoria’s largest cave system, Buchan Caves Reserve, with trails to important archaeological sites of human artefacts up to 18,000 years old. The FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk includes the naturally sculpted white limestone steps of the 400-metre-long Federal Cave, while the Granite Pools Walk goes among tall timber and moss-covered gullies.

the ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park — The ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park. (Image: Josie Withers)

Also important to the Gunaikurnai people is Tarra-Bulga National Park, known for its ancient myrtle beeches and enormous mountain ash trees. Just 40 minutes return, the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk offers a taste of this verdant landscape, while the Grand Strzelecki Track takes you deep into the lost world of forest giants on an epic 100-kilometre trail rich with tradition.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the WildernessRetreats in The Prom — Wilderness Retreats in The Prom. (Image: Christian Pearson)

Wilderness Retreats in Wilsons Promontory offers glamping-style tents with luxurious queen beds. Star Hotel is a reconstruction of a Gold Rush-era hotel from 1863 in the heart of heritage Walhalla. Caves House is a historic three-bedroom house with views over the Buchan River.

Eating there

the Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — Enjoy a post-hike lunch at Carrajung Estate. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Kilcunda General Store serves great coffee and meals of local produce at the George Bass Coastal Walk. Alpine Trout Farm is located near Toorongo Falls in Noojee. Fish for your own lunch and barbecue it with the provided cookware.

Carrajung Estate is a short drive from Tarra-Bulga National Park. The winery’s restaurant offers a seasonal menu of regional ingredients and you can stay at The Lodge.

a seafood feast at Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — The table is set for a seafood feast at the estate.

Video credit: Tourism Australia

where to eat, stay and play Mornington Peninsula

Whether you’re looking to lie on the beach and enjoy a low-key picnic lunch, spend a day at the winery or have a couples’ getaway with all the bells, whistles and glamping, the Mornington Peninsula is an ideal holiday destination for a day, a week or longer.

Eat and drink