Mornington Peninsula - Victoria - Australia

Mornington Peninsula

The Mornington Peninsula is a Mediterranean-like getaway within an hour of Melbourne. You can drive across the peninsula in around 15 minutes, or 30 minutes down the length.

A getaway to this seaside enclave will make you feel you are miles from the city.

Top 10 things to do and see

Beach Huts

Wander along the foreshore from Mornington towards Sorrento and you’ll see rows of colourful beach huts along the sand. These are an historical reminder of the public decorum necessary in the 1880s to protect the modesty of ladies and are quaint bathing boxes painted in a huge range of colours.

Peninsula Hot Springs (www.peninsulahotsprings.com)

Mornington Peninsula offers a huge range of spa options, however the Peninsula Hot Springs is the original public bathing house with over 14 mineral pools of varying temperatures. Whilst you can make this into a luxury adult retreat by booking into the Spa Dreaming Centre and taking advantage of the private mineral pools, massage and spa treatments, the centre is equally attractive for families. Famly pools, a sauna, pool cave, Turkish steam bath and reflexology walk all set around a beautiful lake make for a great day, or evening, out, open 7am to 10pm.

Food and Wine

The Peninsula’s hinterland area has been tilled by farmers and orchardists for over 100 years, with the first vines planted over 30 years ago. The local village stores in this area stock specialty produce representing the gourmet food and wine culture. With a huge variety of restaurants and cafe’s producing menus centred on regional produce and matching this with regional wines, this is a food-lovers delight.

Cool climate wines in the Mornington Peninsula are winning awards, particularly for Pinot Noir. With over 200 vineyards and at least 50 with cellar doors, wine tasting options are definitely on the cards.(www.mpva.com.au).

Gardens

Mornington Peninsula is home to a variety of magnificent gardens and parks set amongst natural bushland:

Heronswood is the home of the diggers club (www.diggers.com.au) and you can also visit Heronswood House (an 1860’s Gothic Revival mansion), open during the Harvest and Spring Festivals. Heronswood is a cottage garden and has great displays of the interplanting of vegetables, fruit, perennials and herbs.

Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens is home to Australia’s oldest hedge maze set in 25 acres of gardens.(www.ashcombemaze.com.au). Or, a family, favourite, visit The Enchanted Maze Garden at Arthurs Seat (www.enchantedmaze.com.au)

Pick your own strawberries from November to April at the Sunnyridge Strawberry farm (www.sunnyridge.com.au)

Arthurs Seat

The highest vantage point on the Mornington Peninsula with fabulous views back to Melbourne across Port Phillip Bay. Drive the steep and winding road, or take the easier option of the chairlift. Stop for lunch at the pub at the top, or just sit on the deck and take in the views.

Arthurs Seat Trail Rides is a horse-lovers dream, with quality horses for both beginners and more experienced riders. Supervised scenic trail rides let you enjoy the rolling countryside.

Cape Schanck

The historic Cape Schanck Lighthouse still boasts it’s original beacon and is operating as it did in the mid-1800s. You can enter the grounds and take a guided tour to the top of the lighthouse or check out the museum which explains the history of lighthouses. The buildings were constructed from 1859 and are a great example of architecture from this period.

Octopuses Garden

The Octopuses Garden is a self-guided snorkelling trail under the Rye Pier in Port Phillip Bay. Victoria’s first underwater marine trail, this is easily accessible from the shore and great for adults and kids alike. The trail is 200 metres long and underwater signs guide you out along the pier providing information on the marine life in the area. With marine life including sea slugs, crabs, seastars, seaweeds and pipefish this is a must-see, but it’s important that you be a competent swimmer and wear a wetsuit and gloves. Marine life is fragile, so it’s important you don’t touch.

Point Nepean National Park (www.parkweb.vic.gov.au)

Point Nepean National Park, a great place for nature-lovers and history-buffs, is accessed from Portsea at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula. Explore the historic Quarantine station established in 1852, Fort Nepean’s at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay and the memorial at Cheviot Beach where Harold Holt disappeared in 1967. There are a number of self guided tours in the park which include interpretive displays, or you can cycle or walk many of the tracks. As with all Victorian National Parks, there is now free day entry since mid-2010.

Fishing

With access to both Port Phillip Bay, Western Port and Bass Straight, you’d be hard-pressed not to find some sort of fishing you like. Piers dot the bay coastline at Dromana, a favourite local fishing spot off the long pier, Rye and Sorrento, or try your luck surf fishing from the ocean beaches.

If the fish aren’t biting, then you can enjoy freshly caught seafood on a cafe deck overlooking the beach.

Ferry to Bellarine Peninsula

From Sorrento Pier to Queenscliff Harbour, the car and passenger ferry departs on the hour every hour from 7am to 6pm in all weather and all-year-round. Not only is this a quick way to get to the Bellarine Peninsula without having to go through the centre of Melbourne, it’s a 45 minute ride where you can view the foreshore of Mornington Peninsula and experience Port Phillip Bay.

Holiday options

An easy weekend getaway from Melbourne for a couple, group or the whole family. Or, a perfect stop on a longer touring trip with easy ferry access to the Bellarine Peninsula and on to the Great Ocean Road.

When to go?

Enjoy the beaches in the summer, the gardens in autumn and spring, wine tasting, fishing, touring and the hot spas at any time of the year.

How to get there?

Around an hour from Melbourne, follow the coast around to Frankston or catch the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento.

How long to go for?

A weekend would be the minimum, but, being so close to Melbourne this is a popular weekend away, so if you can visit mid-week you’ll encounter smaller crowds. To see and do everything on the Mornington Peninsula, you’d need a week or more.

Where to Stay? There are a huge range of great places to stay on the Mornington Peninsula in Frankston, Dromana, Mount Martha, Rosebud, Rye, Sorrento, Portsea, Flinders and Cape Schank.

Tourist Information

For visitor information go to www.visitmorningtonpeninsula.org however, once you get there, most of the main attractions and accommodation have local visitor information handy.

Hawks Nest and the Myall Lakes

Hawks Nest, Port Stephens

We started of our trip in the Myall Lakes area in December.

Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens is still a quiet beachside enclave just 3 hours north of Sydney. Bordered by ocean beaches, Port Stephens itself and the Myall Lakes system, there is so much to see and do here you could literally spend a few weeks.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Nelson Bay, across the Port, outside of the holiday season Hawks Nest is just a sleepy seaside village.

I spent many holidays here whilst growing up, in one of the holiday rental properties on Booner Street, within walking distance to Bennett’s Beach, Jimmy’s Beach, the shops and the boatramp. I have to say, things have not changed much since those times, except the addition of a few more facilities in Tea Gardens, including a new shopping complex which houses Bi-Lo – great for the shopping and not too close to impinge on the holiday ambience.

Top 5 things to do and see

Beaches

Hawks Nest has a main surf beach which is patrolled and has flags, called Bennetts Beach, however this beach runs for miles from Yaccaba Headland at the Port Stephens end, to Little Gibber in the north. The northern part of this is accessible to 4WD vehicles with a beach permit – great for fishing. This run of surf beaches continues 14km north all the way to Seal Rocks.

To the south is Jimmy’s Beach and Winda Woppa which are on Port Stephens, so are flat-water beaches, great for kite or wind-surfing, catamarans, boating in general and of course little kids swimming without the waves.

Fishing

There are so many places to fish in the Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens area, that even at peak holiday season you can find a place on your own. Whether you’re looking for Tailor, Black Fish, Whiting, Bream, Flathead or Shark, choose your spot, your bait and the appropriate equipment.

• Beach fishing along Bennetts Beach or Jimmy’s Beach out to Winda Woppa.
• Go on an ‘outside’ charter or a day trip to Broughton Island and you are sure to come back with some biggies.
• Hire a canoe or a runabout and fish the Myall River system.
• Fish from the rocks along the foreshore of the Myall River or walk out onto one of the many sandflats.

Walking/Cycling

Hawks Nest is relatively flat, so walking from where you are staying to the local shops, or beach is usually less than one kilometre. However, over about 300 metres many prefer a bike.

Bring your own bike or hire one locally to explore Hawks Nest, Tea Gardens, Winda Woppa and Mungo Brush – we even met a group that did a cycling day trip to Buladelah and back – quite a trip.

There are a range of walking tracks throughout the area that enable you to see local flora and fauna, and of course you could always just walk the beach!

Golf

Hawks Nest Golf Club is a popular getaway for golfers from both Sydney and Newcastle. Bring your own clubs, or hire them, you can hire golf buggies here too. This is an 18 hole course that runs from behind the sand dunes to the north of the township and is a great way to experience nature by way of kangaroos, koala’s and birds.

The club has regular functions throughout the holiday season and on weekends, and you can sign up to be a social member for just $11 bringing discounts on food and drink purchases too.

Dolphin/Whale and Nature Cruises

Catching sight of dolphins is possible even from the beaches, however for something more organised give a boat a go.

Not only do ferries operate between Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest and Nelsons Bay, on the other side of Port Stephens, there are dedicated Dolphin and Whale watching cruises that operate barring stormy weather.

There are also cruises that operate up the Myall River system, or you can bring your own boat, or hire one and do the cruise yourself too.

Holiday options

Hawks Nest really is a family destination, the town is fairly flat and you see dozens of families making the daily walk or cycle to and from the beach. Saying that, it’s also an area full of adventure and one perfect for a couples or group getaway.

When to go?

Seriously, any time of year is good here – particularly for the fishing, golf and cruises. Summer is busies, especially in the school holidays, when the township swells with the addition of over 2000 holidaymakers, still, it seems to cope. Get down to the bakery early in the summer months though, or you might miss out.

How to get there?

Follow the Pacific Highway north of Sydney along the F1 and at the end of the freeway turn towards Raymond Terrace/Hexham, you go over the bridge to the north of Newcastle and continue on through Heatherbrae following the highway north of Karuah. The turnoff to Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens is about 20 minutes north of Heatherbrae and then just a short 10 minutes to the coast.

How long to go for?

Hawks Nest is an easy weekend trip from Sydney or Newcastle – in the summer you could leave after work and still get here before sundown. Many regulars do this for golf and fishing weekends.

If you’ve not been here before allow at least a week, although there is plenty to keep you busy for 2 or 3 weeks or more.

Tourist Information

There are a great range of affordable restaurants and eateries in the Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens’ area, from local Chinese, the Golf Club and Pub to a suite of waterfront seafood restaurants. More than enough to keep you entertained.

There is a tourist information centre at Tea Gardens for Hawks Nest, Tea Gardens, the Myall Lakes and Port Stephens.