My wine adventures continue as I have officially moved from Adelaide to Melbourne! The start of the year has been a busy one with a new job…more to come on that soon and my family coming out to visit. But a classic Melbourne Mini-Break was on the cards recently with a weekend trip to the Mornington Peninsula.
The Mornington is a stunning piece of coastline that stretches out to a thin spit separating Bass Straight from Port Philip Bay…surfers paradise one side, serene beaches the other. There’s plenty to keep you occupied from walks to wine, relaxation to degustation – I could have stayed for a week and will certainly be going back.
My Mornington Peninsula Recommendations:
Accommodation
There are accommodation options to suit all budgets. From luxury hotels, a fantastic selection of air bnbs, cheap and cheerful motels and of course the Aussie favourite…camping.
We stayed in Sorrento, which I would highly recommend for the access to fantastic restaurants, stunning beaches, plenty of walking routes and even some great shops! However, if you’re there predominantly for a wine trip stay near Red Hill where you’ll be surrounded by delicious vineyard options.
- Luxury Hotels: The Continental Sorrento (known locally as ‘The Conti’!), Jackalope Red Hill
- Air BnBs: fantastic option for a group, we had a fab stay at ‘Sorrento Luxe’
- Motels: great location, clean and simple – Sorrento Beach Motel
Things to Do
Wellness: The Peninsula Hot Springs are a fantastic way to luxuriate away a day in warm waters, you can also book spa treatments to really enjoy the full wellness experience.
Beaches: there really is something for everyone on the Mornington. Some of our favourite spots included:
- Portsea Back Beach: on the ocean side with fantastic crashing waves and long stretches of white sand, a beautiful beach for a long walk to blow away the cobwebs. It also has the most amazing Surf Life Saving Club with views over the ocean, shame only members can have a beer there!
- Shelley Beach: tranquil waters, cute beach huts – a bit of a walk to get onto the beach but a very pretty setting for relaxing away a few hours with a good book
- We also discovered an amazing rock pool near Bridgewater Bay, crystal clear water and amazing rock formations. You need to go at low tide though!
Walking/ Running trails: even if the sun isn’t shining these walking trails are worth the visit alone.
- Point Nepean Coastal walk: amazing route right out to the very tip of the Mornington Peninsula with the ocean on one side and the bay on the other. It can get pretty wild this walk…the south-westerly winds get blown all the way from Antarctica!
- Millionaire’s Walk, Sorrento: an easy walk along the bayside coastline at Sorrento, with much real estate porn en route.
- Bushranger’s Bay Walking Trail: approx. 6km walk along the cliffs from the Cape Schanck car park. Amazing coastal views and you’ll finish the walk at Bushrangers Bay, a stunning protected cove with a sandy beach surrounded by basalt cliffs.
- Plenty more recommendations depending on your location also here
Shopping: Sorrento has a gorgeous street full of pretty shops from clothes to homewares as well as a fantastic vanilla slice cafe to keep you going.
Eating/ Drinking
- Bistro Elba – french cuisine, with a decent selection of local wines on the list. Small courtyard at the back, so not much outdoor seating, but a lovely atmosphere inside.
- The Conti at The Caledonian – great selection of pub food and woodfired pizzas
- The Caledonian is also home to an upscale seafood extravaganza of a restaurant… Audrey’s (booking well in advance essential)
- The Portsea Hotel – worth going for a drink for the views alone!
The Wine
Mornington Peninsula is known for cool-climate wines with Pinot Noir taking centre stage. The Chardonnay’s are also up there but it’s the Pinot Gris that I think is really the standout for the white wines. From crisp and refreshing to more round, oilier styles to suit palates and preferences.
I have much to explore from a wine perspective on the Mornington but my top recommendations to visit (and most are still on my to-do list include):
You can read about my first winery trip to the Mornington here.
