Arthurs Seat Eagle
Formerly known as the Arthurs Seat Chairlift, the more dynamically titled Arthurs Seat Eagle whisks visitors from Dromana up to the summit of Arthurs Seat, the Peninsula’s highest point. The views are spectacular, and there are several eating and drinking options at and near to the summit.
Breweries & Distilleries
The Mornington Peninsula is awash with breweries and distilleries, most of which cater for visitors for a taste and tour as well as operating as beer halls – and sometimes on a vast scale, like at St Andrews Beach Brewery. Try Jetty Road Brewery and Mornington Peninsula Brewery, or scale it back at the Red Hill Brewery, where the Mornington craft beer movement arguably started. If you’re after the hard stuff, try Jimmy Rum Distillery or Bass & Flinders Distillery. All offer some food options, from cheese and toasties through the usual pizza and burger suspects right up to some fairly serious whole-beast cooking.
Enchanted Adventure Garden
For family fun, the Enchanted Adventure Garden has got most angles covered. From leisurely tree-top walks along suspended gantries, to adrenaline-fuelled Tree Surfing, to zip lines, to adventure playgrounds, to huge slides, to a hedge maze… the kids may even forgive you for all the wine tasting.
Golf
The Mornington Peninsula is a veritable paradise for golfers, with 15 world-class courses – including seven in the country’s top 50 – within a short drive of each other, offering both links and classic courses. The best aggregator for all you need to know is Golf Mornington Peninsula’s website.
Johnny Ripe
With three locations, Johnny Ripe is the evolution of the cooking careers of two chefs who moved to the Peninsula to raise their young family. They bought a small property which just happened to have an apple orchard on it, and the quest for apple pie perfection began. The stores, in Main Ridge, Balnarring and Red Hill also sell a large range of house-made pastries along with pies of all stripes, both sweet and savoury.
Main Ridge Dairy
This highly respected and heavily awarded maker of goat’s cheese only employs milk from their own herd on their sustainably farmed property. Visit the “cheesery” to sample and buy retail products, or settle in for a cheese board with a selection of wine – local, of course.
P: (03) 5989 6622
Peninsula Hot Springs
Natural mineral hot springs, which flow into a range of outdoor pools arrayed across landscaped terraces, are the signature here, but Peninsula Hot Springs is also a fully serviced day spa, and you can even dine there, with casual attire a must – robes supplied.
Polperro Dolphin Swims
Snorkel with dolphins and fur seals in Port Phillip Bay while learning about the marine environment and its conservation. Polperro Dolphin Swims is a unique Mornington Peninsula eco-tourism operation, with both swimming and on-deck sightseeing offered.
Pt Leo Estate Sculpture Park
There are many reasons to visit Pt Leo Estate. Go for Phil Wood’s peerless cooking, go for the cellar door, or go for the extensive Sculpture Park – it’s worth a trip alone, with over 60 installations, large and small, across 135 landscaped hectares. The park is a work in progress, with the Gandel family adding more works as they acquire them. You can currently view pieces by George Rickey, Tony Cragg, Inge King, Boaz Vaadia, Tomnakatsu Matsuyama, Barry Flanagan, Julian Opie, Bruce Armstrong and Lenton Par.
Point Nepean
At the very tip of the Peninsula, Point Nepean is thankfully a National Park, despite developers hungrily eyeing it off for decades. A former quarantine station and fort, with gun emplacements still intact, Point Nepean is also a sacred cultural site of the Bunurong people. Today, it is a destination for bushwalks and cycling, as well as historic and cultural appreciation. Visit Parks Victoria for more information.
Pubs
From the vast Portsea Pub (pictured) to the equally vast (thanks to a recent renovation) Hotel Sorento, to the somewhat vast Royal Hotel in Mornington, the Peninsula has some celebrated pubs. Also try the Finders Hotel and the Pig & Whistle.
Red Hill House
If you need to outfit your holiday house, or your family, to fit into the relaxed glamour of the Peninsula, Red Hill House is the place for you. From kitchenware and homewares to clothing, you can tend to your linen and cable-knit needs while also snaring a few copper pans for the beach digs.
Sunny Ridge
Take the family and pick your own strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, shop for berry-based products – strawberry wine anyone? – or visit the onsite café, which even has some items that don’t contain berries.
Torello Farm
A multi-purpose farm in Tuerong, Torello Farm grow and sell heirloom vegetables and tree-ripened fruit alongside meat from their Belted Galloway cattle and Dorset Down sheep, both heritage breeds. The onsite store also sells take-home meals and other peninsula products, such as olive oil and locally grown stone-milled flour. The ethos is very much one of regenerative agriculture, with no chemicals used and biodynamic practices employed. They also run workshops to spread the word about sustainable agriculture.
Walks
The Mornington Peninsula is rich with great walking tracks, both beachside and inland. From simple outings to the ominously titled “100 km Walk”, the Visit Mornington Peninsula website has all the details.
