Things to Do
Food & Wine
The Mornington Peninsula is home to some of Australia’s leading wineries. It now hosts 200 small scale boutique vineyards and 50 cellar doors. Try our celebrated pinot noir and chardonnay and other new grape varieties, then settle down for lunch or dinner with spectacular locations overlooking vineyards, ocean and countryside.
Fine wine is a magnet to fine food. Many talented chefs have made their home here and their menus are inspired by the Mornington Peninsula’s rich harvest from orchards, farms, ocean and local artisans. You’ll find some of our finest country restaurants, classy village cafes, seaside bistros, winery brassieres and local breweries for that special occasion, overlooking the water or right on the beach or put together a gourmet picnic.
The area has many seasonal produce that you can pick or buy at farm gates, including berries, cherries, apples or local cheeses and enjoy a lazy al fresco Peninsula lunch.
Golf
The Mornington Peninsula is rapidly becoming known for some of the world’s best natural golf terrain, providing excellent year round golf. The region has 18 golf courses that range from nine holes in a very relaxed country atmosphere to public courses and clubhouses that are equal to the best private clubs.
The rugged coastline area provides perfect link conditions with the cape, the dunes, Portsea and Moonah Links providing exceptional golfing experiences. Moonah Links will become the new home of the Australian Golf Union and Australian Golf Museum and will also host the Australian Open every three years.
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Adventure & Wildlife
With magnificent landscape to explore and the sea almost surrounding us, the Mornington Peninsula has about as much adventure as you can take. Go skydiving, scuba diving, snorkelling, swimming with the dolphins or fishing. The Port Phillip bay and Western Port Bay offer hundreds of sites to explore and marine life to see.
For softer adventure take a wineries tour, on horseback or sail around the bay. If walking is your great love we have walks along bush trails, across some magnificent wetlands or challenge yourself along our coastal trials from Portsea back beach to Cape Schanck. Our Wetlands are natural havens for thousands of birds, koalas, wallabies and kangaroos.
The Mornington Peninsula National Park is a great place to start your experience with the variety of wildlife that can emerge. Take a passenger ferry to French Island where you are guaranteed sightings of koalas or to Phillip Island where you can see the fairy penguins.
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Art & Culture
The Mornington Peninsula has everything from art galleries and antiques to Victoria’s earliest settlement and maritime defence fortification at Point Nepean. At least 25 antique and collectable shops are scattered throughout the area. Tyabb being one of the largest. Explore historic homesteads with heritage gardens and mansions. The Briars Park, renowned for its Napoleonic collection and 96 hectares of wildlife and wetland is an experience.
Find treasures in our markets with work from local craftspeople and artisans. Buy beautiful works of art and sculpture in our galleries. Virtually every village is home to art and craft galleries and local crafts people. Visit a fragrant lavender farm, huge hedge mazes and cottage gardens. Relax in their cafes among beautiful surroundings.
We Recommend:
Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens
