The Mornington Peninsula

This well-stocked cafe is a local favourite. Grab a pastry or a pie to take away, or settle in for a coffee and a toastie. On your way out, be sure to take a look at the thoughtful range of products from some of the peninsula’s favourite makers.

Back in the ’90s, you’d be arriving here with your bowling shoes. Now, be sure to arrive with an appetite for local produce.

Pick your own strawberries.

Bags of lollies and cafe classics, united.

A family- and dog-friendly cafe with the perfect Bloody Mary.

A backstreets cafe worth seeking out, if only for the locally famous breakfast roll.

A cellar door for coffee.

Beach, brunch and books. What more could you want for your weekend?

More fine coffee and a metropolitan-inspired menu from the team at Commonfolk.

Raw food and sweets in an industrial fit-out.

Take your tasting platter onto the deck. You might spot a koala.

An iconic 1920s homestead offering food, wine and art.

Traditional apple pies meet modern-day cronuts at this home-style bakery.

Outstanding coffee hidden in the back streets.

This rustic, intimate 30-seater by acclaimed chef Brigitte Hafner feels less like a restaurant and more like a friend’s house – if your friend had access to farm-fresh produce and a cellar full of wines from Victoria’s most interesting new producers. A prime long-lunch destination.

The most grandiose winery on the Mornington Peninsula, complete with its own sculpture park.

Southern American barbeque in a big, pleasant shed.

Crittenden, the vineyard upon which Stillwater restaurant is situated, is renowned for its chardonnays and pinot noirs (but also does cracking sparkling and Spanish wines). It’s a good match for Stillwater, which offers up a confident, well-rounded menu that combines winery restaurant favourites with more esoteric dishes (such as house-made beetroot pasta).

Jackalope’s in-house fine diner is just as extravagant and eccentric as the rest of the sprawling complex. But it's grounded by a steadfast commitment to local produce and seasonality. And caviar.

A warm, communal restaurant next door to Jackalope.

This winery is a great visit. There’s something for everyone. Although T’Gallant specialises in pinot grigio, there’s a full stable of wines to try, including rose, pinot noir and all the other usual suspects. The matching pizzas are best eaten in the huge Italian-inspired courtyard, with views out over the vines .

A quintessential Mornington Peninsula food and wine experience. The dining rooms offers panoramic views of the vines and native trees – a stunning contrast to the clean interiors. The menu, meanwhile, respectfully combines influences from around the world, with an emphasis on share dishes.

A day at Foxey’s Hangout is as laidback and easygoing as the wine it produces. It’s set on a spacious estate with an open kitchen, cosy dining room and sunny outdoor deck. The varied share plate-focused menu is a good match for the easy-drinking wines here.

After retiring, John Mitchell started growing and making wine as a hobby. Things quickly grew out of hand. Now, Montalto encompasses seven vineyards and more than 30 acres of vines. As a retirement project, it’s unquestionably a failure: Mitchell and his wife Wendy are busier than ever. By every other metric though, Montalto is a resounding success – it’s one of Red Hill’s must-visits.

Come for a paddock-to-plate lunch, stay for a farm tour.

A Baja-style restaurant that brings fun and flavour to Sorrento.

Avoid the “who’s driving?” question for your next winery tour and book in with this Peninsula service. They’ll drive you from door to door so you focus on what’s really important: eating and drinking with mates.

An iconic limestone pub with five bars, a stunning rooftop, restaurant and on-site accommodation with bay views.

A distillery, cocktail bar and rum garden featuring rums distilled on premises.

This huge Tudor-style pub is a summer destination, reliably beset by crowds every day of the season. With views like this, we can see why.

Yarn to the bartender over a cocktail, hot bird and vegan snacks while listening to ZZ Top.

What this winery lacks in size, it more than makes up for in character. Whether it’s the quaint, well-appointed guesthouses (made from reconverted 1930s train carriages) or the idiosyncratic pinot noirs and pinot gris – naturally fermented with wild yeast, then hand-macerated – a visit here is sure to stand out.

One of the oldest vineyards on the Peninsula is also one of its most elevated: it's eighty metres above sea level.

Footy on the TV, plenty of food and a big outdoor area for kids to play in. This one is made for long, lazy afternoons.

A big, family-friendly brewery on the site of a former horse-training facility.

A peaceful, low-key spot that specialises in easy-drinking European-style beers.

An avant-garde bar next to the Jackalope hotel.

At this Mornington Peninsula distillery, you'll learn how to make your gin. Afterwards, you get to enjoy it. If you'd rather leave it to the experts, there's a great bar and shop.

Sample biodynamic apples and their many liquid expressions.

Organic, family-run farm gate showcasing the freshest seasonal produce from the Mornington Peninsula

A farmgate shop that sells fresh fruit and veggies. It also stocks tasty products from all over the Peninsula, and has a coffee cart, a cake cabinet and a van selling triple-fried hand-cut fries (made with the farm’s own potatoes).

A working truffle farm that supplies some of the Peninsula’s best restaurants. Book in for a harvesting tour led by owner Jenny McAuley and her Springer Spaniel, Thomas.

Pick up homewares and minimalist, unstructured resortwear at this cult womenswear label’s second location, The Beach House.

An Italian style deli serving top-notch take home meals, local and imported ingredients and coffee on the weekend.

A bottle shop where you can stay a while, with a glass of wine and a platter.

The owner has been selling vinyl since 1976.

Melbourne street style meets beachside boho.

Here, it’s as if the digital revolution never happened.

A boutique luxury stay on a 10-hectare working farm. There’s a studio that’s made for weekends away, with an optional adjoining living area that looks out onto the olive groves.

This restored 1940s weatherboard cottage is the luxury on-site accommodation for one of the Mornington Peninsula’s best restaurants. And it overlooks 27 acres of Red Hill farmland.

An iconic limestone pub with five bars, a stunning rooftop, restaurant and on-site accommodation with bay views.

This huge Tudor-style pub is a summer destination, reliably beset by crowds every day of the season. With views like this, we can see why.

A converted 1950s holiday home on a working vineyard with three bedrooms, a roomy bathtub and an outdoor firepit.

A modern oasis set among dunes and bushland, just a short walk to the beach.

Glamour and surrealism meet at this designer hotel.

A grand beach-shack out of a futuristic dream.