The Mornington Peninsula - Broadsheet

Beaches, wineries, golf courses and plenty of quiet back roads to explore. There’s a lot to love about the Peninsula.

Photography: Linsey Rendell

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Photography: Linsey Rendell

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Photography: Linsey Rendell

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The Mornington Peninsula officially begins after you leave Frankston, Melbourne's most southerly suburb. You'll feel the difference immediately. Even more touristic and built-up areas such as Rye and Rosebud seem beachier and more relaxed.

Still, if the summer crowds get too much for you, it's easy to escape to quieter rural areas such as Flinders, Merricks and Red Hill to have a spa day, play a round of golf or find your way out of a hedge maze. These areas are also home to dozens of outstanding wineries, which should be at the top of your list to visit. The Peninsula is known for its chardonnay and pinot noir in particular.

Related pages
A Guide to Frankston

Cafes

Sunny Ridge Farm

Cafe

Pick your own strawberries.

Milkbar & Co.

Cafe

Bags of lollies and cafe classics, united.

Flock Cafe

Cafe

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

Little Rebel Roastery

Cafe

A cellar door for coffee.

Lilo

Cafe

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

Merchant & Maker

Cafe

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

Store Fifteen

Cafe

Raw food and sweets in an industrial fit-out.

Red Hill Cheese

Cafe

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

Merricks General Wine Store

Cafe

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

Johnny Ripe

Cafe

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

Commonfolk

Cafe

Outstanding coffee hidden in the back streets.

Restaurants

Petit Tracteur

Restaurant

Ten Minutes by Tractor's farmhouse-style sibling offers simpler but no less compelling French food.

Cape

Restaurant

A modern, leather-clad dining room led by executive chef Josh Pelham that looks out over Fingal Beach.

Point Leo Estate

Restaurant

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

Red Gum BBQ

Restaurant

Southern American barbeque in a big, pleasant shed.

Port Phillip Estate

Restaurant

Some of the finest food, wine and views on the entire Mornington Peninsula, which is saying something.

Stillwater at Crittenden Estate

Restaurant

Fine wine since 1982, and food to match.

Doot Doot Doot

Restaurant

Jackalope’s in-house fine diner.

Rare Hare

Restaurant

A warm, communal restaurant next door to Jackalope.

T’Gallant

Bar

Woodfired pizzas, wine and live music.

Polperro

Restaurant

A quintessential Mornington Peninsula food and wine experience.

Foxey’s Hangout

Cafe

Wine tastings and share plates overlooking the vineyard.

Montalto

Restaurant

The retirement project that “got out of hand” in a great way.

Green Olive

Restaurant

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

Morgan's Beach Shack

Restaurant

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

Wineries, Breweries and Bars

The Portsea Hotel

Bar

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.

Nazaaray Estate

Bar

Beautiful, boutique winery making wine by hand.

Moorooduc Estate

Bar

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

Jetty Road Brewery

Bar

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.

St Andrews Beach Brewery

Bar

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

Red Hill Brewery

Bar

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

Flaggerdoot

Bar

An avant-garde bar next to the Jackalope hotel.

Bass & Flinders Distillery

Bar

Learn to make your own gin.

Mock Cider

Bar

Sample biodynamic apples and their many liquid expressions.

Shops

Independent Wine Store

Shop

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

Reload Records

Shop

The owner has been selling vinyl since 1976.

Herman

Shop

Melbourne street style meets beachside boho.

Books by the Bay

Shop

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

Accommodation

The Portsea Hotel

Bar

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.

Port Phillip Estate

Restaurant

Some of the finest food, wine and views on the entire Mornington Peninsula, which is saying something.

Polperro

Restaurant

A quintessential Mornington Peninsula food and wine experience.

Jackalope Hotel

Accommodation

Glamour and surrealism meet at this designer hotel.

Cape Schanck House

Accommodation

A grand beach-shack out of a futuristic dream.

Red Hill News

Polperro Farmhouse Is a Converted 1950s Holiday Home Designed for Group Stays (and Taking Your Time)

12 Sep 2019

Unpretentious Luxury: A Peninsula Establishment Gets a Contemporary Country Makeover

06 Apr 2018

Montalto Restaurant Closes for Renovation Ahead of New Dining Direction

11 Oct 2017