Peninsula pleasures

by Caroline Gladstone | 20 Dec 2012

Each summer, Melburnians head south to relax on any of the dozen beaches of their favourite playground, Mornington Peninsula.

The lucky ones set up camp in one of the brightly coloured bathing boxes that line the shores of Port Phillip Bay and add to the area’s genteel, old-world atmosphere.

While always busy in summer when the population doubles from its normal 150,000 dwellers, the peninsula is ideal all year round, thanks to its stellar cool-climate wines and a growing reputation for gourmet restaurants and farm gate goodies.

A 90-minute drive from Melbourne, the peninsula is a perfect daytrip destination, but staying a few extra days allows time for other pursuits, like golf on one of the 18 courses, a soak in an outdoor pool at Peninsula Hot Springs, a hike to Cape Schanck Lighthouse or stopping to smell the roses at Australia’s oldest maze.

Lapped by the ocean on three sides and measuring a mere 40km long and 20km wide, the peninsula sure packs a punch.

Vineyards galore

Crammed into the hinterland between Port Phillip Bay and the quieter waters of Western Port are no fewer than 200 boutique vineyards and 60 cellar doors.

The region’s signature drop is pinot noir, while chardonnay is also a headliner, along with pinot grigio and shiraz.

Winery restaurants cater for all tastes. One of the most rustic is Box Stallion, where the Red Barn cellar door once housed thoroughbred stallions, and the most spectacular is the new Port Phillip Estate. Occupying a dramatic curved limestone rammed earth building, it commands sensational views over undulating vineyards and the ocean.

Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove has it all, offering vast picnic grounds, a stunning restaurant serving produce straight from the vineyard gardens, more than 1500 olive trees and an annual sculpture exhibition that sees the estate dotted with amazing works of art.

The area’s rich volcanic soils produce a bounty of delectable produce, so folks bring their baskets to pick berries at Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm and Morello cherries from Ellisfield Farm.

There are organic delights to be savoured at Red Hill Cheesery, which also conducts artisan cheese-making workshops, while olive and olive oil tastings take place at the nearby Green Olive vineyard, a veritable food-lovers’ heaven that roasts its own coffee and offers sausage-making classes for connoisseurs of savoury snags.

Farmyard eggs, homemade chocolates, preserves, jams and organic fruit and vegetables can be bought at foodie emporiums or the many local markets, including the iconic Red Hill Community Market that began in 1974 and still proudly boasts stallholders who ‘make it, bake it, grow it or breed it’.

Once visitors have had their fill of food and wine, there are several national park trails to tackle or, for a glimpse of the high life, there’s nothing like an easy amble along ‘Millionaires Row’, a cliff-top walk winding past Portsea’s finest mansions of yesteryear.

Have you been to Mornington Peninsula? Share your photos and stories on our Facebook page.