Tour Duration: To suit, 6 days recommended
The Mornington Peninsula is located south-east of Melbourne. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. The area abounds in natural attractions such as a variety of beaches both sheltered and open-sea, scenic sights and views, like Cape Schanck, national parks such as the spectacular Point Nepean, historic sites, various wineries and intriguing mazes. Our home away from home is Flinders – a lovely village on the east coast of the Mornington Peninsula where we will stay for 3 nights at the Flinders Hotel. This really is a delightful spot. It’s a contemporary architecturally designed hotel that blends into the coastal landscape.
Day 1: Home Port to Eden
Welcome to our 6 day tour to the Mornington Peninsula. Our tour will take in the Mornington Peninsula’s heritage and history with visits to Sorrento, Victoria’s first European settlement in 1803 and the state’s second lightstation built at Cape Schanck. Point Nepean played a critical defence role through both world wars and we also make a special visit to Phillip Island to see the penguins. Today we travel south, through to our first overnight stay in Eden.
Coachman’s Rest Motor Inn, Eden (subject to availability)
Day 2: Eden to Flinders
After breakfast we re-board the coach to begin our travel day ahead. We’ll cross the Victorian border and continue through Lakes Entrance to Bairnsdale where we have a break for lunch. This afternoon we make our way via Traralgon and Warragul and on to our destination of the Mornington Peninsula. We’ll be following Western Port Bay as we drive down the coast before arriving in the township of Flinders. This charming village on the east coast is where we will stay for 3 nights at the Flinders Hotel. This really is a delightful spot. It’s a contemporary architecturally designed hotel that blends into the coastal landscape. On arrival we will be met and assisted with our check in before a welcome dinner.
Flinders Hotel (subject to availability)
Day 3: Mornington Peninsula
Today’s sightseeing takes us first to Cape Schanck then onto Portsea where we’ll stop for a photo opportunity. Nearby is the Point Nepean National Park, the most westerly point of the peninsula. Closed to the public for over 100 years, Point Nepean National Park is now a popular tourist destination and home to the historic Quarantine Station established in 1852 followed by Fort Nepean in 1882. We enjoy morning tea then join a shuttle, The Transporter which will take us on a drive out to Point Nepean. We’ll see spectacular ocean scenery and have bay views across the ‘rip’ to Point Lonsdale. We’ll have time to inspect the old gun placements before returning to the coach. Following our picnic lunches we depart the area and tour past Sorrento and Dromana and on via Arthurs Seat. Shortly we arrive at Red Hill Estate, a multi-award winning winery situated in the internationally recognised “cool climate” region. This stunning property also boasts a superb panoramic view of Western Port Bay. We enjoy a wine tasting here then return to Flinders and our hotel.
Flinders Hotel (subject to availability)
Day 4: Mornington Peninsula & Phillip Island
This morning we head out to visit Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens. Ashcombe is home to Australia’s oldest and most famous hedge maze, a beautiful circular rose maze, and the year round flowering Lavender Labyrinth, all set among 25 acres of world acclaimed gardens. The traditional hedge maze is planted with more than 1000 cypress trees and thousands of metres of pathways. Now more than three metres high and two metres thick, the Maze keeper clips the hedges three times a year to keep it sculpted into a curvaceous challenge! We enjoy the gardens then head to the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery in Langwarrin. Established in 1971 McClelland has a collection of over 100 outdoor major sculptures of national and international significance, displayed in a distinctive bushland setting. We have a lovely wander through the sculptures and inside the gallery before enjoying a light lunch. This afternoon we travel around the bay and over the bridge to Phillip Island. We see the sights here including stops at the Vietnam Veterans Museum and Panny’s Amazing World of Chocolate! can inhale the smells, play with the interactive machines, read interesting facts and savour the tastes of this chocolate lover’s paradise. Dinner this evening is at the Boardwalk Café at the Phillip Island Nature Park. We are here to witness the spectacle of the Penguin Parade. Every day at dusk the fairy penguins come ashore after fishing for whitebait for their young. see them come out of the surf in small groups and waddle up the beach is a unique experience. Our day complete, we return to our hotel.
Flinders Hotel (subject to availability)
Day 5: Flinders to Wangaratta
We farewell our hosts this morning and head through to Sorrento. The crescent-shaped Sorrento Front Beach is flanked by an attractive foreshore area with lawns, shelters and English trees, plus a couple of small jetties. It is here that we board the Searoad Ferry across “the Heads” to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. This enchanting historic town was established in 1838 as a pilot station to guide ships through the ‘rip’ and it is imbued with olde worlde character, historic hotels and homes, stores, rugged beaches and even a bona fide fort, built to defend Port Phillip Bay from foreign navies, privateers and other undesirables. We continue on to Geelong – a city which for most of its history has been one of the great wool cities of Australia. There are nearly 200 buildings in the area, classified by the National Trust, to keep residents and visitors mindful of the city’s heritage. We have time to purchase lunch then sit back and relax as the coach makes its way through to our final overnight stay in Wangaratta.
Quality Hotel Gateway Wangaratta (subject to availability)
Day 6: Wangaratta to Home
Our tour has come to an end unfortunately. So today we re-board the coach and head for home. We break for lunch en-route before arriving back later this afternoon, completing our wonderful 6 day tour to the Mornington Peninsula.
