Top tips for a weekend drive to the Bellarine Peninsula
An easy 90-minute run from Melbourne is the Bellarine Peninsula, with its beautiful beaches and degustation offerings to suit all budgets.The Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria
Close to: Melbourne. The Bellarine Peninsula is located approximately 90km south-west of Melbourne and is reached via the Princes Highway to Geelong and the Bellarine Highway. Alternatively, Queenscliff can be reached by passenger and car ferry from Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.
Day or weekend: The Bellarine Peninsula can easily be explored in a day, but for a romantic stay, try Athelstane House in Queenscliff or, for families with youngsters, Big 4 Resort offers family cabins. There are also many B&B’s.
Hidden gems: Snorkel around the paddlewheel and remains of the paddle steamer Ozone at Indented Head. Or walk along the clifftop between Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and see the many gun shelters and turrets dating back to the late 1800s.
Take home: A bottle of Lighthouse garlic infused olive oil
Great roads, gastronomic delights, beaches and sports – Australia at its best. Located on Port Phillip Bay’s west coast, it’s an ideal destination for a day, a weekend or even longer and has been one of Melbourne’s favourite holiday playgrounds for over a century.
Bordering Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and its coastal towns of Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale, Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Portarlington and St Leonards, attracts more tourists than Tasmania. The Bellarine’s clean ocean waters are a treasure trove of succulent seafood and its green pastures are dotted with award-winning wineries and farms; their produce found on most local menus.
Perched high on a hill near Drysdale, with unhindered views from Geelong to Melbourne, is Jack Rabbit Winery and restaurant. Its comprehensive award-winning wines accompany an extensive menu.
If straight off the boat fresh seafood takes your fancy, head to the Portarlington’s Little Mussel Café and order a bowl of local mussels. Want to experience lifestyles of the rich and famous? Then indulge in a night or two at the Starhaven Resort on the Esplanade at Indented Head.
Starhaven has starred on the BBC series Grand Designs and, over its four levels, boasts a theatre room, swim spa, open fireplace and a roof terrace that looks across the bay to Melbourne’s skyline. Naturally, the wine selection is best described as ‘extensive’.
Queenscliff is situated at the tip of the peninsula and its bygone charm lies in stately homes and buildings that date back to the mid-1800s. Queenscliff is also the home of Rolling Pin Bakery featuring multi-award-winning gourmet pies made from Cape Grim beef. Built in 1860, Athelstane House is Queenscliff’s oldest operating guesthouse and behind its original façade is a 10 room hotel brimming with many luxury features.
Offering expansive views over the entrance to Port Phillip Bay and the Bass Strait, the Point Lonsdale pier, is an ideal location for watching cruise ships and cargo vessels ply through the heads. But do mind the permanent crowd of locals doing a spot of fishing as, when they’re biting, things can get busy.
One of the region’s newest attractions is the funky Flying Brick Cider House, located on the Bellarine Highway. You’ll find a selection of locally crafted ciders from regional ingredients and live music on Friday nights.
Oakdene Estate in Ocean Grove has been tempting visitors for years with its fine dining excellence and a bit further along the coast is Barwon Heads, which Aussie Tour De France Winner Cadel Evans calls home. It was also the setting for the ABC TV series, Seachange. Diver Dan’s old fishing shed from the show has been transformed into ‘At The Heads’ restaurant and unsurprisingly, specialises in seafood.
If creating your own gastronomic delights appeals simply grab some local wines, juicy Lonsdale Tomatoes, local breads, Lighthouse Olives and Drysdale Cheeses and find a shady tree or a quiet beach to enjoy.
To offset the endless eateries, the Bellarine also offers plenty of more vigorous activities such as world-class surfing and numerous other aquatic activities on pristine beaches, some of Australia’s best golf courses, cycling trails and walking tracks.
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