The Mornington Peninsula is a gorgeous seaside destination south of Melbourne. It's considered one of Victoria's best holiday spots with about 175,000 permanent residents, a number that rises to over 250,000 during the summer!
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport.
My parents joined us for a few weeks of van life between Sydney and the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne. We visited the Mornington Peninsula with them for two days after exploring nearby Phillip Island.
For thousands of years, the Bunurong people have lived on this land.
The first Europeans to settle the Mornington Peninsula arrived in 1803 to establish fruit farms and fishing villages and later, as a popular holiday destination by the seaside.
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to the Mornington Peninsula. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. On the Mornington Peninsula, the traditional language of the Bunurong people is Boonwurrung.
→ Learn more about the language of the Bunurong people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
There is free WiFi at the Mornington Peninsula Visitor Centre.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Newcastle, south of Melbourne in Victoria, can get very hot and busy in the summer, especially around school holidays, and cool in the winter months. I recommend visiting in spring (September-November) or autumn (March-May) for pleasant, sunny days.
Length of stay: We spent two days exploring the Mornington Peninsula which is plenty to do all of the main highlights of the area. You can of course spend more time here hiking, hanging out on the many beaches and exploring all the spots on the peninsula.
The main town on the Mornington Peninsula is Mornington itself although the most beautiful and touristy holiday area is on the tip of the peninsula around Sorrento. Mornington is about a 40-minute drive from Sorrento.
By flight: The closest major airport is in Melbourne, a one-and-a-half-hour drive north. Most visitors to the Mornington Peninsula will arrive in Melbourne if coming by air.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting Melbourne!
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to the Mornington Peninsula is with your own wheels.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Melbourne.
You might want to start in Melbourne as your base for renting a campervan to explore Australia.
→ Rent a campervan in Perth with Apollo, Camplify, Indie or Juicy.
By public transport: You can take the Frankston Line from Flinders Street Station in Melbourne to Frankston then transfer to bus 788 which goes all the way to Portsea, stopping the entire way along the Mornington Peninsula in every town including in Sorrento, Blairgowrie, Rye and Mornington.
By ferry: You can also cross Port Phillip, the large bay on which Melbourne sits at the top of, by ferry. Searoad Ferries connects Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula with Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. The crossing takes about 40 minutes and they take both car and foot passengers.
By guided tour: There are many guided tours, primarily departing from Melbourne, which explore the Mornington Peninsula, each catering to different interests such as hiking, birdwatching or history tours. This is a great option if you don't have a car or simply want to go the guided route.
The main town on the Mornington Peninsula is Mornington itself although the most beautiful and touristy holiday area is on the tip of the peninsula around Sorrento, a great place to base yourself for your visit.
On foot: The peninsula itself is about 723km² so getting to the main attractions will definitely require transport! However, if you're exploring within the main towns such as Portsea, Sorrento and Blairgowrie, these areas are walkable.
By car: Of course, the easiest way to explore is with your own wheels. We are traveling around the entire country in our campervan for a year and it gives so much freedom to get around. Parking is mostly free on the Mornington Peninsula but with time limits.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Melbourne.
By guided tour: There are loads of guided tours on Phillip Island as it is a very popular tourist destination very close to Melbourne. You have the option of doing day tours from Melbourne including coach transfers. If you're already on the island, there are also plenty of cruises, wildlife watching opportunities and other guided tours available from San Remo or Cowes.
→ Book a guided tour of Phillip Island.
By bus: Bus 788 runs from Frankston the entire way along the Mornington Peninsula to Portsea, stopping in every town including Mornington, Rye, Blairgowrie and Sorrento.
By waterbike: You can ride a waterbike (literally a bike on the water) on a guided tour from Sorrento along the coastline taking in the most popular sights of the peninsula!
By cruise: Join a dolphin-watching cruise from Sorrento to spot the resident bottlenose dolphins and seals who live around the peninsula.
By snorkel: If simply watching dolphins isn't enough and you want to get in the water right alongside them, you can join a snorkeling tour from Sorrento, too!
Many people will visit the Mornington Peninsula as a day trip from nearby Melbourne, as you can see most of the main attractions in a day. However, if you're looking to spend a bit more time on the peninsula, there are plenty of options.
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options on the Mornington Peninsula to suit any budget.
→ Check out all the accommodation options on the Mornington Peninsula.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. The best way to find camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
As there is no free camping on the Mornington Peninsula, we booked into Camerons Bight right on the beach halfway between Sorrento and Blairgowrie. We especially loved that you can simply check in online and show up (no need to arrive by a certain time of day).
On our drive into the Mornington Peninsula, we stopped for coffee, baked goods and smoothies in Hastings at the Harbourside Cafe. Overlooking the marina, it's a bright and airy space with lots of white wood and a mouthwatering menu. The ladies who work here are so lovely, too.
We also had dinner in Sorrento but it really disappointed us, so I can't recommend it!
We spent two days exploring the beautiful seaside holiday destination that is the Mornington Peninsula. It's a huge place stretching over 700km² between Portsea on the peninsula tip to Mornington and there is plenty to do to keep you going for much longer! Here is everything we did to get you started:
Hike to Bushrangers Bay
Bushrangers Bay is a gorgeous hike at Cape Schanck. It starts on Boneo Road and heads a few kilometres along a flat sand/trail towards the coast along the Two Bays Inland Track. The best views are right before the steps down to to the beach overlooking the turquoise-coloured bay.
Hang out at Diamond Bay
Diamond Bay is a stunning beach tucked at the end of an unassuming residential road on the Mornington Peninsula. A wooden staircase leads down to the beach and it's just so photogenic. It totally gives me Algarve, Portugal vibes!
There is a small free parking lot before a short walk to the beach.
Check out the views of London Bridge
This lookout point is overlooking Portsea Surf Beach and the London Bridge natural archway at one end. Gorgeous natural rock pools stretch out in front and you'll often spot paragliders catching the wind as they float around above you here.
It's a beautiful viewpoint and also apparently near the beach where then-Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt apparently disappeared while swimming in December 1967!
Learn the history of the Point Nepean Quarantine Station
This fascinating area in Portsea was used as a quarantining station for foreign arrivals by boat before they were permitted to enter mainland Australia. In fantastic condition, it first opened in 1852 when the Ticonderoga arrived with a significant number of her passengers suffering from the highly contagious scarlet fever.
Various buildings have been added over time, including some to begin processing animals as well as people. It housed sick people during the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic, the army during World War II, a cadet school from 1952-1985, an army health school from 1985-1998, and 400 Kosovar refugees during the Bosnian War from 1992-1995. It became part of Point Nepean National Park in 2009.
Some of the ~50 buildings are now open for exploring. Fascinating spot!
Walk through the Moonah Trees
This incredible photo spot is an avenue of Moonah Trees at the Point Nepean Quarantine Station. It's awe-inspiring to simply walk beneath their branches through the tunnel-like path they have created.
Moonah Trees also supplied the Aboriginal name for Point Nepean. The Bunurong people called it Monmar.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
