Bellarine Peninsula travel guide: where to stay, eat and explore Victoria’s hidden coastal gem
Imagine falling in love with a destination — only for the world, it seems, to do the same.
It becomes crowded. And expensive. And frustrating.
The rooms you once stayed in are impossible to book, the restaurants you frequented are unavailable months in advance, and the traffic now banks up for miles on weekends.
Then imagine you discover an exact replica of that favoured (now overrun) holiday spot – one actually easier to get to?
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.That new place (and, yes, OK, we’re outing it for all) is Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.
It presents much like its better-known sibling, Mornington Peninsula, from 15 years ago, with all of that peninsula’s present-day offerings.
Nestled on Melbourne’s “other” side of Port Phillip Bay (to the south-west), the Bellarine isn’t exactly a secret — there’s a direct ferry service from Melbourne Docklands. But mention the name to most outside of Melbourne, and they struggle to locate it.
Here on the Bellarine, peace comes framed across open green spaces and the region’s quiet and craggy coastline — a combination of wild surf beaches and more family-friendly stretches of sand within the bay. Quiet villages are dotted across the peninsula — seaside towns where locals still appear to actually be local.
Like the Mornington Peninsula, many are here for wine. Once Victoria’s largest grape-growing region, it’s known for boutique cool climate varieties like chardonnay and pinot noir, sold across more than 40 cellar doors, many with award-winning restaurants attached.
Beyond the grapes lies one of Victoria’s best golf regions, with a rail trail for cyclists and some of the most picturesque seaside communities found anywhere in southern Australia: like Queenscliff, with its grand Victorian architecture.
Where Mornington abruptly ends at Bass Strait, the sights are only beginning on this side of the peninsula — the famed Great Ocean Road starting its meandering and impressive ways 20km west of the Bellarine, in Torquay.
Eat & drink
Follow the Bellarine Taste Trail to wineries, farm gates and provedores across the peninsula and settle into some decent drops and some of the finest views of Port Phillip Bay from various tasting rooms and restaurants.
In an undercover al fresco dining area with views across the bay to Melbourne, Jack Rabbit Vineyard offers award-winning cuisine by Victorian chef Dwayne Bourke with Scotchmans Hill another pouring such allure, noting the meals come wrapped more casually.
Elsewhere, the eclectic ways of Oakdene Vineyard & Restaurant make it a worthy detour for award-winning dishes, or, collect provisions from the wealth of farm gates for a picnic on a beach.
Stay
Soak up some regional history with a renovated luxury suite at The Royal Queenscliff — the town’s first hotel, which dates to 1854.
Portarlington’s Grand Hotel is another historic outing (grab a balcony and view) while McGlashan’s Estate offers luxury eco-villas overlooking the vineyards. Lon Retreat & Spa holds seven suites within 100ha of private and conservation land overlooking the ocean, with the added bonus of an award-winning spa.
Do
Golfers are spoilt for choice and can play at some of Victoria’s best links-style courses in a landscape closely resembling Scotland’s Fife region, where the game began 650 years ago. 13th Beach Golf Links and neighbouring Barwon Heads Golf Club are two-star courses. Take a boat trip to swim with dolphins and sea lions, or ride a Sea Road ferry for 40 minutes to the Mornington Peninsula.
Hire a bike (or e-bike) and navigate the 35km rail trail linking South Geelong to Queenscliff, or ride a historic, volunteer-run steam or diesel train along the Bellarine Railway which runs beside a portion of the rail trail.
