Just an hour drive from Melbourne, it is said that the Mornington Peninsula showcases Victoria’s stunning natural treasures.
Us having breakfast at McDonalds
Also known as “the Peninsula” locally, local attractions include the various beaches, wineries, mazes and parklands. During our Melbourne trip, we had a chance to drive around the Peninsula, …
… although we were first greeted by rainy weather …
… that fortunately stopped as soon as we arrived at the Peninsula.
Our very first stop was at Manyung Gallery, located at the gateway of the Peninsula.
The gallery is the Peninsula’s oldest and largest contemporary art space, showcasing Australian paintings and sculptures.
Voted as the 2nd top attraction in the Peninsula, the distinctive Tuscan Castle inspired architecture, complete with oak trees, moat and drawbridge makes a visit to Manyung a truly memorable experience.
The gallery is also equipped with a licensed restaurant …
… and an ultra modern toilet in a castle.
Next, we passed by Dromana’s beach …
… to check our the colourful beach huts, also known as bathing boxes.
Some of these boxes found on the Victorian coastline are over a 100 years old, and apart from the fresh paint, they are just as they were when first built to accommodate bathers by providing a place to change. Statistically, there are over 800 huts in the Peninsula.
Driving further down the road, …
… we had a quick stop at Arthurs Seat State Park, a hill park with a huge chair.
They also have a chairlift service, Victoria’s longest chairlift, from the bottom of the hill to the summit here at Arthurs Seat. Disappointingly, we found it to be closed and listed for sale.
The lookout at the summit was also quite disappointing with trees blocking the views. It is said that without the trees and the clouds, we might be able to see Port Phillip Bay with Melbourne city’s skyline in the background.
Anyway, we continued our journey to visit Tuck’s Ridge, …
… a vineyard that is said to have terrific wine and spectacular views that Italians come to take photos.
Since the Peninsula’s cool climate is noted for the pinot noir, a trip to the winery is one not to be missed. Here, we had the chance to taste all their wines, …
… from Sauvignon Blanc to Grosso.
After going through all the tasting, my favourite is their in-house Vino Dolce.
Next, we drove further down the road to Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens, home to Australia’s oldest and most famous hedge maze.
Upon entry, we were given an information sheet outlining the map and some information about the gardens …
… and also a gnome hunt questionnaire, that upon completion, we will be awarded with lollies.
While there, we also had our lunch …
.. and their home made lavender ice cream for dessert at the cafe, …
… before challenging ourselves in the mazes. Our first challenge was the famous traditional hedge maze.
This maze is broken into two parts, namely the north and the south, ..
Dead end!!
… with a water feature separating them.
Next, we walked towards the circular rose maze, ...
… where the main objective is to get to the middle of the maze in the quickest time possible.
This rose maze is the first of its kind in the world with over 1000 rose bushes, providing a variety of colours and scents.
Being a lavender garden, more than 4000 year round flowering lavender bushes are planted all over the place surrounding the lavender labyrinth (why not lavender maze?).
The lavender labyrinth
Overall, the maze experiences were fun except for a few things that disappointed us. Firstly was the muddy ground after the rainy weather, …
… and secondly, the complexity of the maze. Being one of the oldest and largest maze around, they just seem too small when were were able to get out of them within a few minutes. Anyway, visitors to the gardens also get to enjoy the serenity of the abundant water features, …
… sculptures, …
… and bushlands.
Not forgetting the gnome hunt, we managed to find all of them except for two gnomes.
Although we missed two gnomes, we were still awarded some lollies for our effort. Next, we drove to Sunny Ridge strawberry farm, home of Australia’s largest strawberry producer.
Here, visitors get to explore the fields and pick the world famous strawberries for a fee, …
… treat themselves to heavenly desserts, chocolate fondue berries at the cafe, …
… or shop for boutique fruit liqueurs and local produce.
Our final destination on the Peninsula is at Portsea Beach, part of the Mornington Peninsula National Park, …
… one of Victoria's most popular and most loved parks, protecting lots of the area's natural attractions and providing an important habitat for many forms of wildlife, such as 32 mammal species, 167 birds, 22 reptiles, 7 amphibians and 2 freshwater fish species.
Portsea ocean beach is one of the surf beaches created by the southern ocean swells of Bass Strait that was backed by steep sand dunes and rugged cliffs.
As the sky was getting darker, we decided to head back to Melbourne via the scenic Point Nepean Road.
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