Walk the Mornington Peninsula

Make your own way to Frankston train station by 9.30 am, where you will meet your fellow travellers and local leader. From here you’ll board your private bus and make the approximately half-hour journey to Red Hill, where you’ll begin your first walk. The trail from Red Hill to Merricks is a leisurely six kilometre downhill walk past vineyards with beautiful views of the bay, across to Phillip Island. You’ll stop for lunch at Merricks General Store, a Mornington Peninsula icon, where you’ll enjoy a country style meal with optional wine tasting from local vineyards. In the afternoon it’s an easy five and a half kilometre walk along the back beaches, where you might even see dolphins! After your afternoon walk, we’ll drive to Flinders, where your accommodation is located. Flinders is a charming village that is home to art galleries, shops, cafes, a great pub and the Mornington Peninsula chocolaterie. Spend the night at your leisure, maybe getting to know your fellow travellers better over a pub meal.

After breakfast you’ll leave your accommodation on foot. Follow the coastline along the Flinders ocean beach, a favourite with local surfers when the swell is running. Today’s 10 kilometre walk is more strenuous, with a few more hills and some longer grass and mud to negotiate at times, so make sure to wear your hiking boots and long pants. You’ll walk until you reach the Blowhole, which provides stunning views of the Bass Strait coastline. Here you’ll find a well-formed track and boardwalk and you’ll take some time to explore the rock pools and hopefully catch sight of some elegant sea as you enjoy a picnic lunch. Whales can even be spotted here in the winter months! After lunch you’ll head back to the walking track, for an easier afternoon stint of walking, with plenty of opportunities to stop and admire the coastal views, finally arriving at Stockyard Creek, an isolated bay little known to anyone but the local cows. From here, you’ll head back to the bus, which will return you to your accommodation for a free night.

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Green’s Bush where you’ll set out to complete part of the iconic Two Bay’s Walk. From thick forest and bushland to spectacular coastal trails, coupled with diverse and abundant wildlife, this variety of habitats is a real highlight of the Mornington Peninsula. Today’s walk is 15 kilometres in total, with a mixture of bush and clifftop terrain in the morning section. At lunchtime, you’ll reach Bushranger’s Bay where you’ll enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach, with free time to explore the rock pools and relax on the golden sands. After lunch you’ll continue on the walking track to Cape Schanck. Take your time to explore the lighthouse, former keeper’s house and museum, and descend on the long boardwalk to the coast, which has fantastic rock formations and views of the lighthouse on its headland, before meeting your vehicle and driving back to the accommodation in Flinders for a free night.

Today, after breakfast, you’ll drive to Bridgewater Bay and head towards Sorrento for the chance to learn about the important role the Peninsula played in Australia’s settlement. This morning’s walk is eight kilometres long and covers some of the Peninsula’s famous ‘back beaches’. The clifftop track provides spectacular views of Bass Straight and surrounds, as well as historic markers that explain the area’s history. You’ll then return to Sorrento for lunch. After lunch, you’ll drive to the historic Point Nepean National Park, the traditional Country of the Bunurong People who have lived on and around this important cultural place for over 35,000 years. Point Nepean and Sorrento were home to the earliest European settlement in Victoria, and you’ll walk for six kilometres and see highlights such as the old Quarantine Station, Observatory Point Cemetery, and Cheviot Hill (where former Prime Minister Harold Holt allegedly went missing). After exploring the park you’ll drive to your accommodation for the night, the iconic Sorrento Hotel. Tonight, you can choose to visit the award-winning Peninsula Hot Springs. The 37 steaming pools have different themes and locations, from hammam rooms, saunas, ice caves and hilltop experiences to massaging jet pools.

After breakfast with a view, you’ll drive to the start of the Artists Trail from Portsea to Sorrento for your final six kilometre walk of the trip. Established in celebration of those artists who have made the spectacular Peninsula scenery subjects of some of their major works, this walk stops at those positions along the way where the artists have sat to paint their works. Along the way you’ll also cross the Millionaires Walk. This short walk will have you feeling like a trespasser as you literally walk through the backyards of some of the most prime real estate on the Peninsula, getting views of beautiful homes and private jetties. At Sorrento Beach you’ll continue to Collin’s Settlement – the site of Victoria’s first ill-fated attempt at European settlement in 1803 – and hear about the remarkable story of escaped convict William Buckley. From here you’ll drive back to Sorrento for your final lunch together before being transferred back to Frankston train station in the early afternoon where the trip will come to an end.