The Mornington Peninsula has two coasts. On the bay side the water is calm and shallow, with piers and beach boxes. On the ocean side, which faces Bass Strait, it is wilder, with surf, rock pools and rips. Pick the right one for the day and the Peninsula is hard to beat.
How to choose a beach
Start with who is swimming. For young kids, paddle boards and a slow morning, go to the bay. For a walk, rock pools or a look at the surf, go to the ocean side. Swimming on the ocean side is a different matter. Beachsafe rates Portsea back beach and Gunnamatta 8 out of 10 for hazard, and says swimming at St Andrews Beach is not recommended.
Most Peninsula beaches are not patrolled every day. The ones with a life saving club, like Mount Martha, Dromana, Rosebud and Mills Beach in Mornington, are patrolled on some days over summer. The front beaches at Rye, Sorrento and Portsea are not patrolled. Check Beachsafe for the day you plan to go, and swim between the red and yellow flags when there are flags.
In one minute
- Bay beaches face Port Phillip Bay and are usually calm. Ocean beaches face Bass Strait and have strong rips.
- Only some beaches have a life saving club, and most patrols run on some days over summer. The front beaches at Rye, Sorrento and Portsea are not patrolled.
- Beachsafe shows what is patrolled on the day. Swim between the red and yellow flags.
- Beach boxes line several of the bay beaches, at Mount Martha, Mornington, Dromana and Portsea.
Bay side: calm water, beach boxes and piers
From Mornington to Portsea the beaches face Port Phillip Bay. Here is the run, north to south.
Mount MarthaMount Martha Beach
Known for its colourful bathing boxes. The Mount Martha Life Saving Club is here, and the beach is patrolled on some days over summer.
- Mornington
Mills Beach and Mothers Beach
Mills Beach has shallow, calm water, beach boxes and a life saving club that patrols on some summer days. Mothers Beach, close by, has soft sand and more bathing boxes.
- Safety Beach, Dromana
Safety Beach and Dromana
Safety Beach is a protected cove for family swimming, paddle boarding and canoeing, with a small pier. Dromana has a playground near the pier and lifesavers on summer weekends.
- Rosebud
Rosebud
A life saving club founded in 1962 and a pier of about 300 metres. Beachsafe rates its hazard 1 out of 10, which is low.
- Rye
Rye front beach
Good for family swimming and snorkelling, with a 300 metre pier and a 200 metre underwater snorkel trail. It is not patrolled.
- Blairgowrie
Blairgowrie
Safe swimming over shallow sand flats, with a pier beside the yacht squadron and a marina. It is not patrolled.
SorrentoSorrento front beach
Sheltered, and relatively safe for swimming, but swim away from the jetty and boat ramp. It is not patrolled.
PortseaPortsea front beach
Also called Weeroona Bay. Usually calm, with snorkelling and dive tours off the pier, and bathing boxes. It is not patrolled.
Dromana is also the start of the Two Bays Walking Trail, which runs 26 km across the hills to Cape Schanck. It is a good way to see the Peninsula's two coasts in a single walk, in sections, if you like to earn your swim.
Ocean side: surf, rock pools and big skies
On the ocean side the beaches face Bass Strait. They are best looked at, walked along and surfed, and only swum at when a club is patrolling.
Beachsafe rates Portsea back beach and Gunnamatta 8 out of 10 for hazard.
- Sorrento
Sorrento back beach
Also called Ocean Beach. Rock pools at low tide, and surf. Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club patrols at busy times of the year, and Beachsafe rates the hazard 6 out of 10.
- Portsea
Portsea back beach
A surf beach with strong rips and the surf club above it. Beachsafe rates it 8 out of 10 for hazard.
FingalGunnamatta
The Peninsula's best surf breaks, with a surf lifesaving club. Beachsafe calls it very hazardous for swimming.
- St Andrews Beach
St Andrews Beach
Popular with surfers and beach fishers. It is not patrolled and swimming is not recommended.
- Flinders
Mushroom Reef Beach
Rock pools and a marine sanctuary at low tide, on the Bass Strait side of West Head. Look, don't swim, and check the tide times first.
- Cape Schanck
Cape Schanck
A lighthouse reserve with a boardwalk and stairs down to the beach and rock platform. Swimming isn't recommended.
- Point Leo
Point Leo
A surf beach on the Western Port side, not Bass Strait, patrolled by Point Leo Surf Life Saving Club. Rips are strong even on calm days.
Cape Schanck is worth the drive even if you don't get wet. The lighthouse has operated since 1859, and a boardwalk and stairs lead down to a rock platform, with lookouts over Pulpit Rock and the Devil's Desk. From the car park, the Bushrangers Bay Track is 2.6 km each way, about two hours return, and ends at a sandy beach below basalt cliffs. Swimming isn't recommended there either, because of rips.
When to go
Summer is the busy season. Searoad lists Christmas Day to early January as a peak travel time on the Sorrento to Queenscliff ferry, the Shire says the drive to Portsea can take up to two hours in peak periods, and the front beaches fill on hot weekends. Our own bookings show Sunday to Thursday nights are the quietest on the Peninsula all summer, so a midweek stay gets you a calmer beach.
The ocean side is at its best outside summer, when you are there to walk and look rather than swim. Rock pools at Sorrento back beach and Mushroom Reef Beach are best at low tide, so check the tide times before you set out.
Beach days that aren't swims
You don't have to swim to have a good beach day. Snorkelling is good off the piers at Rye, where there is an underwater trail, and at Blairgowrie and Portsea. Dolphin swims leave from Sorrento Pier, where Polperro's season runs from September to May and non-swimmers can come along as observers. Sightings are not guaranteed.
If you want to try surfing, Salty Surf School runs lessons for all ages and abilities. If you would rather ride, Gunnamatta Horse Rides takes riders along the back beaches. Both are local partners of ours.
Getting there
Visit Mornington Peninsula puts the Peninsula about an hour from the Melbourne CBD, and Sorrento just over an hour. The coastal route is the Nepean Highway. The other way is the Monash Freeway to EastLink, then Peninsula Link, which ends at Mount Martha, the first beach on this guide. Leave earlier on a summer Friday.
Staying close to the water
Several of our homes list beach access among their amenities, including Galene and Manor in Mount Martha and Atelier in Sorrento. Each home's page lists exactly what it has and shows photos taken at the house. The ones below are the homes we would book first for a beach holiday.
