Mornington Peninsula holiday homes

The Mornington Peninsula is Melbourne's weekend escape. Mornington and Mount Martha are about an hour's drive from the city, and Sorrento and Portsea at the far end take about an hour and a half. Most of our guests come down from Melbourne on a Friday and stay two or three nights, and longer over summer.

The Peninsula has two coasts. The bay side, from Mount Eliza to Sorrento, has calm water, beach boxes and long piers, which suits young kids and paddle boards. The ocean side, from Portsea to Flinders, faces Bass Strait with surf beaches, rock pools and cliff walks. Most homes are within a short drive of both.

In between the two coasts are the Red Hill and Main Ridge hills, with cellar doors, orchards and farm-gate stalls. Peninsula Hot Springs at Fingal is a favourite for a rainy day or a slow morning. You can take the chairlift up Arthurs Seat for the view over the bay, walk out to the old fort at Point Nepean National Park, or catch the car ferry from Sorrento across to Queenscliff.

Summer is the busy season, with the beaches full from Christmas to the end of January. Autumn is quieter and still warm enough for the beach on a good day, and winter is the time for the hot springs, an open fire and a long lunch in the hills.

More of our homes are on the Peninsula than anywhere else, most with three to seven bedrooms. Many have a pool, a spa or a sauna, and plenty sleep 10 or more, so they work for two or three families travelling together. Use the pages below to narrow it down by town, or see every home with a pool.