MORNINGTON PENINSULA
Ah - who doesn’t love a good beach holiday? I know people usually think of Queensland when they think of the beach, but the Mornington Peninsula has some beautiful beaches about 1.5 hours away from Melbourne and was a lovely little getaway for my family.
FLIGHTS
We flew Qantas. Recently they have started introducing onboard snacks that are increasingly gluten and dairy-free which is great! But for a short flight like this, I would tend to bring snacks for my kids anyway and not worry too much about meals on the plane itself. We also hired a car which we picked up directly from the airport.
WHERE TO STAY
We stayed at an Airbnb just off the main shopping strip (Ocean Beach Rd), which was conveniently located near the IGA.
PLACES TO VISIT
Strawberry picking at Sunny Ridge
Great fun with the kids! And so delicious (provided your kids aren't allergic to strawberries...)
244 Shands Rd, Main Ridge VIC 3928
Peninsula Hot Springs
I actually managed to sneak out and visit the Hot Springs with a friend - we had a mummies day off while the husbands looked after the kids! But we did notice some people there WITH their kids (I think kids are allowed at certain times). It was incredibly relaxing!
140 Springs Ln, Fingal VIC 3939
https://www.peninsulahotsprings.com/
ASHCOMBE MAZE
Beautiful gardens with a “find the fairies and gnomes” activity for the kids. Great for a sunny day in Mornington Peninsula!
15 Shoreham Rd, Shoreham, VIC 3916
http://ashcombemaze.com.au/
SORRENTO PLAYGROUND
The Mornington Peninsula has several playgrounds with water views and/or are near the water, and we really loved the one at Sorrento which is in a beautiful park. It’s up the hill, so not right by the water, so a bit of an uphill walk if you are coming from the beach.
3423 Point Nepean Rd, Sorrento 3943 Victoria
https://www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/Activities/Parks-Reserves/Parks-Recreation/Sorrento-Park
I'm sure there is a heap of other stuff to do but we mostly spent our time on the beach! Sorrento has:
1. A shallow front beach (great for toddlers) - adjacent to Point Nepean Road, and
2. A deeper back-beach (with proper waves) - on the western end of Ocean Beach Road (where the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club is).
GROCERY SHOPPING
We did one Coles shop-up at Coles in Rosebud (as we hired a car), but the rest of our shopping was done at the IGA in Sorrento, as this was a short walk from our Airbnb accommodation. This IGA had some allergy-friendly snacks in their health food section, including a decent range of gluten free bread and crackers.
WHERE TO EAT
Check out my Melbourne restaurant reviews here.
