Ferry tales from Mornington to Bellarine

You can see two halves of a summer weekend at once from the Sorrento to Queenscliff ferry deck. Behind you, the Mornington Peninsula: Arthurs Seat, Red Hill’s vines. Ahead, the Bellarine and, beyond it, Geelong’s waterfront.

Don’t be tempted to pick one peninsula and call it a weekend. Do both. The crossing becomes part of the trip while long lunches, salt water and late nights together await on either side.

1. Mornington Peninsula

Food and wine

Montalto in Red Hill South is built for the long lunch. In summer, the action moves out to the piazza, and the estate’s sculpture trail winds through the grounds. Take a stroll between courses and pick your favourite pieces.

Save room for Main Ridge Dairy, where the goat’s cheese Capriole was named Champion Cheese at the 2026 Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards. You can even meet the goats responsible, then pack a wedge for later.

Water and views

Port Phillip Bay’s resident Burrunan dolphins are one of only two known pods in Victoria, and because the pod is matriarchal, it never leaves home. Family-run operators take swimmers out from Sorrento to slip into the water beside them. Book a morning swim and you’ll be back on dry land by lunch with wet, salty hair and a rush of pure exhilaration.

After dark

Start at Arthurs Seat lookout as the sun drops. On a clear evening, Melbourne’s skyline lights up along the far shore. Then head down the hill to the Dromana 3 Drive-In, screening since 1962 and listed by both Heritage Victoria and the National Trust. Grab burgers and milkshakes from Shel’s Diner, a 1950s-style diner, and devour them in the car during the film. Finish back in Sorrento at Barlow, the speakeasy-style cocktail bar where live bands and DJs play late.

Stay: InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula

The historic seaside village of Sorrento may be famous for its stylish limestone shopfronts, bay-to-ocean beaches and clifftop walks, but its most romantic corner lies underground. Inside the hotel precinct, Aurora Spa & Bathhouse is a mood-lit run of magnesium pools, salt rooms and what’s billed as the largest Nordic sauna in the Southern Hemisphere, with treatments designed for two. Afterwards, Ember’s chef Jake Furst, AHA VIC Chef of the Year 2023, cooks dry-aged cuts and seafood over a Josper charcoal grill. Inspired by the hotel’s warm and sophisticated styles of the Mediterranean, each of the rooms and suites offers refined seaside glamour and timeless luxury.

Across the heads

After breakfast, drive onto the Searoad ferry at Sorrento. The crossing to Queenscliff is long enough for a coffee on deck and short enough that you’ll still be squealing about the dolphins when you dock.

2. Geelong and the Bellarine

Food and wine

Portarlington, named Victoria’s top small tourism town for 2026, is mussel country. Board Valerie, a restored Huon pine heritage boat, and head out to the farm with fourth-generation mussel farmer Lance Wiffen. Watch the line hauled up dripping and taste a mussel raw straight from the water, then eat the next batch cooked on board with a glass of crisp Bellarine Peninsula Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc, the perfect cool-climate pairing for fresh mussels.

Back on land, head up to Jack Rabbit Vineyard for views across the bay to Geelong, the You Yangs and, on a fine day, Melbourne. Order the Tomahawk for Two: a 600g dry-aged Cape Grim tomahawk, cooked on the bone and carved to share.

Water and views

Set an alarm. Liberty Balloon Flights lifts off over Geelong at sunrise, and from the basket the bay stretches east towards the Bellarine, the You Yangs rise to the north and the Barwon River curls in from the west. Breakfast keeps the high going once you’ve landed.

After dark

Queenscliff is home to the Blues Train: live music and dancing aboard a heritage train after dark. If you’re staying in Geelong, book a concert, comedy, cabaret or stage show at Geelong Arts Centre, then head to Fantôme on Ryrie Street, which bills itself as Geelong’s most intimate late-night wine bar. Order the Mon Amour, a dark chocolate mousse cake with mandarin coulis.

Stay: Crowne Plaza Geelong

The newly opened Crowne Plaza Geelong gives half its rooms a water view, but the real draw is Skyline Bar on level 10, the only venue at that height in Geelong and perfect for watching the bay at sunset. Downstairs, Sociali Trattoria pairs handmade pasta with Bellarine produce, and local artist Kate Robertson’s commissioned work carries native flora through the halls.

Stay: Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong

For a night at the theatre, Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong is within walking distance of the Arts Centre and sits on the same street as Fantôme. It’s also the official meeting point for Liberty’s balloon flights. Its king suites come with a balcony over the city, the 20-metre indoor pool is heated, and the private dining room can be set for just two.

Two peninsulas, one bay and a ferry tale ending.

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