3 months ago
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On Melbourne’s doorstep, this picturesque pocket has plenty of drawcards – from cellar doors to polished fine diners and stunning produce – coupled with a slower pace.
It’s not a long drive from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula, but that shouldn’t stop you from breaking it up with a drink. At Social Club Balnarring, locals flock for craft beers and Pisco Sours under gum trees, the occasional live gig, and Latin American plates including anticuchos chicken skewers and
prawn tacos.
General stores are fundamental to peninsula life, keeping towns caffeinated, holiday houses stocked, and teenagers sustained on pies and South Melbourne dim sims. Shoreham General Store is where you’ll go to buy cereal and dishwashing liquid, but you can also pick up Mumma Made relishes (crafted in nearby Dromana), and a great flat white. Flinders General Store encompasses a
boutique grocer, wine store, cafe and an everyday supermarket. Find ready-to-heat pies and lasagnes from Johnny Ripe, pantry fillers from local businesses such as Red Gum BBQ, fresh seafood, Tuerong Farm bread and more.
Point Leo General Store – five minutes’ walk from the beach – is also great for supplies, but the real attraction is a flaky beef Bourguignon pie from Miller’s
Bread Kitchen. The Dromana bakery runs both businesses, handy for picking up pillowy cinnamon scrolls, loaves of bread and fuss-free lunch options after a swim. Flinders Sourdough oozes country charm, still using a Scotch oven to bake. Grab a Bakewell tart or a beach bun – dense with dried fruit, coconut and orange zest – and head to the shed opposite to enjoy.
General stores are often your best bet for coffee but The Hidden Kitchen in Tootgarook is excellent if you’re venturing further towards the peninsula’s tip. In the opposite direction, Phase Two is a clean and bright space to sit down with a brew made using Commonfolk beans, roasted in Mornington.
While Red Hill has the largest cluster of cellar doors, the peninsula’s southern side holds pioneering Quealy, where you can taste refined pinot noirs and Italian grapes such as fiano, and Montalto, known for its chardonnays and syrahs paired with views through floor-to-ceiling windows. Pt Leo Estate’s sculpture park adds even more intrigue to the tasting experience. More central is crowd-pleaser T’Gallant, given a new lease on life after renovations in 2023, but still winning fans with its wood-fired pizza.
Find carefully selected bottles from across Victoria at wine store and bar Plonk & Stink, where most budgets are catered to and you can stick around for cheese from local maker Boatshed while eavesdropping on local gossip.
Beer nerds will feel seen at Devilbend Farm Beer Co, where seven varieties of hops are grown or beers ranging from a bitter-edged dark ale to citrus-forward West Coast IPA. The 33-hectare farm also raises beef, used for burgers, ragu and steaks in the tavern-like eatery. Sparky staff will happily answer questions
and find you a table.
If you haven’t booked ahead at the likes of hatted restaurants Barragunda,Port Phillip Estate or Laura, you might get lucky walking in at Merricks Store, a gorgeously restored weatherboard building serving European-inspired plates such as confit duck (and a great breakfast, too).
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