Canonical: https://peninsulainsider.com.au/explore/ashcombe-maze/ Publisher: Peninsula Insider Published: unknown Modified: unknown Format: public main text, generated from the canonical page; imagery and interactive controls omitted. Dates and caveats below retain their page meaning; this format is not a new fact check. [Attraction]() [Shoreham]() # Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens Ashcombe Maze holds Australia's oldest symmetrical hedge maze, a circular rose garden, a lavender labyrinth, and a small café that sells lavender everything, ice cream, scones, shortbread, tisane, from a room that smells exactly like the fields outside. The gardens are at their peak in spring when the lavender is up, but the maze works in any season and the café is reason enough in autumn. The place is deliberately low-tempo. You walk the maze, you sit in the lavender, you drink tea, and you leave feeling like you have stumbled into a slightly older, gentler version of the Peninsula. It is a good rainy-afternoon reset and an even better spring morning plan. Pair it with Flinders Sourdough on the way through or Flinders General Store afterwards. Bring the kids. Bring older visitors. Do not try to be cynical about it, the charm wins. At a glance **Place** [Shoreham]() **Type** Attraction **Best in** Spring · Summer · Autumn **Access** 15 Shoreham Rd, Shoreham VIC 3916 **Website** [www.ashcombemaze.com.au]() [Open place hub]() Pair it with a booking ## Where to eat, drink, or stay nearby The best explore pages should lead somewhere next. [See Shoreham →]() Illustrative, not Iluka Retreat & Camp. Photo: mattyv.au · P1030597, Balnarring rural sunrise · cropped and converted to WebP [Source]() [Licence]() Glamping [Shoreham]() ### [Iluka Retreat & Camp]() 20 Shoreham Rd, Shoreham VIC 3916 Styled bell tents for two on a 36-acre Shoreham property, with lake access and shared powered kitchen and bathrooms. wellness slow [Read notes]() [View stay]() Illustrative, not Mantons Creek Estate. Photo: faVori rouge · Mornington Peninsula vineyard · resized and converted to WebP [Source]() [Licence]() Accommodation [Shoreham]() ### [Mantons Creek Estate]() 240 Tucks Rd, Shoreham VIC 3916 Vineyard accommodation at Mantons Creek Estate in Shoreham, with a restaurant and cellar door on the property. anniversary cellar door [Read notes]() [View stay]() Keep going ## More ways to use this side of the Peninsula [Explore more →]() [Beach]() [Cape Schanck]() 2 h · Moderate ### [Bushrangers Bay]() Bushrangers Bay is an ocean beach reached through coastal heathland from the eastern carpark at Cape Schanck Lighthouse. Parks Victoria describes this route as a 5.4-kilometre return walk taking about two hours, before extra time for stops. The sandy, narrow, unsealed paths include steep stairs. The dramatic rock formations and Southern Ocean views are the reason to come. This is an unpatrolled beach with unpredictable rips, strong currents, rocky reefs and large waves; Parks Victoria does not recommend swimming, and emergency access is limited. Stay on established paths and keep out of signed Hooded Plover habitat. Bring water and check Parks Victoria's current conditions and fire advice before setting out. Dogs are not permitted; assistance dogs are subject to Parks Victoria's entry requirements. [Open the guide →]() [Walk]() [Cape Schanck]() 2 h · Moderate ### [Bushrangers Bay Walk]() From the eastern carpark at Cape Schanck Lighthouse, this walk leads through coastal scrub to Bushrangers Bay. Parks Victoria describes a 5.4 km return trip taking about two hours. Allow more time for stops and the return climb: the sandy, narrow, unsealed path includes steep stairs. Dogs are not permitted; check Parks Victoria entry requirements for assistance dogs. Swimming is not recommended. The beach is unpatrolled, with strong currents, rips, rocky reefs and large waves, and emergency access is limited. Check Parks Victoria changed conditions and current fire advice before setting out. Stay on the track, follow signs protecting nesting shorebirds, and allow enough daylight for the return. [Open the guide →]() [Lookout]() [Cape Schanck]() ### [Cape Schanck Boardwalk]() Cape Schanck gives you basalt formations, pounding water and lighthouse views within a compact coastal precinct. Several lookouts offer views over the geological formations, while the wooden staircase and boardwalk descend to the beach and rock platform. The descent includes stairs, so distinguish a lookout visit from the full route down and back when planning around mobility. Choose your route and allow time for the return climb, pauses and conditions. Check Parks Victoria's current visitor advice and follow on-site signs before setting out. [Open the guide →]() Further reading ## Journal pieces that deepen this stop [Journal →]() Venue Guide 5 min ### [Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens - Visitor Guide]() 22 April 2026 Multiple travel websites still list Ashcombe as closed. It is not. The café re-opened January 2025, the maze is fully operating Thursday to Monday, and the lavender labyrinth uses 4,000 plants across 40+ varieties. Here is the accurate guide. ## The Insider Note The Peninsula worth knowing. An occasional email. What's on, where we'd go and what's worth knowing next. Independent editorial. Sent when there is something worth knowing. Unsubscribe any time [Privacy]()