Photo: Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria
Hotel Merricks North
Jackalope Hotel
166 Balnarring Rd, Merricks North VIC 3926
An art-led vineyard hotel in Merricks North, with Doot Doot Doot dining and room choices from Terrace to Lair.
Ridge to Sea: A Two-Night Peninsula Escape
Start in Red Hill wine country, finish at the southern tip, and let the weekend widen as it goes.
CouplesFood & wine · Coastal
Photo · Two Palms Australia, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Tarasiuk, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Jesse Hisco, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Two Palms Australia, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Tarasiuk, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Jesse Hisco, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Two Palms Australia, courtesy of Visit Victoria
Start with lunch and a night on the ridge, then move south for the coast and a second night in Sorrento. Each day changes register: vineyards first, a coastal walk next, Point Nepean to finish. Book the two stays and lunches before arranging the rest. Day two has the most moving parts, so have an unhurried breakfast near your stay and leave the short coastal stop out if lunch runs long.
Day 1Vineyards and your first stay
- Midday
Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove
Reserve The Restaurant for Friday to Sunday lunch, or use the walk-in Piazza on another day. Confirm sculpture park hours before arriving.
- Evening
Jackalope Hotel
Check in on the ridge and commit to the theatrical version of the Peninsula for night one.
Day 2Coast and a second base
- Midday
Polperro
Keep lunch lighter today. Polperro Restaurant and Cellar Door are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; check service times and book lunch before setting your itinerary.
- Afternoon
Cape Schanck Boardwalk
Choose the shorter Cape Schanck boardwalk and lookouts if daylight, weather and park access suit after lunch. Leave the two-hour Bushrangers Bay walk for a morning start.
- Night
Hotel Sorrento
Sleep at the tip with a bay-view drink before dinner downstairs or nearby.
Day 3Point Nepean and home
- Morning
Point Nepean Fort Walk
Finish with the long view over the Heads before heading back to Melbourne.
Booking checklist
- essentialFirst night at Jackalope and second night at Hotel Sorrento
- recommendedMontalto Restaurant Friday to Sunday or the daily Piazza, plus Polperro lunch availability
Sleep here
Your two overnight bases
Exterior photographed in 2006. Photo: Biatch / Wikimedia Commons (public domain) Source
Hotel Sorrento
Hotel Sorrento
5-15 Hotham Rd, Sorrento VIC 3943
A Sorrento clifftop hotel with restored limestone rooms, contemporary suites, a guest-only pool and several dining spaces.
Move the trip outside
Explore stops inside this plan
Lookout 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 →
Attraction Point Nepean Fort Walk
Point Nepean rewards people who are happy to walk a little further than the average Peninsula day-tripper. The road and paths out toward Fort Nepean unfold through old quarantine buildings, scrub, and cliff-edge lookouts before the whole place gives way to bunkers and artillery emplacements looking straight across the Heads. It is a history lesson, a coastline walk, and a very good excuse to leave Sorrento for the afternoon. Hire bikes if you want to cover more ground, but walking keeps the mood right. Choose your starting point and route before estimating the time needed, including the return journey. This listing does not define one fixed circuit. Fort paths and interiors include steps and uneven surfaces; do not assume that every section is accessible. Check Parks Victoria's current conditions before visiting, as individual tracks, beach access points and fort interiors can be restricted. Notices checked on 1 October 2026 reported a closed section of the Engine House walking track and no entry inside the Engine House; access to its exterior was via stairs from the Parade Ground. The Bend beach access steps and track were also closed, with Bay Beach Walk visitors continuing to Fort Nepean directed onto Coles Track at Observatory Point. These are restrictions on specific sections, not a whole-park closure. Follow the latest official advice and on-site signs.
Open the guide →Further reading
Journal pieces that sharpen this version of the Peninsula
Slow Peninsula 7 min
A Flinders Weekend: The Case for the Quiet Side of the Peninsula
4 April 2026
When Red Hill is booked out and Sorrento feels like a queue, there is another version of the Peninsula weekend that runs south of everything, closer to the ocean, and slower on purpose.
Editor's Letter 8 min
A Winter Peninsula Weekend: The Case for Coming in July
13 April 2026
Short days, cheap rooms, empty dining rooms, a fire in every cellar door with a hearth, and a coast that looks like a different country in a southerly. Winter is the Peninsula's most underrated season and the one that gives the region back to the people who actually live here.
Try another shape
More ways to explore the Peninsula
Sorrento Back Beach, Mornington Peninsula. Photo: SHERPA Projects Pty Ltd, courtesy of Visit Victoria
Plan
The Sorrento Off-Season Weekend
Two nights based in Sorrento, with the back beach, Point Nepean and a village dinner. The second evening takes you out to Pt. Leo Estate.
Cape Schanck, Mornington Peninsula. Photo: Courtesy of Visit Victoria
Plan
Flinders and the Cape: A One-Night Reset
For people who want salt air, one excellent meal, and just enough structure to stop planning.
Alba Thermal Springs & Spa, Fingal, Mornington Peninsula. Photo: Courtesy of Visit Victoria
Plan
A Peninsula Wellness Weekend
Thermal pools, a coastal walk and vineyard meals, with two nights to slow down at the same Red Hill stay.