If you are not playing golf
Take the short Cape Schanck Boardwalk while the golfers play St Andrews Beach, then allow time to drive from the cape to meet everyone at Montalto for lunch.
The Peninsula Golf Weekend
Two nights at Jackalope, one round at St Andrews Beach, vineyard meals and a short coastal alternative for non-golfers.
FriendsGolf · Food & wine
Photo · Gary Lisbon, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Gary Lisbon, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Two Palms Australia, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Gary Lisbon, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Two Palms Australia, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Gary Lisbon, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Two Palms Australia, courtesy of Visit Victoria
Friday check-in at Jackalope begins at 3 pm. Saturday splits the group: players take an early tee time at St Andrews Beach while non-golfers can visit the short Cape Schanck Boardwalk, then everyone meets for a prebooked Montalto lunch. Confirm the round length and travel time before setting the lunch reservation; The Piazza is a less formal fallback if timing slips. Stay a second night at Jackalope. Sunday's coffee stop in Mornington followed by the Main Ridge cellar door doubles back, so skip either stop if you prefer a direct journey home.
Day 1Check in and dinner on the ridge
- Afternoon
Jackalope Hotel
Arrive Friday from the hotel's 3 pm check-in and settle in for the first of two nights. Confirm the next morning's tee time and route before dinner.
- Evening
Doot Doot Doot
Friday dinner at the hotel restaurant. Sets the weekend up as an event rather than a golf grind.
Day 2Golf and a shared vineyard lunch
- Morning
St Andrews Beach Golf Course
Book an early Saturday tee time at this public-access course and confirm the expected round length. Agree on transport and a realistic Montalto lunch meeting time with non-golfers, who can spend the morning on the Cape Schanck Boardwalk instead.
- Midday
Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove
Meet for a reserved Saturday Restaurant lunch after the round. Set the seating only after checking the tee time and likely travel from Fingal; The Piazza can be a more flexible fallback.
Day 3Coffee, cellar door and home
- Morning
Commonfolk Coffee
Sunday brunch in Mornington. The cafe opens at 8 am and closes at 3 pm on weekends; check the current kitchen hours before setting off.
- Midday
Ten Minutes by Tractor
One cellar door before the drive home. Serious pinot noir and chardonnay. The ridge sending you off.
Variations
Booking checklist
- essentialEarly Saturday tee time at St Andrews Beach
- essentialTwo nights at Jackalope Hotel
- essentialFriday Doot Doot Doot dinner and Saturday Montalto Restaurant lunch
- recommendedCheck Sunday opening and tasting availability at Ten Minutes by Tractor
Sleep here
Your base for this escape
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.
Move the trip outside
Explore stops inside this plan
Golf Course St Andrews Beach Golf Course
St Andrews Beach is the Peninsula's strongest public-access golf story. Tom Doak architecture, world-ranking credibility, and an address anyone can book - that combination is rarer in Australian golf than the prestige market would have you believe. The course sits in coastal duneland near Fingal, with enough exposure to the Bass Strait weather to make the same round play differently depending on when you show up. Go in autumn when the light flattens and the crowds thin. Book well ahead for weekends. Pair it with the hot springs or a southern Peninsula lunch and the whole day holds together as a proper trip rather than an isolated round.
Open the guide →Further reading
Journal pieces that sharpen this version of the Peninsula
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.
Editor's Letter 8 min
The Autumn Weekend Edit: Why April on the Peninsula Feels Most Earned
9 April 2026
Cool mornings, warm lunches, empty terraces, and the kind of light that makes every terrace look serious. This is the month the region stops performing and starts meaning something.