Cottage Rye
Blue Moon Cottages
12 Blakiston Grove, Rye VIC 3941 · $$
Three 1940s cottages 250 metres from Rye bay beach, Sandpiper is the dog-friendly unit with a wood fire and fenced courtyard.
Rye Ocean Beach
Rye Ocean Beach is the back-beach counterpart to Rye's calmer bay side - a wide, exposed ocean beach with a dune backing, a long clean stretch of sand, and the kind of reliable Bass Strait ambience that makes a ten-minute visit feel restorative. It is close enough to Peninsula Hot Springs to be combined into a single afternoon with a bath either side of the walk.
In April the beach is nearly empty, which is exactly the reason to go. Walk for thirty minutes in either direction and you will see maybe three other people. Bring wind-proof layers; the ocean-side beaches here are more exposed than most visitors expect.
Best for walking and deep breathing. Not a swimming beach in the conventional sense.
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Cottage Rye
Driftaway on Dundas
246 Dundas St, Rye VIC 3941 · $$
Three self-contained villas on 2.5 acres of tea-tree near Rye beach, breakfast hampers, oversized spa baths, one disability-accessible villa.
Glamping Rye
Mornington Peninsula Retro Caravans
1-9 Sinclair Ave, Rye VIC 3941 · $$
Restored 1950s–60s themed caravans 500 metres from Rye bay beach, dog-friendly in designated units, the most characterful glamping-adjacent option on the bayside.
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More ways to use this side of the Peninsula
Dromana Beach
Dromana Beach is a long, gentle arc of sand near the midpoint of the Peninsula - a forgiving bay beach with shallow, calm water and enough stretch to absorb a weekend crowd without losing its charm. The foreshore is backed by lawn and shade trees; the pier runs out into the bay and is a quiet spot for fishing at dawn or dusk. This is the bayside beach to use when you want a straightforward family day without the parking battles of Sorrento or Rye. The town strip behind the beach has enough for an impromptu lunch or a coffee run, and the position puts you in the right place to drive up to the hinterland for an afternoon cellar-door session. Good for swimmers at any standard, especially good for children, and reliably uncrowded outside the peak school-holiday weeks.
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Rosebud Country Club
Rosebud Country Club runs three nine-hole courses (North, South, and East) that mix-and-match into 18-hole rounds. Not a prestige destination, but one of the most played Peninsula courses for a reason — public access, good value, reasonable conditioning, and a central location that sits between Mornington and the southern tip. For the casual Peninsula golfer, or a mixed-skill group, it is probably the most forgiving way to get a round in without driving to Cape Schanck. The parkland/light-dune mix means holes play differently to the coastal links courses. Less spectacular, less punishing, and generally more enjoyable for mid-handicappers. Facilities are adequate rather than polished. Pricing is genuinely competitive — one of the few Peninsula courses where green fees sit comfortably under $100 on most days. Good for walking (carts available) and good for beginners. Book online or walk up on quiet weekdays.
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Safety Beach
Safety Beach is the Peninsula's most reliably calm swimming beach - the name is genuinely accurate - and the right answer when you have a young family, a nervous swimmer, or simply want to walk along a long flat shoreline without the theatre of the back beaches. The water is shallow, warm even by April standards, and the bay rarely produces any real chop along this stretch. The foreshore runs for kilometres between Safety Beach and Mount Martha and is good for long early-morning walks or slow afternoon sits. Martha's Table sits a short stroll away for post-swim aperitivo, and the marina at the northern end is a quiet place to watch the boats at dusk. Best in the early morning or the hour before sunset. The middle of the day on a hot summer weekend can get busy, but the stretch is long enough to find your own patch.
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Journal pieces that deepen this stop
Service 8 min
The Peninsula Beach Swimming Guide: Which Beach for Which Swim, From Bay to Back Beach
14 April 2026
Thirty kilometres of Port Phillip coastline, fifteen kilometres of Bass Strait back beaches, and four distinct swimming moods that most visitors cannot tell apart. A proper guide to where to actually swim on the Mornington Peninsula, by conditions and by purpose.
Service 8 min
The School Holidays Survival Guide
10 April 2026
Two weeks, restless children, a Peninsula that is busier than usual, and a parent who needs the trip to feel like a holiday for everyone. The plan that works.