EAT - Doot Doot Doot, Merricks North
Doot Doot Doot is the signature dining room at Jackalope Hotel in Merricks North. For the current menu and service dates, check with Jackalope directly. The operator now describes a seasonal multi-course Signature Dining Experience curated by Group Executive Chef Michael Wickham. This dated July pick is retained as an archive, not a current menu guide.
Correction, 3 October 2026: An earlier version attributed the current kitchen to Michael Demagistris and described specific dishes and an à la carte choice without current support. We removed those details after checking Jackalope’s dining information.
Book via the Jackalope Hotel website. Confirm the sitting duration with Jackalope. 166 Balnarring Road, Merricks North.
Pair it with a room at Jackalope itself - driving back over the ridge in the dark is less appealing than staying.
EXPERIENCE - Southern Peninsula Sleepout, Boneo
Friday 31 July from 4pm, The Ranch Adventure Park in Boneo opens for a community sleepout that runs through to Saturday 1 August. This is not a glamping package. It is a Peninsula community event - families, tents, cold air, and the particular quality of darkness that Boneo delivers when the coastal scrub closes in around you. Winter on the ocean coast means clear skies after fronts pass, and July fronts typically clear by Thursday. If the forecast holds, Friday night at Boneo will be cold and starry, which is the whole point. The Ranch is a working adventure park on Wallis Road - rope courses, open ground, and enough infrastructure to make an overnight with kids manageable without making it soft.
Book at visitmorningtonpeninsula.org before Friday. Allow the full evening and morning. 21 Wallis Road, Boneo.
Pair it with breakfast at Merricks General Wine Store on the drive back north Saturday morning.
DISCOVERY - Helen Britton: The Story So Far, MPRG, Mornington
Helen Britton: The Story So Far closes 23 August at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. Britton is a Sydney-born jeweller who has worked from Munich for decades, and this is a career survey - works in silver, wood, paper, and found materials that refuse to behave the way jewellery is supposed to. The pieces are small in scale and loud in argument. Sharing the gallery right now is Natalia Milosz-Piekarska’s Sifted Light, a photographic work about perception and memory that sits in productive contrast to Britton’s physical making. Both shows opened 20 June and close together on 23 August. That is four weeks left. MPRG is consistently the most serious gallery on the Peninsula and consistently underused by locals who assume it is for visitors.
Free entry. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am–4pm. Dunns Road, Mornington. No booking required.
Pair it with lunch at Bistro Elba on Ocean Beach Road - the gallery and the bistro are both in Mornington and both worth the trip on their own.
This week at a glance
| Pick | Where | When | Practical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doot Doot Doot | 166 Balnarring Road, Merricks North | Check current service | Book ahead via jackalope.com.au |
| Southern Peninsula Sleepout | 21 Wallis Road, Boneo | Fri 31 Jul 4pm – Sat 1 Aug | Book at visitmorningtonpeninsula.org |
| Helen Britton: The Story So Far, MPRG | Dunns Road, Mornington | Tue–Sun 11am–4pm, closes 23 Aug | Free, no booking required |
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Questions readers actually ask
FAQ
How far ahead do I need to book Doot Doot Doot?
Weeks, not days. Doot Doot Doot is the restaurant at Jackalope Hotel at 166 Balnarring Road, Merricks North. Book via the Jackalope website. Weekend sittings fill first; midweek is your best chance at short notice.
What is the Southern Peninsula Sleepout at The Ranch?
It runs from 4pm Friday 31 July to Saturday 1 August at The Ranch Adventure Park, 21 Wallis Road, Boneo. Bookings and details at visitmorningtonpeninsula.org. It is a paid community event.
When does the Helen Britton show close at MPRG, and do I need to book?
Helen Britton: The Story So Far closes 23 August 2026. The gallery is at Dunns Road, Mornington, open Tuesday to Sunday 11am–4pm. Entry is free. No booking required.
