Canonical: https://peninsulainsider.com.au/journal/insider-picks-2026-07-31/ Publisher: Peninsula Insider Published: 2026-07-31T00:00:00.000Z Modified: 2026-07-31T00:00:00.000Z 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. Insider Edit 31 July 2026 4 min read # Insider Picks: 31 July 2026 The Sorrento Hotel's parma on Ocean Beach Road, the winter-emptied Gunnamatta back-beach trail, and a community sleepout at The Ranch in Boneo this Friday night. Keep this for later - By **The Peninsula Insider** Insider Picks Winter Photo · Peninsula Insider Illustrative image This image shows two children in shallow water beside a timber jetty. It does not depict the place described on this page. ## EAT - The Sorrento Hotel, Sorrento The parma at the Sorrento Hotel is the dish Ocean Beach Road has been ordering since before anyone thought to write about it. In winter, the front bar earns its keep. The fireplace runs, the room fills with people who actually live here, and the menu does exactly what a village pub menu should. Order the chicken parma - it arrives at the size pubs used to make them, before portion anxiety set in. The schnitzel base is properly thin, the sauce doesn’t overwhelm it, and the cheese is browned rather than just melted. That distinction matters. Pair it with a local tap beer and you have the most uncomplicated Friday night the Peninsula offers. The Sorrento Hotel is the pub you go to when you want dinner without a project. Arrive before noon for lunch or by 6pm on weeknights or you’ll queue. **The Sorrento Hotel**, Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento. Open daily for lunch and dinner. No booking for bar meals, but arrive early on weekends. Pair with a walk down to Sullivan Bay afterward - ten minutes and completely empty after dark. ## EXPERIENCE - Gunnamatta Back-Beach Trail, Rye The Gunnamatta back-beach trail is a different place in July than it is in January. In January it carries 400 people past the dunes. This weekend it will carry maybe twelve. The Southern Ocean doesn’t change - same grey swell, same rip warnings on the signs, same roar from three hundred metres back. But the emptiness around it does. The walk south from the Gunnamatta Ocean Beach car park along the dune ridge toward St Andrews Beach takes around 45 minutes one way. The track stays above the beach proper, so it’s walkable even after rain. Winter light on this stretch of coast is flat and direct in a way that summer’s glare isn’t. You see the cliff profiles and the kelp lines clearly. Go mid-morning before the front that usually arrives by 2pm in July. Wear layers and don’t stop walking once you’re on the exposed ridge. **Gunnamatta Ocean Beach car park**, Truemans Road, Rye. Free, no booking. Allow 90 minutes return for the southern leg. Pair with a coffee at St Andrews Beach Brewery on the way back through. ## DISCOVERY - Southern Peninsula Sleepout at The Ranch Adventure Park, Boneo The Southern Peninsula Sleepout at The Ranch Adventure Park in Boneo runs tonight - Friday 31 July from 4pm through to Saturday morning. It’s a community fundraiser for local homelessness services, which means it draws local families, school groups, and people who actually know each other. The Ranch is a working adventure park on Boneo Road, and the overnight setup uses the property’s open paddocks. In winter that means cold ground, visible stars if the cloud breaks, and the particular sound of a property this far south of everything. It’s not a glamping event. You sleep out, you raise money, you remember what cold feels like. If you have kids who’ve been asking what a fundraiser night actually involves, this is the most concrete version of the answer. Registration is still open today but places are limited. **The Ranch Adventure Park**, Boneo Road, Boneo. Starts 4pm Friday 31 July, runs to Saturday 1 August. Bookings essential - book via visitmorningtonpeninsula.org. Pair it with breakfast at Boneo’s local store on Saturday morning before the drive home. ## This Weekend at a Glance Pick | Where | When | Book? | The Sorrento Hotel - chicken parma | Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento | Lunch & dinner daily | No booking, arrive early | Gunnamatta back-beach trail | Truemans Road car park, Rye | Dawn–dusk, 90 min return | No booking | Southern Peninsula Sleepout | The Ranch Adventure Park, Boneo Road, Boneo | Fri 31 Jul from 4pm | Bookings essential - visitmorningtonpeninsula.org | Something wrong on this page, or is this your business? [Tell us what to fix]() and you get a case reference back. corrections@peninsulainsider.com.au reaches the same desk. Questions readers actually ask ## FAQ Where is The Sorrento Hotel and when does it serve lunch? The Sorrento Hotel is on Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento. It serves lunch daily. No booking required for bar meals, but arrive early on weekends - the front bar fills up by 12:30pm. How do I get to the Gunnamatta back-beach trail in winter? Park at the Gunnamatta Ocean Beach car park off Truemans Road, Rye. The trail runs south along the dunes toward St Andrews Beach. No booking needed. Allow 90 minutes return for the southern leg. How do I book the Southern Peninsula Sleepout at The Ranch Adventure Park? The sleepout runs Friday 31 July from 4pm to Saturday 1 August at The Ranch Adventure Park, Boneo Road, Boneo. Book via the Visit Mornington Peninsula listing at visitmorningtonpeninsula.org - bookings essential. Or let PI plan your day ## Where in the Peninsula is PI? A painted Peninsula, three witnesses a stop, and the sun for a clock. Find PI before sunset and her route becomes a day you can drive. Find her and go in the draw for $250 to dine at Doot Doot Doot, Jackalope.[Draw terms and prize details]() [Play Case 02]() Six to ten minutes. Free, no account. Keep reading ## More from the Journal [All stories →]() Insider Edit 7 min ### [The Sorrento Solstice Festival: A Night When the Peninsula Burns]() 15 June 2026 The longest night of the year deserves a proper send-off. Two days on the Sorrento foreshore, a six-metre effigy on the bay, and the particular magic of a winter festival done right. Insider Edit 10 min ### [Best Golf Courses on the Mornington Peninsula - The Tier Guide]() 14 April 2026 Not all Peninsula golf is equally useful to readers. This guide separates the destination rounds from the club names, and the public-access standouts from the private mythology. 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