Insider Picks: 10 August 2026

EAT - The Bay Hotel Mornington, Mornington

The old vault at The Bay Hotel is the most persuasive argument for a mid-winter group dinner on the Peninsula. Converted from the original bank strongroom, it is a private dining room with thick limestone walls, zero natural light, and exactly the atmosphere you want when the wind is coming off the bay. The gastropub kitchen builds its menu around Peninsula producers week to week, so ask what’s running when you book rather than assuming a fixed list. The vault seats a group properly and the team will build a food and wine sequence around what’s on the produce list - this is the booking to make for an occasion that actually warrants the occasion. The heritage-listed building is on Mornington’s Esplanade, walking distance from the waterfront. Book well ahead; the vault does not hold many covers.

Pair it with a walk along Mornington’s Schnapper Point jetty before dinner while the light drops.

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EXPERIENCE - Red Hill Brewery Secret Stash Weekend, Red Hill South

Red Hill Brewery opens the cellar on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August to release beers that don’t normally leave the brewery. The Secret Stash Weekend runs 11am to 6pm both days, and the draw is access to limited batches - past years have surfaced barrel-aged darks and experimental hop-forward ales that never made it into regular production. The Shoreham Road site sits in the middle of the Red Hill wine country, surrounded by the kind of winter paddock quiet that makes a tasting paddle feel like a considered afternoon rather than a stop on a list. Go Saturday if you want first pick of what’s available; Sunday tends to be slightly more relaxed for pace. Tickets are paid - check the website for availability and book before Friday. Bookings at redhillbrewery.com.au.

Pair it with lunch at Lindenderry’s terrace restaurant at Red Hill, a ten-minute drive away.

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DISCOVERY - The Heritage, Balnarring

The Heritage is Balnarring’s village pub, set in a 1930s heritage home on a two-acre block in the middle of the village. In August that means the original open fires, a Sunday roast served through winter until it sells out, and a pub favourites list that runs to a chicken parma or schnitzel and pub-style fish and chips alongside a changing specials board. The big beer garden is not the point in winter; the fire is. Balnarring village is fifteen minutes from the freeway on the Red Hill side, which makes this an easy add to a Saturday that includes a cellar door or two. It opens Wednesday to Sunday from 11:30am and is closed Monday and Tuesday. Call 03 5983 2597 to book a table. 3059 Frankston-Flinders Road, Balnarring.

Pair it with a late-afternoon visit to Elan Vineyard & Gallery, five minutes up the road.

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This weekend at a glance

The Bay Hotel Mornington - 770 Esplanade, Mornington. Book the vault for groups; bookings essential.

Red Hill Brewery Secret Stash Weekend - 88 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South. Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August, 11am–6pm. Book at redhillbrewery.com.au.

The Heritage - 3059 Frankston-Flinders Road, Balnarring. Open fires, winter Sunday roast. Wednesday to Sunday from 11:30am; call 03 5983 2597 to book.

Corrected 13 September 2026: this edition first named the pub as the Balnarring Pub at 2 Coolart Road, described counter meals and walk-in lunches, and did not give its opening days. The pub is The Heritage at 3059 Frankston-Flinders Road, which asks guests to call to book and is closed Monday and Tuesday.