EAT & DRINK - Red Hill Brewery, Red Hill South
Red Hill Brewery grows its own hops on the property, and right now the bines are beginning their spring climb up the trellis wires - this is the most photogenic the farm-to-glass story gets all year.
The brewery at 88 Shoreham Road is the oldest serious craft operation on the Peninsula and still one of the few in Victoria with an estate hop garden feeding directly into production. The Belgian-style ales are the house strength: the abbey ale and the wit are consistently well-made, the wit especially sharp in early spring when you want something lighter than a stout but more interesting than a lager. The wood-fired pizza barn is back running weekends, and the lawn tables face the hop garden directly. Order the tasting paddle before committing to a pint - the seasonal and limited releases rotate without much fanfare and are worth finding.
Open Thursday to Sunday from 11am. No bookings needed for walk-in lawn seating, but the pizza barn fills by noon on fine Saturdays. Allow two hours. Check redhillbrewery.com.au for current seasonal releases.
The Green Olive at Red Hill is a ten-minute drive and a reasonable lunch extension if the brewery kitchen is full.
WALK - Baldry’s Creek Track, Arthurs Seat State Park
The Baldry’s Creek Track does not have the dramatic lookout payoff of the Arthur’s Seat summit trail, and that is exactly why the orchids here survive. Fewer boots, denser understorey, and a creek line that holds moisture long after the surrounding hillside dries out.
Early September is the reliable window for spider orchids and sun orchids along the lower section of the track, roughly from the Seawinds Gardens carpark heading south-west toward the creek crossing. The wattle has mostly finished by now - what remains is the transition to the orchid flush, and it is subtle enough that you will miss it if you are walking at phone pace. Move slowly along the left-hand bank past the second creek crossing. The spider orchids, Caladenia species, appear in the leaf litter in clusters of three or four. The sun orchids, Thelymitra, open only in direct sunlight between about 10am and 1pm. Time accordingly.
Park at the Seawinds Gardens carpark on Purves Road, Dromana. Allow 90 minutes for the full loop. No entry fee, no booking. Wear shoes with grip - the creek crossing can be slippery in early spring.
Pair a post-walk coffee with a stop at Small Stone Pantry in Dromana on the way back down the hill.
DISCOVERY - Hill & Ridge Community Market (Season Restart), Red Hill
The Hill & Ridge Market is not the Red Hill Market. That distinction matters. Red Hill Market on the first Saturday of the month draws two hundred-plus stalls and a car park queue that starts before eight. Hill & Ridge, also at Red Hill Recreation Reserve, runs on the first Saturday of a smaller monthly schedule and operates at a pace that makes it possible to actually talk to the producers.
Today is the spring restart after the winter break, which means stallholders who have been sitting on new-season produce - Peninsula eggs, cold-climate greens, early apple varieties, handmade ceramics from a handful of makers who don’t sell anywhere else - are showing up with the best of what they have been waiting to move. The food stall section near the eastern end of the reserve consistently has the strongest coffee and a Taiwanese street-food vendor whose pork bao has been the most-discussed item at this market for two seasons running. Go before noon; the produce stalls start packing down early.
Red Hill Recreation Reserve, Red Hill. Today only, 9am to 2pm. Entry is free. Check hillandridgemarket.com.au for the October date.
Pair the market with a drive up to Red Hill Brewery afterward - both sit within five minutes of each other on the ridge.
Quick Reference
Red Hill Brewery 88 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South Thu–Sun from 11am | redhillbrewery.com.au | No booking needed for lawn; pizza barn fills fast
Baldry’s Creek Track, Arthurs Seat State Park Seawinds Gardens carpark, Purves Road, Dromana Allow 90 min | Free | Best orchid viewing 10am–1pm in direct sun | No booking
Hill & Ridge Community Market Red Hill Recreation Reserve, Red Hill Today: 9am–2pm | Free entry | hillandridgemarket.com.au
Questions readers actually ask
FAQ
When does Red Hill Brewery open its outdoor area for spring?
Red Hill Brewery at 88 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South is open Thursday to Sunday from 11am. The hop garden lawn reopens for spring seating - check redhillbrewery.com.au for current hours before visiting.
Where is the Hill & Ridge Community Market and when does it run?
Hill & Ridge Community Market is at Red Hill Recreation Reserve, Red Hill. It runs today, Saturday 5 September 2026, from 9am to 2pm. Entry is free. Check hillandridgemarket.com.au for future dates.
Where is the Baldry's Creek Track and what is the best time to walk it in spring?
The Baldry's Creek Track runs through Arthurs Seat State Park near Dromana. Early to mid-September is the window for spider orchids and sun orchids. Park at the Seawinds Gardens carpark on Purves Road and allow 90 minutes for the full loop.