Canonical: https://peninsulainsider.com.au/journal/insider-picks-2026-09-30/ Publisher: Peninsula Insider Published: 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z Modified: 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z 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 30 September 2026 4 min read # Red Hill Brewery's hop garden, the spring wildflower window on Arthurs Seat, and Peninsula Hot Springs Sunday Sessions Red Hill Brewery pours from its own estate hop garden, Arthurs Seat's Seawinds Garden hits peak spring bloom, and Peninsula Hot Springs launches its Sunday Sessions series in Fingal. Keep this for later - By **The Peninsula Insider** Insider Picks Spring Photo · Peter Tarasiuk, courtesy of Visit Victoria ## EAT · Red Hill Brewery, Red Hill South Red Hill Brewery grows its own hops on the hillside behind the shed. That is not a detail - it is the whole point of coming here in spring, when the bines are climbing and the fresh-hop beers are back on rotation. The Belgian-style ales are the house signature, and the tasting paddle is the right way to start. Order it before committing to a full pint: the wit and the saison read differently side by side than they do in isolation. The wood-fired pizza barn runs through the weekend. Seating is relaxed and the setting - low farmhouse buildings, hop trellises, Red Hill bush - does not try too hard. Allow ninety minutes minimum. Walk the hop garden before you sit down; someone at the bar will point you in the right direction. No bookings required for drop-in tasting, but the pizza kitchen can fill up on a warm Saturday afternoon. Pair this with a stop at Green Olive at Red Hill on the way through for the Peninsula’s best deli run before you head home. **88 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South · Fri–Sun from 11am · redhillbrewery.com.au** ## EXPERIENCE · Seawinds Garden, Arthurs Seat Seawinds Garden at the top of Arthurs Seat State Park is at its clearest argument for a visit right now. The formal gardens planted across the summit are in full spring flower - salvias, rhododendrons, and heritage roses opening in sequence through October. The garden sits at 305 metres with views across Port Phillip Bay on one side and Western Port on the other. Both bays visible at once from a single spot is a thing you do not forget. Come on a clear morning, before the haze builds. The surrounding state park trails are also properly good in spring - wattlebirds and rosellas are loud and obvious in the banksia scrub below the summit car park. Budget an hour for the garden alone, more if you want to walk down through the state park trails to Seawinds Road and back. No booking required. Free entry. Parking off Arthurs Seat Road, Arthurs Seat. Pair this with a tasting paddle at Red Hill Brewery on the way back through the ridge. **Arthurs Seat State Park, Arthurs Seat Road, Arthurs Seat · Open daily, daylight hours · Free entry** ## DISCOVERY · Sunday Sessions at Peninsula Hot Springs, Fingal Peninsula Hot Springs launched its Sunday Sessions series in September and it runs through to late December. This is a new weekly format - live music poolside from midday to 3pm, while you work through the bathhouse circuit or park yourself in the thermal pool with a view of the Fingal hills. The combination of warm mineral water and live music on a spring Sunday is not a complicated sell. What lifts it above the usual spa-day format is the outdoor bathhouse setting: multiple pools at different temperatures, the hilltop pool at the top of the property with a wide sky view, and the calendar running consistently every Sunday until 20 December. This is not a one-off event you can miss and catch later - it is a series, and the spring weeks before the summer crowds arrive are the right time. Bookings are essential and the website notes sessions fill early. Book at peninsulahotsprings.com/events/sunday-sessions-at-the-springs. The Springs is at 140 Springs Lane, Fingal. Allow three to four hours. Pair this with an early lunch at the Red Hill Brewery pizza barn beforehand - the drive from Red Hill to Fingal takes under twenty minutes. **140 Springs Lane, Fingal · Sundays 12pm–3pm, to 20 December 2026 · Bookings essential: peninsulahotsprings.com** ### This week at a glance | Venue | Address | When | Book | **EAT** | Red Hill Brewery | 88 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South | Fri–Sun from 11am | Walk-in, pizza kitchen may fill | **EXPERIENCE** | Seawinds Garden, Arthurs Seat | Arthurs Seat Road, Arthurs Seat | Daily, daylight hours | No booking, free entry | **DISCOVERY** | Peninsula Hot Springs – Sunday Sessions | 140 Springs Lane, Fingal | Sundays 12pm–3pm, to 20 Dec 2026 | Bookings essential | 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 When is Red Hill Brewery open and where is it? Red Hill Brewery is at 88 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South. Open Friday to Sunday from 11am. Check redhillbrewery.com.au for current hours and any seasonal changes. How do I book Sunday Sessions at Peninsula Hot Springs? Peninsula Hot Springs is at 140 Springs Lane, Fingal. Sunday Sessions run 12pm–3pm. Bookings essential at peninsulahotsprings.com/events/sunday-sessions-at-the-springs - sessions fill early. Is Seawinds Garden at Arthurs Seat free to visit? Seawinds Garden is managed by Parks Victoria and free to enter. It sits at the top of Arthurs Seat State Park, off Arthurs Seat Road, Arthurs Seat. Open daily during daylight hours. 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. 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You need a glass in your hand for both versions, and these are the seven places that understand the assignment. ## The Insider Note The Peninsula worth knowing. An occasional email. What's on, where we'd go and what's worth knowing next. Independent editorial. Sent when there is something worth knowing. Unsubscribe any time [Privacy]()