Jackalope in spring, Cape Woolamai from the ridge, and live wrestling for a good cause

Doot Doot Doot at Jackalope Hotel, Merricks North

Spring is when the Jackalope vineyard earns its setting. The vines are breaking bud, the surrounding Merricks North hills are green, and Doot Doot Doot’s kitchen is running a menu that fits the season - lighter preparations, sharper acid, produce that finally has weather on its side. The dining room itself is genuinely distinctive: all dark geometry and sculptural lighting in the middle of a working pinot vineyard. It does not feel like anywhere else on the Peninsula. The tasting menu format works better here than it does at most places of this type, because the wine pairings draw from the estate and its neighbours with a specific point of view rather than a generic list.

Book the tasting menu and let the kitchen drive. Reserve the room if you want the full stay - Doot Doot Doot is better without a drive home. Jackalope Hotel is at 166 Balnarring Road, Merricks North. Bookings essential via the hotel website.

Pair with a late-afternoon walk through the Merricks Creek reserve before dinner.

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Cape Woolamai Ridge Walk, Phillip Island

The pink granite Pinnacles at Cape Woolamai are at their most photogenic in October, when the coastal heath is flowering and the grass trees are sending up fresh spikes. The ridge walk from Woolamai Beach climbs fast to exposed granite outcrops with a long view north over Westernport and south to Bass Strait. The track itself is well-maintained but uneven in places - wear footwear with grip. On a clear October morning the light is direct by 9am and the wind off Bass Strait is still cool enough to make the climb comfortable.

Start from the Cape Woolamai Surf Life Saving Club car park on Woolamai Beach Road. Follow signs to the Pinnacles track; the full ridge circuit to the blowhole and back runs around two to three hours. Go before midday to have the light at your back on the return leg.

Pair with a coffee at the Churchill Island café before or after, or continue west to the Nobbies boardwalk if the afternoon holds.

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Dominion Wrestling × Big Group Hug at Commonfolk, Mornington - Friday 9 October

Live pro wrestling inside a specialty coffee roastery, staged as a charity fundraiser by Big Group Hug: that is the Friday night premise at Commonfolk in Mornington this week. Dominion Wrestling runs genuine theatrical bouts - ringwork, characters, crowd interaction - and the Commonfolk warehouse space is compact enough that there is no bad seat. This format works because the venue has an actual atmosphere rather than a hired-out function room, and the charitable angle means the crowd leans generous and loud from the start.

Doors and bar open before 7pm; bouts run 7pm–9pm. Book through Humanitix - link below in the footer - before the session sells out. Commonfolk is at 7 Breen Street, Mornington. Allow the full two hours; the card runs to schedule.

Pair with a post-bout drink at the bar, which stays open while stock lasts.

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This weekend at a glance

Doot Doot Doot at Jackalope Hotel 166 Balnarring Road, Merricks North Dinner nightly (check current service days). Bookings essential - reserve via jackalope.com.au.

Cape Woolamai Ridge Walk Start: Cape Woolamai Surf Life Saving Club car park, Woolamai Beach Road, Phillip Island 2–3 hours return. No booking required. Go before midday.

Dominion Wrestling × Big Group Hug at Commonfolk 7 Breen Street, Mornington Friday 9 October, 7pm–9pm. Tickets via Humanitix: events.humanitix.com/dominion-wrestling-x-big-group-hug-live-pro-wrestling-for-charity