Peninsula This Weekend - 18 to 19 July
July sits in the quieter stretch of Peninsula winter, and that is the point. The lead booking is a truffle hunt at Red Hill. Sunday is for the sculpture park at Pt. Leo.
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Peninsula This Weekend is our weekly dispatch: the plan we’d actually make for the weekend ahead, the booking worth locking in, and the bit of weekend thinking we’d happily do for you.
July sits in the quieter stretch of Peninsula winter, and that is the point. The reward for coming down on a cold weekend is the version of the Peninsula that runs at a different pace. There is less traffic, more room at the table, and the seasonal things that only happen now.
This weekend, the lead booking is a truffle hunt at Red Hill. Sunday is for the sculpture park at Pt. Leo, which asks nothing of you except a coat and a couple of hours.
The booking worth locking in
Red Hill Truffles: Winter Truffle Hunt Season
Peak Périgord black truffle season runs through July, and Main Ridge is where to spend it. The guided hunt-plus-lunch at Red Hill Estate puts you in the grove with a trained dog, and at a table afterwards. It is the most considered way to spend a cold Peninsula morning.
The hunt and the meal are booked together; check what sessions are running before you reserve. Périgord black truffles are at their peak right now, with the season running through late August, but Saturday spots do fill.
The Sunday move
Pt. Leo Estate Sculpture Park
Sixteen and a half acres, more than sixty contemporary works, two walking loops through a working Merricks winery. Open daily from 11am to 5pm, no booking required.
Come mid-morning and walk the outer loop first to get your bearings, then slow down for the inner. The sculpture park earns its reputation on the Peninsula; it is the kind of place that rewards a slow pace rather than a ticked list.
If the weather changes
MPRG Winter Program
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery has opened its winter season, with Helen Britton and Natalia Milosz-Piekarska among the new exhibitions. Confirm current hours and what is on before you go.
The gallery is in central Mornington, which means good coffee is close. A grey Saturday morning here is a reasonable plan in its own right. The winter program runs through July and beyond.
The quieter alternative
Flinders Truffles: Winter Truffle Hunt Season
Flinders Truffles runs farmgate days without a booking, and the draw is truffle soup and a toastie by the fire. A lower-key version of the seasonal ritual, on the southern end of the Peninsula near the coast. Check their schedule before heading out, as farmgate days can vary.
Weekend shape
Lock in the Red Hill truffle hunt for Saturday morning; the lunch at the restaurant completes it. If you want a Saturday afternoon move, Pt. Leo Estate is about forty minutes south. Sunday, head to Pt. Leo from 11am, walk both loops, and eat at the winery before heading home. If the weekend turns grey from the start, swap Saturday to MPRG in Mornington. Flinders Truffles needs no booking, so it works as a Sunday morning add-on for anyone staying south.
Red Hill Truffles: Winter Truffle Hunt Season
Saturday 18 or Sunday 19 July · Main Ridge Booking required: redhilltruffles.com/hunts
Pt. Leo Estate Sculpture Park
Open daily 11am–5pm · Merricks No booking required: ptleoestate.com.au/experience/sculpture-park
MPRG Winter Program
Tue–Sun 11am–4pm · Dunns Road, Mornington Free entry · No booking required
Flinders Truffles: Winter Truffle Hunt Season
Farmgate days through the season · Flinders No booking required · Check dates: flinderstruffles.com.au/events/
Prices may change. Confirm current rates directly with each operator before booking.
Questions readers actually ask
FAQ
What is the best thing to do on the Mornington Peninsula this weekend, 18–19 July?
The lead booking is a guided truffle hunt at Red Hill Truffles in Main Ridge - peak Périgord black truffle season, with a guided hunt and lunch option. Saturday spots fill, so book via redhilltruffles.com before heading down. Sunday, the Pt. Leo Estate Sculpture Park in Merricks is open daily from 11am with no booking required: sixty-plus contemporary works across sixteen acres of a working winery.
What should you do on Sunday 19 July on the Mornington Peninsula?
The Pt. Leo Estate Sculpture Park in Merricks is the Sunday move - open daily from 11am to 5pm, no booking required. Two walking loops through a working winery with more than sixty contemporary works. Come mid-morning and take your time; the sculpture park rewards a slow pace.
What is the best rainy-day plan on the Peninsula this weekend?
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery has opened its winter program, with Helen Britton and Natalia Milosz-Piekarska among the new exhibitions. Free entry, no booking required, and central Mornington means good coffee is close. A grey morning here is a reasonable plan in its own right.