The Mornington Peninsula, east of Melbourne, is all about simple seaside sojourns. Kids jump from jetties, families boat on the bay and surfers hit the back beaches. The retro drive-in at Dromana shows multiple films a night and there are casual diners, cafes and restaurants all along the main roads. Families can find a patch of sand on the foreshore and enjoy the calm waters, bushwalkers adore the 30km Coast Walk from Cape Schank to London Bridge, while pleasure seekers alternate between the two thermal hot springs destinations (Alba and Peninsula Hot Springs) and winery visits.

Here are some of the area's highlights worth making time for:

1. Best views

On a fine day the Arthurs Seat Eagle gondola allows sweeping views of the Mornington Peninsula’s 722sq km of beachy, bushy natural entertainment that starts at Mount Eliza and stretches all the way to Point Nepean National Park. On the way, check out the nearby Arthurs Seat National Park for walking tracks and picnic spots.

2. Best cellar door dining

Family-owned boutique winery Avani Wines has a new permanent restaurant at its Red Hill South cellar door. The Cellar Kitchen serves Indian-inspired share-style snacks and meals all year long. Try the buffalo paneer salad or the chicken tikka skewers and see how Indian food pairs with your wine flight. Don’t miss Devenderji’s Lucknowi delicious lamb shoulder.

3. Best yoga

On the old helipad inside Sorrento Park, yoga teacher Baxter will lead classes from 8am-9am daily from Boxing Day until the end of January. The class is for yogis at all stages of their yoga journey, from beginners to experienced. An institution for locals and Peninsula holiday-makers, this stretching session is a great way to start the day.

4. Best restaurant

Nestled among the tranquil landscape of Mornington Flinders Road, you’ll find Red Hill Estate, a Tuscan-inspired Italian farmhouse-stye venue that blends old-world charm with modern elegance. Feast on traditional Italian pasta, risotto, gourmet pizzas topped with fresh cherry tomatoes, salami, vegetables and herbs, affogato for dessert and, of course, a bottle of wine. The restaurant has gluten-free alternatives.

5. Best vodka

The only dedicated vodka distillery on the Mornington Peninsula, Penni Ave in Rye uses fermented local grain in the on-site copper still. Taste test the flavoured range in a flight or order an innovative cocktail. The spirit is infused with native ingredients like strawberry gum and lilly pilly, wattleseed and burnt honey, and sea celery and saltbush.

6. Best sleep

The award-winning Peninsula Hot Springs’ has new eco lodges that have been designed as a sanctuary for sleep and restoration. The luxurious accommodation is inspired by a return to rest focus. Comprised of three lodges featuring 10 rooms, each enriched by the surrounding coastal environment, the lodges provide a beautiful space to connect, rejuvenate and sleep, with the hot springs on the doorstep.

7. Best local favourite

From January 3-19, Mornington Peninsula’s Portsea Hotel gets even better, with a Japanese dining pop-up, a refined six-course menu by chef-in-residence Yukio Ozecki (Terasu) with sushi and nigiri, saké-infused cocktails, wagyu, and sensational views across Port Phillip Bay ($150 a person).

8. Best creative pursuit

Explore local fragrances when you take a candle-making workshop in the Scent Library at Red Hill Candle Co. Learn how to mix and match your favourite scents, from sweet and fruity to fresh, earthy or herbal.

9. Best market

The Red Hill Community Market has moved to Seawinds Gardens in Arthurs Seat. The tradition continues with quality, handmade, and Australian-designed products and gourmet food. For dates, check the website.

How to get to the Mornington Peninsula

The Mornington Peninsula is just over an hour’s drive east of Melbourne.

Tour operator Hop It runs the Mornington Peninsula “hop-on, hop-off” service so people can enjoy a winery day out every Saturday and Sunday, without driving. Depart Melbourne at 9.45am, Frankston at 10.30am or Mornington at 10.45am and indulge in cool-climate chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz.

If you’re on the Geelong side of Port Phillip Bay, the Searoad ferry operates a vehicle/passenger ferry between Sorrento and Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula.

See also: 

6 ways to relax on the Mornington Peninsula

11 best new bathhouses in Australia

5 best Mornington Peninsula wineries