Sitting quietly at the south-western end of Port Phillip Bay and opposite the Mornington Peninsula sits the Bellarine Peninsula. Like the Mornington Peninsula, the Bellarine Peninsula is known for its beautiful beaches, fabulous ocean views, historic towns, lighthouses and wonderful gourmet and wine trails. It is an easy Melbourne day trip or wonderful weekend escape. And one of the best ways to discover the ‘Bellarine’ as it’s called, is to take a drive around the Bellarine Peninsula.
Yes, no matter if you are visiting the Bellarine Peninsula as a solo traveller, as a couple on a romantic weekend getaway, with friends for a fun time or with your family, there is plenty to see and do on the Bellarine Peninsula. Read on to find out some of the best things to see and do on the Bellarine Peninsula. No matter who you are with, and no matter the season you visit, there is always something to see and do. So come with me as I take a drive around the Bellarine Peninsula.
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What and Where is the Bellarine Peninsula?
The Bellarine Peninsula is a local government area south-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. And not too far from Geelong. You could say Geelong is the gateway to the Bellarine Peninsula. Its sides are surrounded by water – Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait. Check out the location map.
map showing Bellarine Peninsula location is in relation to Melbourne
How to Get to the Bellarine Peninsula
If you are heading to the Bellarine Peninsula you have two options to get there for this Bellarine Peninsula road trip.
Drive to the Bellarine Peninsula
As this is a road trip around the Bellarine Peninsula you will need a car. If you don’t have one, I rent my cars through DiscoverCars as I can compare vehicles and their rates.
The best way to get to the Bellarine Peninsula is to drive. It is linked to Melbourne by the Princess Freeway (M1). This will take you to Geelong and then you follow the Bellarine Highway or the Portarlington-Geelong Road.
Go by Ferry to the Bellarine Peninsula
The Bellarine Peninsula is linked to the Mornington Peninsula by a passenger ferry which you can take your car on. The ferry links Sorrento, Mornington Peninsula to Queenscliff, Bellarine Peninsula with an hourly service operating from 7am to 6pm. Check out Searoad Ferries for details.
Take Public Transport to the Bellarine Peninsula
Public transport around the Bellarine Peninsula is limited. After catching a train to Geelong, there is a bus service but is not overly regular. This will make it difficult to see everything on the Bellarine Peninsula in one day. Which is why you will need a car. Get details at Public Transport Victoria.
Best Time to Visit the Bellarine Peninsula
If you are wondering ‘when is the best time to visit the Bellarine Peninsula’ well, the answer to this is anytime! Your visit can be influenced by a number of factors such as visiting for certain events but if you just want a day or weekend escape the weather may influence your decision. The summer months of December, January and February sees visitors to the Bellarine swell as they come to enjoy the beaches and the outdoor activities you can do. If you don’t like the crowds, visit the Bellarine in the other seasons. Having grown up at a beach in the Sutherland Shire I love the ‘wildness’ of the beach during winter. Being wrapped up warm and walking along the beach or sitting in a cafe is something I enjoy. So don’t discount visiting the Bellarine Peninsula is the colder months as there are indoor activities you can do. Visit the museums. Take a walk around the National Surfing Museum in Torquay. Enjoy the waterfront in nearby Geelong. So is there a best time to road trip around the Bellarine Peninsula? The best time is when it suits you!
Where to Stay on the Bellarine Peninsula
The Bellarine Peninsula is an easy day trip from Melbourne, however, if you want to stay longer, good news is, there is plenty of accommodation available. Yes, accommodation ranges from motel rooms to renting a house to house sitting with everything else in between. To find something that will suit your budget check out accommodation options on the Bellarine Peninsula at Booking.com.
Best Things to See and Do on this Bellarine Peninsula Road Trip
Get ready to discover the best of things to see and do on the Bellarine Peninsula during this road trip. No matter whether you want to kick back and relax or be active, you will be able to escape to the Bellarine Peninsula however you like. Here is my favourite things to do on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Which way to Travel around Bellarine Peninsula?
It is almost like driving a loop around the Bellarine Peninsula. You could:
- Follow the Geelong-Portarlington Road through Bellarine (the suburb) to Portarlington and drive along The Esplanade. Then turn on to the Portarlington-Queenscliff Road to Queensclif and Point Lonsdale. Then take the Bellarine Highway back to Geelong.
- Follow the Bellarine Highway to Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff. After visiting these two towns take Portarlington-Queenslciff Road turning onto The Esplanade through to Portarlington. Then drive the Geelong-Portarlington Road taking you through Bellarine, Drysdale and Curlew then onto Geelong. This is the way I drove around the Bellarine Peninsula so the places to visit follow this driving route.
- If you arrive on the Bellarine Peninsula on the ferry from Sorrento you will arrive in Queenscliff and you can go either way.
Geelong to Point Lonsdale
The Bellarine Highway links Geelong directly to Point Lonsdale. The highway is flat with two lanes either way making it an easy, and sometimes boring drive as there is not much to see apart from the occasional strip of shops, fast food joints and farming land. But once you get to Point Lonsdale, you are in another world.
Things to see and do in Point Lonsdale.
- Visit the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse and head to Rip View Lookout to watch the turbulent water race through the heads of Port Phillip Bay. See for yourself why the rip at the heads is so dangerous for boats entering and leaving Port Phillip Bay. Point Lonsdale Lighthouse tours are conducted every Sunday by volunteers from the Queenscliff Maritime Museum. Bookings essential.
- Walk to the end of the Point Lonsdale Pier for great views back over the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. It also takes you closer to the Mornington Peninsula.
- Check out the pretty little Point Lonsdale village with shops and cafes directly opposite the beach.
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse from the beach
Point Lonsdale to Queenscliff
Next on my drive around the Bellarine Peninsula I took the road to Queenscliff. If you arrived here on the ferry, you may want to go to Point Lonsdale to start your Bellarine Peninsula road trip before following the rest of my drive.
Things to See and Do in Queenscliff
- Visit the Fort Queenscliff. This fort dates from 1860 when an open battery was constructed on Shortland’s Bluff to defend the entrance to Port Phillip.
- See the Queenscliff High Lighthouse, often called the Black Lighthouse. The Black Lighthouse is the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. It was built in 1862 in an effort to protect ships from thieves during the Australian Gold Rush.
- The main thoroughfare of Queenscliff town is found one street back from the water. There are many heritage buildings to check out. Plus there are cafes and restaurants to grab a bite to eat. I visited the Queenscliff bakery and had a pie and a Nenish Tart.
- Visit the Pier where the ferry leaves from and arrives at. There is a viewing tower providing great views of the area.
- Discover maritime history at the Queenscliff Maritime Museum.
- Walk around the marine checking out the moored boats. I discovered one of the boats was converted to a fish and chip shop. Plus there are plenty of restaurants and cafes here to enjoy a meal while sitting by the water.
Fort and the Black Lighthouse on Shetland’s Bluff
Check out Queenscliff main street with its heritage buildings
see Queenscliff – Sorrento Ferry from the Lookout
Queenscliff to Portarlington
The drive from Queenscliff to Portarlington is very scenic. The Esplanade hugs the coastline and provides great views to Bass Strait, Port Phillip Heads and Bay. On one side are massive beach houses and the other, the waters of the bay lapping grassy and sandy areas. Sometimes you can see Melbourne city in the distance.
Portarlington has a great wharf which you can walk out on. In fact, you could take a cruise and learn about mussel production in Port Phillip Bay. Portarlington is widely recognised for being the ‘Mussel Capital of Victoria’. This is due to the thriving mussel farming industry in Port Phillip Bay, with the town harvesting a significant portion of Australia’s mussel supply. If you don’t want to go on a cruise you could sit in the park, with some fish and chips, or fresh mussels and enjoy the water views. There is also some fabulous play equipment in the park so if you are driving around the Bellarine Peninsula with kids, they could burn off some energy in the park.
on clear days you can see the Melbourne CBD skyline from Portarlington
Portarlington to Bellarine
Even though I loved Point Lonsdale, was surprised how big Queenscliff is and enjoyed the views of Melbourne from Portarlington, the best part of this Bellarine Peninsula drive for me was this last leg. On leaving Portarlington you drive through lots of flat farming land on your way back to Geelong. And this area is home to some of the best wineries on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Bellarine was of particular interest to me for its wineries. One winery, Scotchmans Hill is the oldest winery on the Bellarine, being established in 1982. It is also the largest winery producing premium, cool maritime climate wines. And as it was late afternoon as I was driving through Bellarine, and had missed lunch, I decided to pop in for an afternoon glass of Riesling. And couldn’t resist purchasing a few bottles for later.
Other notable wineries include Jack Rabbit, Bellarine Estate and Terindah Estate to name a few. Prefer whiskey? Check out the Bellarine Distillery / The Whiskery.
This is the last stop on this drive around the Bellarine, homeward bound now.
have a glass or two of cold climate wine at Scotchman’s Hill Winery
Are You Ready to Drive around the Bellarine Peninsula?
I hope my guide has inspired you to take a day trip or longer road trip around the Bellarine Peninsula. Sitting quietly on the south-west head to Port Phillip Bay, it is smaller and flatter than the Mornington Peninsula opposite, but just as interesting and wonderful. Have you been to the Bellarine Peninsula? I’d love to hear.
Driving around the Bellarine is a great prelude to visiting other beach towns in the area like Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and Torquay. You could visit them before driving the Great Ocean Road or beyond like the Great Southern Touring Route or other road trips. Or perhaps include it in your big lap of Australia.
The Bellarine Pensinula sounds like a fun day trip from Melbourne. Would this be a good area to bike around too?
I’m sure The Bellarine Peninsula would be a good place to ride. The roads are wide and flat and easy to ride.
Great details? That lighthouse is the only one in the entire Southern Hemisphere? Did I read that right?
There are plenty of lighthouses in the Southern Hemisphere, but there is only one black lighthouse.
The Bellarine Peninsula road trip sounds like an incredible way to experience the region’s diverse offerings! I’m particularly drawn to the mention of the charming coastal towns and the promise of stunning ocean views, especially at the lighthouse!
I loved the charming coastal towns, so unique and showed the lifestyle of the area. And there are many stunning ocean views so no, you will not be disappointed.
Love this! I did Great Ocean Road almost 15 years ago and it was amazing. Would love to do ALL of this!
It was 10 years since I had driven the Great Ocean Road, and when I drove it recently, not much had changed, though this time the weather was a lot better and the sky was bluer, rather than the grey skies previously. No matter the weather, it is spectacular all the same!
I’ve been to melbourne several times but never to the Bellarine peninsula! Looks lovely, would definitely want to visit next time:)
I’ve lived in Melbourne for some 25 years and have only been to the Bellarine Peninsula maybe 3 or 4 times. It is a gorgeous area and I see, every time I go, why people to decide to leave Melbourne and move there.