Last month, Trent and I hopped in our little maroon Micra, left the hustle of Prahran and made our way down to the Mornington Peninsula. It was so nice to have a relaxing weekend of enjoying delicious food, wine, walking, talking and laughing. Our priority was to switch off and to enjoy every moment.

Here’s a little video I put together from our time away. It’s my first go at filming and editing so I’d love to know what you think? The quality isn’t the best since it was filmed on my iPhone 6. Looks like I’ll be investing in a small vlogging camera soon.

In this post, I share with your some of my favourite places in the Mornington Peninsula.

Red Hill

Although we stayed in an adorable little air bnb in Rye, we ventured to Red Hill several times each day. There are so many beautiful wineries in this area and the drive is a beautiful one with the sun casting shadows over the tree-lined roads.

My plant-based favourite: Polperro Winery

This was my favourite winery. The views, the vibe, the food… Ticked all the boxes for me. There were no vegan meals on the menu here, apart from the sides, though the staff were very accommodating. The chef put together a main of incredibly delicious black rice, roasted heirloom tomatoes and crispy kale chips. We also ordered the roast potatoes and a mix of snow peas, cashews and black beans cooked in soy sauce for our sides. If it’s nice weather, I recommend sitting out on the deck that overlooks the vines and lake. After dinner we moved over to the chairs on the hill and let our feet relax in the grass while soaking it all in.

Petite Tracteur

After several recommendations, we had originally planned to eat at Ten Minutes by Tractor but unfortunately they mixed up our booking and we ended up at their other restaurant instead, a French bistro, Petite Tracteur. The menu here features fresh produce from local farms and was incredibly delicious. They had no problem catering for my dietary requests, with a beautiful vegan ratatouille and at request served the sides without dairy and garlic. I’d also suggest a glass of 10x Tractor Pinot Noir.

Hummingbird Eco Retreat

Tucked away in the hills of Red Hill, the Hummingbird Eco Retreat has a beautiful little restaurant tucked away in the lush green woods. The meals are prepared with fresh veggies from their gardens and everything we tried was so full of flavor. The dessert sorbet platter was a stand out dish for me. Each of the three flavours, sour lemon, strawberry and apple, were incredible and I couldn’t recommend it enough. We were seated on the back porch looking out onto the birds flying around the trees as the sun was setting. A really beautiful night.

Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm

I’ve always wanted to go strawberry picking and we happened to stumble across this farm after one of our lunches. There is something so satisfying about picking your own punnet of plump red strawberries.

Montalto & the Olive Grove

Sip wine in the garden by the sunflowers and enjoy a meal with veggies and herbs picked fresh from the garden. The olive oil is extra delicious and I even grabbed a bottle to take home with me.

Rye

Picknic Café

Great Commonfolk coffee – I had my morning coffees here. and a gorgeous little store with products and fresh produce from local businesses. I left with a bottle of Farmhouse tomato sauce from Red Hill Kitchen, which I’m very excited about.

Mount Martha

The Pillars

This spot is so picturesque and has the feeling of seclusion although it’s not far from a busy road. I’d love to come back early morning for a swim before there are too many people around. The water is so clear and blue. Not for the faint hearted or unsteady-footed though, it looks a little tricky to get down onto the cliffs and into the water.

Fingal

Peninsula Hot springs

An absolute must when in this area. With a white robe on and your feet in the soothing warm water, all of the stress from everyday life soon melts away. My personal favourite pool was the hydrojet spa. The jets massage your back and calves while you look out over the lake.

I want to hear from you: Comment below

I’ll definitely be heading back to this beautiful spot in Victoria and I’d love to hear what places you love in the Mornington Peninsula?

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