Guy Wilkinson saddles up for a look at the Mornington Peninsula on offbeat tours.
Just an hour's drive south of Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula combines more than 50 cellar doors, spectacular beaches and national parks, laid-back seaside villages and a staggering concentration of hatted restaurants to create the dream getaway. But if time is an issue, how do you experience it all? With several tour operators showcasing a variety of the region's attributes, a combination is a good place to start.
HORSEBACK WINERY EXPERIENCE
Like Matt Preston and salad, alcohol and horse riding might sound like an unlikely combination, but as long as the emphasis is on tasting, you don't need to be an experienced rider to avoid a spectacular face-to-dust dismount.
As if to confirm, when I arrive at Main Ridge paddock, owner Alisha Griffiths is busy pairing off horses with the least likely looking group of riders I have seen. "You'll be riding Wonderboy," she says to a bloke in a shiny leather jacket and Aviators. Beside him, his girlfriend sports tight turquoise jeans and jewel-encrusted sunglasses.
Our three-hour half-day tour (full-day tours are also an option) takes in picturesque trails around Main Ridge and Red Hill, stopping at Green Olive and T'Gallant, which are two very different wineries. Sitting on a 10.9-hectare farm, Green Olive is all about home-made gourmet produce. The meat is butchered on site, there's a homely, rustic farm feel and produce can be bought from the on-site restaurant-turned-cellar door and shop.
T'Gallant, meanwhile, has a more upmarket, corporate feel, with a cellar door in a swanky barn and adjacent bar and restaurant. The focus is on European-style wines with an Australian twist.
Although the trails lack the real wilderness bent, there are opportunities to canter and my trusty Clydesdale stock horse Bella never causes me concern.
Dependent on conditions and riders' abilities, the itinerary also varies to include wineries such as Tucks Ridge, Red Hill Estate, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Mantons Creek, and more. The tour is also shadowed by a van to make short work of transporting wine back to base.
Half-day tours depart 10am or 2pm from $140 a person; full day 10.30am-4.30pm from $230 a person including lunch at Noel's Gallery. (03) 5989 6119, horsebackwinerytours.com.au.
SELF-GUIDED BIKE RIDE/AUDIO TOUR, POINT NEPEAN NATIONAL PARK
I've often been sceptical of self-guided tours, somehow they felt a bit like a cop-out, but a few minutes into this excursion, I was converted.
First, the 560-hectare park is stunning. It also teems with wildlife and history. A quarantine station was erected here in 1852 after the diseased ship the Ticonderoga first anchored and, whether or not you're a history buff, the audio tour offers a fascinating insight into how people of different classes were treated in the aftermath of the fated voyage. Each bite-size anecdote is brought to life while cycling around the heritage-listed buildings.
Heading deeper into the park, a mix of paved and sandy woodland trails lead past an old gunners cottage towards Fort Nepean on the tip of the peninsula. Deserted beaches, scorched gumtrees and mind-blowing panoramic views flank the ride overlooking Bass Strait and Port Phillip Bay.
At the fort, there's a network of tunnels and abandoned gun emplacements to explore - and it was here the first Australian shots were fired during the world wars. From this vantage point, views across hundreds of kilometres of rugged coastline are only enhanced by the independent nature of this outing; you can explore at your own pace and revisit any audio chapters of particular interest.
Bayplay adventure specialists offer bike hire from $20 for two hours, with iPods to rent at $11. 3755 Point Nepean Road, Portsea (03) 5984 0888, bayplay.com.au.
If you have an iPhone or iPod, the audio tour is free to download from the Parks Victoria website, parkweb.vic.gov.au.
MP EXPERIENCE: HIDDEN GEMS TOUR
Established by brother-and-sister team Max Paganoni and Danielle Field, MP Experience offers small groups a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the area's boutique businesses.
"We offer a local experience," Field says. "Everyone on the peninsula is doing what they do because they are passionate. There are a lot of small and family-run businesses and they're keen to share their knowledge and enthusiasm."
We stop at Main Ridge Dairy, where owners Damien and Bess Noxon have set up the only large commercial dairy on the peninsula. The emphasis is on producing high-quality cheese (they supply many of the top-hatted restaurants in the area), with 400 goats on premises.
Nearby, Ocean Eight is a boutique winery run by Mike Aylward, who two years ago won Young Gun Winemaker of the Year. He specialises in high-quality pinot grigio, chardonnay and pinot noir. We wind up at Flinders Chocolate, a family-run business established by Isilda Caldwell and Milton Laycock, a couple inspired to become master chocolatiers after seeing the movie Chocolat in 2000.
While the tour isn't necessarily off the beaten track, meeting local producers lends an added dimension to a visit.
Private tours are available daily. Pick-ups can be arranged from Melbourne city and airport. Tours from $185 a person, 0410 596 637, mpexperience.com.au.
The writer was a guest of Mornington Peninsula Tourism.
STAND-UP PADDLE BOARDING
As an active alternative, explore the regions around Sorrento, Port Phillip, Western Port Bay or Mount Martha from the water. You may spot dolphins, fur seals and stingrays. 0448 563 339, www.psups.com.au
GHOST TOUR OFSORRENTO
A spooky, historical tour that's especially a hit with kids. Operates on the first Saturday of each month. From $25a person. 0409 844 768, sorrentoghosttours.com.au
TREE SURFING AT ENCHANTED MAZE
A new high-ropes adventure with 50 aerial obstacles spanning five levels of difficulty. Open 10am-6pm, entry $19. 55 Purves Road, Arthurs Seat. (03) 5981 8449
CAPE SCHANCK LIGHTHOUSE
Visit one of the only lighthouses in Australia with original workings still in place. End of Cape Schanck Road, Cape Schanck. 1300 885 259, capeschancklighthouse.com.au.
GETTING THERE
Qantas flies direct from Sydney to Melbourne from $130, one way. 131313, qantas.com.au.
STAYING THERE
Max's Retreat at Red Hill Estate, 53 Shoreham Road, is a self-contained boutique farmhouse overlooking the vines to Westernport Bay and Philip Island, from $300 a couple a night, including generous breakfast provisions and a bottle of wine. (03) 5931 0177, 0419 873 597, maxsrestaurant.com.au. Weerona Exclusive B&B, 26 Creedmore Drive, Rye, from $210 a night. (03) 5985 3946, weeroona.com.au.
EATING THERE
Max's at Red Hill Estate. 53 Shoreham Road. (03) 5931 0177, maxsrestaurant.com.au. Flinders Hotel, corner Cook and Wood streets. (03) 5989 0201, flindershotel.com.au. Somers General Store. 2 Boulevard, Somers. (03) 5983 2070, somersgeneralstore.com.
MORE INFORMATION
visitmornington peninsula.org
