Holiday houses in Rosebud

Just an hour south of Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula never fails to turn on the charm, uniting sleepy seaside villages with long stretches of sand and forward-thinking winemakers — this is one of the closest wine regions to the Victorian capital. At the heart of it all lies the dreamily named village of Rosebud, with its unbroken beach curving around Port Phillip Bay, surrounded by parkland and punctuated with a long pier jutting 300 metres into the water. Your backdrop here is the eucalypt-clad peak of Arthurs Seat, the highest point on the peninsula.

You could spend days swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the calm beach, which forms part of the 28-kilometre Bay Trail linking Safety Beach and Portsea — Rosebud is halfway along. When you’re not in the water or pounding the pavement along the foreshore, savour some of the state’s most applauded cellar doors, breweries, purveyors, and restaurants; take in wide ocean views from the historic Cape Schanck lighthouse; or explore the ecologically significant Tootgarook Wetland.

Given its proximity to Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula attracts a year-round stream of visitors, whether for its beaches in summer or for its cosy wineries in winter. It’s particularly popular over the end-of-year festive season and school holidays, as well as the Easter break, when the water is still warm enough to splash about in.

The balmy weather also brings with it a series of events, including VineHop weekend celebrating everything wine and food (November); the Peninsula Film Festival, where you can catch free short films spotlighting Australian talent (March); and the Rosebud Kite Festival, a weekend of colour and whimsy (March).

Sorrento-Portsea Artists Trail

This scenic clifftop walk links Rosebud’s neighbouring towns of Portsea and Sorrento. The 1.5-kilometre (1-mile) trail takes in some of the most stunning aspects of the western side of the peninsula. The outlook has inspired many Australian creatives over the years, as you’ll discover strolling past interpretative signs depicting paintings by the likes of Arthur Boyd and Sir Arthur Streeton, while enjoying views of Port Phillip Bay on one side, Western Port Bay on the other, and Bass Strait just in view to the south.

Arthurs Seat

It’s a rite of passage for any Mornington Peninsula visitor to ascend the 304-metre granite hill called Arthurs Seat, either on foot or by car. Your effort is rewarded with unbroken views along the coast and all the way to Melbourne in the distance. More sky-high vistas await on the Arthurs Seat Eagle, a gondola that soars above the tree canopy and affords you shimmering panoramas of the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas on your journey down.

Golf

For such a small slip of land, the Mornington Peninsula punches well above its weight when it comes to championship golf courses. Eighteen places to tee off surround you, including virtually at the indoor simulators, or in real life at one of Australia’s highest-rated public courses, which offers 27 holes and a variety of practice facilities.