Holiday houses in Saint Andrews Beach

St. Andrews Beach is a small town on the southern coast of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula that has recently become a haven for modern architecture lovers. The beach itself is a 35-kilometre continuous stretch of white-sand coastline facing the Bass Strait near Australia’s Mornington Peninsula National Park. Since the 1960s, the area has attracted golfers and holidaymakers from more densely populated inland cities like Melbourne. Now, the beach promotes rest and relaxation with hot springs, spas offering treatments and dips in natural pools, expansive vineyards, breweries, and health food cafes.

Moving inland from the beach, you will find rural towns surrounded by green trees and accessible walking trails. Many day trips are available within a 20-minute drive, including outdoor excursions to Point Nepean National Park and Arthurs Seat State Park.

The St. Andrews Beach area is mostly sunny throughout the year. Summer, autumn, and spring are all quite warm, but the surrounding water keeps it refreshingly cool. The Somerville Saturday Market is held in St. Andrews Beach on the second Saturday of each month, with the off season being January. Slightly cooler temperatures and a decent amount of rain arrive during the winter, and you will likely see surfers riding the big winter waves down at nearby Rye Ocean Beach. Most of the big festivals are held at nearby Mount Martha, with the Peninsula Music Festival running during early December and the VineHop Festival, which celebrates the local cool-climate wines, running each November.

Cool-Climate Wineries

With more than 50 wineries and vineyards in the Mornington Peninsula, there are hundreds of regional varietals to try. Vineyard tours offer unique views of the surrounding hinterlands, with different destinations offering unique activities like horseback riding, tastings, cellar bistros, picnics, live music, and more. The region is most famous for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and local vintners can tell you all about how the peninsula’s mild climate is perfectly suited to grow these distinct grapes.

Mornington Peninsula National Park

Take the trails through Mornington Peninsula National Park for nature and history. You can tour the southernmost tip of the peninsula at Cape Schanck Lighthouse, which is surrounded by sand dunes topped with gently waving grasses and rock cliffs. Visit the lighthouse museum and climb to the top of the lighthouse for panoramic views of the park. Continue on the walking trail to see some of the park’s most famous beaches like Sorrento Beach — an excellent spot for swimming — and Portsea Beach with its rock arch.

Modern Architecture Walk

Architecture lovers can see five notable and award-winning modern homes dotted around St. Andrews Beach. In just a short walk, you can spot an angular house clad in copper, a rectangular house that’s perched atop four large steel beams, a shipper container house that’s divided in half, the stacked geometry of a home inspired by modern Japanese architecture and design principles — and a sustainable cylindrical house with wood cladding.