Sorrento is a beautiful and historic village that has retained much of its heritage in the form of the historic limestone buildings that line the main street. The village offers shopping that is stylish and sophisticated, with more than 60 retail outlets including boutiques, interior design stores, galleries and antique outlets. Naturally, the cafes, restaurants, local produce stores and designer ice cream are superb.
Lying to the west of Blairgowrie near the western tip of the Mornington Peninsula, the main street of Sorrento runs from the Sorrento ‘front’ beach beside the calm waters of Port Phillip in the north to the Sorrento Ocean Beach fronting the rough ocean of Bass Strait in the south.
The crescent-shaped Sorrento front beach offers a white sand beach and shallow waters making it ideal for swimming and other water activities. Here you will find the Sorrento Pier and the departure point for the popular car and passenger ferry to Queenscliff, as well as fishing trips, seal and dolphin watching excursions, sight-seeing cruises, yacht charters and diving trips.
The Sorrento Ocean beach has a popular rock pool but also offers excellent surfing for the experienced – care must be taken when swimming as deep rips operate along this coastline. There is a lot of history in the local area including Collins Settlement – where Europeans first attempted to settle permanently in Victoria, the historic Watts Cottage, and the Sorrento-Portsea Artists Trail offering an insight into renowned Australian artists’ works by showing views as they were painted in situ.
Sorrento is approximately a 1 hour and 35-minute drive (110 kilometres) south of Melbourne.