Known for our striking scenery and rugged coastlines – the Mornington Peninsula offers the perfect backdrop for you to roam, amble or wander to your heart’s content. To help shape your next adventure, we have gathered our five favourite cliff top walks to start the planning. Relaxed ramble? Seeking stunning views? On the hunt for places to picnic once you have done the hard work? We have the lot! Read on for a little virtual inspiration to get the adrenalin surging and inspire plans for future meanders. We can all do with a little imagined exploration as we work hard to stay fit and stay close to home.
Millionaires Walk - named aptly to reflect the scenery - as you roam take in the spectacular architectural design of dream mansions owned by the elite. It’s not all about the houses though! This gorgeous coastline has some of the best views on the Mornington Peninsula - over crystal-clear waters and secluded bays, quaint jetties and distinctive beach boxes. The 750m track is relatively flat and winds along the cliff tops. Learn as you walk, with signed highlights part of the Sorrento-Portsea Artists’ trail. Starting from Point King Road gives you the best photos of the secluded bays and delightful jetties as you wander eastward.
Begin this walk from the famous Cape Schanck Lighthouse. Let the path take you along the basalt cliff tops and craggy coastline of Bass Strait. In true Australian spirit, Bushranger’s Bay was named after two escaped convicts! It is a place of contrasts - white beach juxtaposed against tall black cliffs. The epic waves and strong rips make for great photo opportunities, but not safe swimming. So be careful you don’t ‘come a cropper’ trying to get that perfect shot. You can return the same way or continue to Boneo Road to the north through tranquil bush and farmland. Keep an eye out for local residents that like to hop around, the Eastern Grey kangaroos call this area their home.
The Fingal Beach trail is also accessed via Cape Schanck but takes in the western side of the cape. Bring a picnic to share a feast with friends or family on dedicated tables, or perhaps bring the ingredients for a BBQ with ready to use facilities located near the car park. From there, wander along a path that takes you through native tea tree bushland, so dense it forms a dense tunnel of vegetation overhead. As you continue through coastal scrubland you will come across two major lookout points with views highlighting the coastline from the tip of Cape Schanck down to Sorrento. Heading down a long, steep set of stairs takes you to Fingal Beach where low tide is the best time to explore the many rock pools and reef for close-up shots. Top tip for those that get carried away with their photography; watch out for the tide movements!
Part of the 30-kilometre Coastal Walk, this section known as Coppins Track starts at Sorrento Ocean Beach, winding 3 kilometres along the Bass Strait sand dunes and cliffs to Diamond Bay. There are numbered pegs along the route that form a self-guided walk. Heading east will take you to the famous St Pauls lookout, providing stunning views of the Bay of Islands and Bass Strait. Diamond Bay, named after the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, is an insta-grammer’s delight with clear, blue water and impressive sandstone cliffs carved by time, the waves and the wind. Another photo opportunity presents itself if you go around the south-east end of the bay to where an impressive arch is located.
Take on the challenge of the full Mornington Peninsula Coastal Walk. Coppins Track and Fingal Beach form part of this 30-kilometre jaunt, but you can connect the dots to walk from Cape Schanck all the way through to Portsea Surf Beach and Point Nepean. The west to east option of this walk offers the best photo opportunities as it takes you across broad sandy surf beaches, along cliff top tracks and through dense coastal vegetation, with views to surprise and delight along the way. Be prepared though - there are steep steps, sections that travel along the sand and often strong winds. But nothing worth doing is easy! Just be careful when capturing that perfect coastal, windswept shot…
Find online maps and more information at the below links. Please ensure you always check in with https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/ for all the most up to date conditions to plan your exploration.