Headed out to the Mornington Peninsula on a day trip from Melbourne? Check out these amazing spots on our itinerary for a great day out. Includes how to get to the Mornington Peninsula, and things to do along the Mornington Peinnsula.

 5 min read

• How to get to the Mornington Peninsula

• What to see on the Mornington Peninsula

We wanted to share with you our itinerary for our recent day trip to the Mornington Peninsula. The Mornington Peninsula is located south of Melbourne, along the coastal line of the state of Victoria. It’s considered to be one of Melbourne’s most popular holiday spots because of its close proximity to the state’s capital city, as it’s only about an hour’s drive away in good traffic.

How to get to the Mornington Peninsula

You can get around the Mornington Peninsula using the bus, but we would heavily recommend hiring a car due to the distances between some of the attractions on our itinerary. Hiring a car also allows you to add more stops to this itinerary if you have more time.

We recommend using Europcar to hire your car because of its international reputation and longevity in the industry.

Things to do along the Mornington Peninsula

Once you’ve figured out how you’re going to get to the Mornington Peninsula, it’s time to explore.

Murray’s Lookout

If you’re prone to a fear of heights, you might want to skip this one! Visiting Murray’s Lookout will take you through to a long, winding road, but once you do, the view is totally worth it

Murray’s Lookout is a great viewpoint to take in the peninsula from above. From up there, you can clearly see the shape of the peninsula and the beautiful beach. 

Cape Schanck

Cape Schanck is possibly the most scenic attraction along the Mornington Peninsula. When you embark on the Cape Schanck Walk, you’ll see icons such as the Cape Schanck Lighthouse and Pulpit Rock.

The walk is an easy stroll, and is suitable for families. One of the unique aspects of Cape Schanck is the distinct colour of the hills and rocky outcrops – an alluring blend of green, orange and grey.

Dragon’s Head (Rye) and Beach Number 16

You can find the Dragon’s Head rock at Beach Number 16 in Rye. When we visited, we were initially confused as to where to go and how to get there. However, all you have to do is walk down the stairs to Beach Number 16, turn right and keep walking until you reach the end of the beach.

If you go during low tide, you’ll be able to get very close to the Dragon’s Head. If not, you might still be able to see a little bit of it rearing out of the water.

We didn’t go during low tide because we couldn’t time our visit, but found that Beach Number 16 was still really scenic, with dramatic cliffside views. If you turn left from the beach and keep walking, you’ll also find Lizard’s Head.

London Bridge

Our last stop of the day was visiting London Bridge (not to be confused with the London Bridge along the Great Ocean Road - you should input ‘London Bridge Mornington Peninsula’ in your GPS to avoid confusion).

London Bridge can be easily accessed by a short walk from the car park, and is amazing to visit during sunset. It’s a special little rock formation that is best viewed from the viewpoint looking down on the rock – although you can walk down to the rock too, if you want.

Other things you can see on the Mornington Peninsula

We didn’t have the time to see everything we wanted this time around, but we’ll definitely be back soon! Other things you can check out on your day trip include the Mount Martha Beach Boxes, Fort Nepean and Sorrento Beach.

Embarking on this day trip itinerary? Map out your journey before you go!

Have you visited the Mornington Peninsula? Where did you go? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!