From bushwalks to rock pools the Mornington Peninsula has plenty to offer any outdoor lover.
The Mornington Peninsula is one of Melbourne’s favourite weekend destinations, known for its long stretches of bayside and ocean beaches.
Make the journey to Portsea in a car and your lasting impression may well be one of traffic jams. However, get out on foot and you can take in a peaceful 28km walk from Dromana, on Port Phillip Bay, all the way south to rugged Cape Schanck.
The Two Bays Track was developed over an extended period to celebrate Victoria’s 150th Anniversary. The views are spectacular and as you leave the vistas across Port Phillip Bay, you soon gain distant views across Westernport and later, Bass Strait. Towering grass tree forests, boardwalks through paper-bark swamps and damp tree fern gullies provide enormous variety throughout the day.
Off you go
I’d recommend starting at La Trobe Parade carpark at the start of the Bunurong Track in Arthur’s Seat State Park, thereby skipping the first stretch of boring street walking from the Dromana Visitor Information Centre.
The track rises steadily through the Arthur’s Seat State Park. The morning views back across the bay give a great excuse to stop and catch your breath on the ascent, but before long you are winding around the long snaking ridge and steeply down the other side.
A short sashay through the backstreets of Rosebud is quickly behind you as the track winds its way gently through the blackwood forests of Greens Bush, which has long been reclaimed from grazing land.
There's an abundance of wildlife, and in the Greens Bush and Bushrangers Bay sections, the mass of ‘kangaroo superhighways’ criss-crossing the walking track is a good indication of the numbers of huge eastern grey kangaroos that can be spotted.
The walk is well signposted throughout, marked with a ‘Fairy Wren’ trail marker and arrows. The walk can be done as one long day with an early start, or broken up into shorter sections, though there is no convenient overnight accommodation en route except for a permit-only campsite with no facilities.
There is no access to drinking water, shops, or toilets along the route, so you need to be fully self-sufficient. You will also be faced with either a long car shuttle, or taxi pick up from the Cape Schank light station carpark at the end of the day. Not all mobile phones have coverage in the southern section of the walk, so be sure to pre-book.
Cape Schanck
According to parks.vic.gov.au: "Cape Schanck offers stunning landscapes, the mystery of dramatic volcanic features, unspoilt and wild beaches and scenic walking tracks with spectacular ocean views. It is also a site of rich European history, identified by the heritage listed Cape Schanck Lighthouse precinct.
“Follow the walking track from the carpark towards the Cape. This short circuit walk takes visitors to the start of the wooden staircase and boardwalk which descends to the beach and rock platform. Several lookouts have spectacular views over the geological formations, such as Pulpit Rock and the Devils Desk, both formed through volcanic and geological movement over millions of years. Please take care and remain vigilant on the rock platform, large unexpected waves may wash across the rocks.”
Cape Schanck Lighthouse precinct includes the heritage listed lighthouse, museum and former lighthouse keeper's residence. The buildings were constructed from 1859 and are an excellent example of the architecture of the day. The 2.6km Bushrangers Bay Track departs east from the carpark, providing some of the best coastal scenery within a day's drive from Melbourne.
Cape Schanck Day Visitor Area provides a number of scenic viewing platforms, picnic tables and toilet facilities. No drinking water is available at this location. Cape Schanck is perfect place to stop if you do The Two Bays Walking Trail as the first section of the 100km Mornington Peninsula Trail. Or maybe head north at the end of the day to soak your weary limbs at the hot springs. That’s what I’d call a fitting end to a great day out!
Need to know
visitmorningtonpeninsula.org and parks.vic.gov.au
Words_Julie Mundy. Photos_Visit Victoria