A classic seaside holiday amidst the pretty limestone buildings of the town centre. Browse galleries, boutique stores, swim with dolphins and find out more about Australia’s colonial past at the Port Nepean National Park and vicinity.
NINE REASONS TO VISIT SORRENTO, HIGHLIGHTS
- Adventures – Head to the Sorrento Pier, go swimming with seals and dolphins, fishing trips or scuba diving expeditions.
- Stroll the main street with antiques, up market stores, homeware and galleries situated in beautiful heritage limestone buildings.
- Explore the Nepean Historical Museum and Pioneer Cottage, and Collins Settlement Historic site. This area includes Fort Nepean military reserve located within Point Nepean National Park Reserve. There is a visitor bus between the two attractions.
- Find out what life was like at the former military outpost, Port Nepean on the Mornington Peninsula.
- Visit a 19th century Quarantine Station, Portsea. Immigration and quarantine regulations led to individuals being housed at Portsea while their health was evaluated.
- Get outdoors on the Coppins Walk with its stunning coastal views & Cape Schanck Lighthouse. The 1859 Lighthouse is part of the spectacular Cape Schanck Lighthouse Reserve in the Mornington Peninsula.
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- Taste, savour and delight in the food and drink scene of the Mornington Peninsula.
- Sorrento Art Trail gives visitors an opportunity to observe the views that inspired artists. The art is situated in the location the artist originally sat. See Travel Pack Section for walking brochure.
- Kids will love FRONT beach, massive Norfolk pines and nearby cafes offer shade and refreshments while families enjoy a day at the beach. Further afield is Port King Beach with its jetty and attractive painted beach huts.
SORRENTO FESTIVALS & MARKETS
SORRENTO ART FESTIVAL. The annual art festival is usually held in January.
SORRENTO MAKERS MARKET, every Saturday morning offers fresh produce from the Mornington Peninsula, artisan goods and locally sourced homemade food products. Ocean Beach Road. A superb weekend market has Melbourne locals travelling 107 km to attend.
SORRENTO GALLERIES
Take the opportunity to wander among Sorrento’s galleries and boutique shops. Spend time taking a self-guided tour of the Sorrento-Portsea Artists Trail where the views that inspired the artists will be part of the experience. The plaques and descriptions of the various local artists are prominently displayed.
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VISIT THE HERITAGE BUILDINGS – MORNINGTON PENINSULA
Heritage buffs will be excited to uncover the fortunes of the peninsula’s earliest residents, with the 1844 shingle-roofed McCrae homestead. The ethnographic exhibits are excellent.
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SORRENTO HISTORIC DISTRICT & PORT NEPEAN NATIONAL PARK – GETTING AROUND
The Fort Nepean Shuttle Bus is a regular hop-on hop-off service that you can take around the Point Nepean National Park. The main pick up points are the front entrance, Quarantine Station and Fort Nepean
SEAROAD FERRIES offers both passenger and vehicle access from the Sorrento Pier to Port Phillip. The ferry crossing is between 40 -45 minutes. The ferry operates in all weather conditions. It can be rough on Port Phillip Bay.
SEAROAD FERRY TRANSPORT CONNECTIONS
A bus service to Geelong operates from within 400 metres of the Queenscliff Terminal. This connects in Geelong with trains to Melbourne and Warnambool. Visit mcharrys for timetable information. Look for Route 56.
A bus service operates from Sorrento’s main street and travels through the Mornington Peninsula to Frankston where it connects to the suburban train network to Melbourne. There is a bus that connects with some ferry arrivals and departures from Sorrento Pier. For timetable information click here. Look for Route 788.
Taxis can be booked from either terminal. Please let ferry staff know at the time of ticketing that you require a taxi on the other side (source FAQs – Searoad Ferries)
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SORRENTO BEACHES
You’ve got to appreciate the descriptive names of BACK BEACH & FRONT BEACH, SORRENTO
Front Beach, Sorrento located on Point Nepean Road is a large gently curved inner beach. massive Norfolk pines and nearby cafes offer shade and refreshments while families enjoy a day at the beach.
Further afield is Port King Beach with its jetty and attractive painted beach huts. On a clear day make out the distant outline of Melbourne’s skyscrapers and watch the ferries depart from the Sorrento Pier to Port Phillip and the town of Queenscliff.
While FRONT BEACH is a sheltered sandy bay, there are no designated lifeguards. Dogs on a leash are allowed in the summer evenings between 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm.
SORRENTO BACK BEACH is an ocean beach with tumultuous surf. Wild, dramatic it’s memorising watching the power of the ocean.
SORRENTO – GETTING THERE
There are two vehicular routes to Sorrento from Melbourne
Melbourne to Sorrento via Mornington Peninsula
via Mornington Peninsula Fwy/M11
MELBOURNE TO SEAROAD FERRY Searoad Ferries, 1 Wharf St E, Queenscliff VIC
106 km via M1 and Bellarine Hwy/B110
Spend time relaxing in the Bellarine Peninsula, Queenscliff and Geelong
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COPPINS WALK TRACK
COPPINS WALK TRACK (part of 100 km Mornington Coastal Walk)
Length: 3 km self-guided heritage walk
The walk follows the cliff tops and is undeniably dramatic. Coppins Track runs between Diamond Bay and Sorrento Ocean Beach. The track follows sections of the original 1800s limestone paved footpath. Numbered pegs along the track correspond with the Coppins Track Park Note and lead you to several lookouts with outstanding coastal scenery.
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