158 Australian House & GardenWAYS TO WELLBEING
If you need a holiday but you’re short on time, don’t despair – here
are some revitalising mini-break ideas to get you relaxed, quick smart.
Get out of town
V
ictoria’s Mornington Peninsula
has always been a magnet for
Melburnians, who swarm to its
beaches during summer. But there’s a
lot more here than beaches, as I discover
after three days of touring the region
without touching sand.
The Peninsula is the boot-shaped
snip of land that wraps around Port
Phillip Bay, a 90-minute drive south of
Melbourne, made even easier since the
completion of the Peninsula Link.
You’ll soon start seeing signposts to the
coastal towns of Sorrento and Portsea.
But resist the pull of the beaches and
veer into the hinterland, where you’ll
find an undulating landscape dotted
with buzzy villages all just a few
minutes’ drive apart.
There are about 60 wineries on the
Peninsula and the highest concentration
is found in the central hinterland near
the towns of Red Hill, Red Hill South,
Main Ridge and Shoreham. There’s an
array of gourmet produce being grown
here, too, and sold at farm gates or in
local general stores.
Not surprisingly, with all this
abundance on its doorstep, the area
has evolved into one of Victoria’s most
sumptuous gourmet regions. Five of the
local restaurants boast a prestigious
Chef’s Hat, awarded by The Age Good
Food Guide. At La Pétanque Restaurant
at Main Ridge, we delight over a menu
inspired by the south of France, with all
locally sourced ingredients. At The Long
Table in Red Hill South, we dine on the
most sensational six-course tastingmenu we’ve ever been served. “We are
spoilt living here,” says Tony Lee of
Foxeys Hangout winery at Red Hill.
“Where else in regional Australia would
you find five hatted restaurants within
five minutes’ drive of each other?”
There are wineries big and small to
visit, from the grand Port Phillip Estate
(with famed ocean views) to the small,
family-run Ocean Eight Winery at
Shoreham, where winemaker Michael
Aylward opens the cellar door once a
month and offers visitors a tour of the
underground barrel room where he
makes his prizewinning drops.
There are lots of other culinary-related
experiences to be enjoyed here. You can
pick your own strawberries and cherries,
visit the Ashcombe Maze & Lavender
Gardens or check into a live-in cooking
school at George’s Boutique B&B &
Culinary Retreat, which offers such lick-
your-lips classes as Mediterranean
Escape and Fresh Ocean Produce.
The wonderful thing is that all the fine
food and wine available in the region is
matched with an array of top-notch
boutique accommodation, such as the
Lakeside Villas at Crittenden, so you can
be indulged in every way.
There’s also a good mix of luxurious
day spas (the Red Hill Day Spa was a
happy discovery, Rye’s Peninsula Hot
Springs was another), artisan galleries
(Gordon Studio Glassblowers in Red
Hill) and quirky antique shops (Tyabb
Packing House Antiques) within a short
driving distance. All great ways to
round out a perfect weekend escape.
Elizabeth WilsonH&G TRAVEL