ARTHURS SEAT, THE HINTERLAND AND THE NEW CHAIRLIFT
Accessible by road the 304 metre summit of Arthurs Seat provides the ultimate view of Port Phillip Bay. The famous hilltop precinct provides more than 20 other attractions to enjoy including gardens, museums and excellent eating facilities
SORRENTO & PORTSEA
Two of Victoria’s most historic and evocative coastal towns. It’s best to explore the beaches, lookouts, cafes and boutique shop of these towns on foot
WESTERN PORT
The Bass Strait coastline of the Mornington Peninsula National Park rivals the grandeur of the Great Ocean Road but turn the corner at Flinders and you find the coast of coves – a string of quiet picturesque beaches between Somers and Shoreham. Flinders is a coastal village and the wineries of Red Hill spill down the foothills to Western Port
MORNINGTON AND THE NORTHERN MORNINGTON PENINSULA
With a wealth of local attractions – the Briars, the Tourist Railway, TV World and some fabulous wineries plus great beaches, fabulous shopping and wonderful cafes and restaurants.
FRANKSTON
10km of pristine beaches and coastal habitat for boating, sailing, fishing, lush bushlands and walking tracks, gracious historic homes, theatre arts and entertainment, regional shopping centres and more than 60 restaurants.
LET’S EAT!
WHAT’S HOT IN SUMMER Woodman Estate has a great high tea which operates on Sundays from 3pm, but you will need to book. Located in Moorooduc, overlooking a private lake, this is indeed an idyllic setting. The perfect place to enjoy your ‘linger longa’ breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The Westernport Hotel (above) has undergone major renovations & now offers fabulous dining options in the Bistro throughout the day.
Food & Wine choices are in abundance the Peninsula see our dining pages
PENINSULA WINE COUNTRY
Nowhere in Australia are the vineyards backdropped by such breathtaking seascapes. More than 170 vineyards are mainly grouped in Red Hill, Main Ridge, Balnarring, Merricks North and Moorooduc with around 60 providing cellar door facilities. Some have restaurants and many provide light meals.
STOP PRESS: Dromana Estate at Tuerong, Café and Cellar Door now open every day from January 1.
THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA NATIONAL PARK – Victoria’s most popular national park. Comprising 50 km of Bass Strait coastline between Pt Nepean and Flinders, the key visitor precincts are the historic fortifications at Pt Nepean, the Cape Schanck Lighthouse and the many exhilarating beaches in between.
Hullo art lovers!
Let’s paint a picture.
It is presaged by those pundits of the intellectual superhighway and societal predictors that the greatest threat to culture, the “yartz” as we know it, is the vapid commercialism of globalization – the ever-creeping global economy and its branding of the arts.
At Australia’s bottom – sorry - at the bottom of Australia on the Mornington Peninsula such international concerns may appear shock-absorbed by distance, time, the complacency of “she’ll be right mate” and its hidden accompanying fear of the loss of the simple meaningful thing - the small “c” of culture – a caring communicative crafted community.
OOPS! Apology - too serious for the summer festive season? Or maybe now is the appropriate moment to engage in culture’s real art of the celebration of life and enjoy what the seemingly infinitesimal interactions human affairs have to offer – after all politicians are on holidays so why not politics also.
So it’s all for sun, sea, commonsensibility and the art of visual contemplation of the artistic imagination as a challenge, confirmation or contumacy – and delight in the absolute joy of being alive.
Surprisingly, it is compact and vibrant visual arts communities and their supporting teaching structures, gallery web and dealers of such an intimate geographic area that may prove to be precisely where the quiet revolution of art as culture can take hold, fight back; where the real art of living can be saved providing we -
the public - support its small business art network and the persistent delicate growth against seemingly massive commercial forces.
As silly as it may at first appear it all starts with a single visit to a local Peninsula gallery – it’s the step through the door and the actual look around that does it. One actually has to do it for oneself – here there is no TV or computer to do it for you.
And taking art in quickly becomes addictive - habit forming. One sees beautiful aesthetic objects, pictures of imagination’s distant landscapes and visions splendid – and one can purchase the said object should one need to satiate the desire to own the experience after departing the gallery – or just for the fun of it.
The visual arts are wonderful. They make fantastic gifts, provide insight, feed the quiet meditative impulse, lift the spirits to knowing that it is all worthwhile when one can sense the communication first hand – after all a picture in front of you is within eye’s reach – so enjoy! Glory in having input into art’s destiny here, at home on the Peninsula. That’s a good beginning!
For Michael’s run down on what’s on see our Gallery pages