Mornington Peninsula Beaches: 13 Surf, Swim, or Adventure Beaches

The Mornington Peninsula Beaches are so diverse that we couldn’t just do a generic top 10 list.

The Mornington Peninsula stretches out south of Melbourne, with the calm and serene waters of Port Phillip Bay on one side and the raging waves of the Southern Ocean on the other. Some beaches are accessible, and some require quite the trek.

There really is something for everyone around the beaches of the Mornington Peninsula, but not all beaches will be for everyone.

So, we’ve broken the beaches down into three categories that reflect the diversity of the best Mornington Peninsula Beaches. Below you will find categories for the best beaches for Surfing, Swimming, and Adventure.

Make sure to check out the best Mornington Peninsula Breweries or Mornington Peninsulas wineries as well if you are in the area!

Or, check out more Mornington Peninsula activities, some more day trips from Melbourne or Melbourne Weekend Getaways.

Mornington Peninsula Beaches Map

Mornington Peninsula Beaches for Surfing

We all know Australia is famous for its surf beaches, but did you know Mornington Peninsula offers many surf beaches too? 

See our best picks for surf beaches in the area sorted by difficulty. We know a few secret ones also, but as always, you need to look after the locals… so comment below if you need more than this! Make sure to check out some beach quotes to accompany your experience.

Gunnamatta Beach

Surf Difficulty Level: 5

A lesser-known spot but highly prized among surfers as one of the best Mornington Peninsula Beaches for a surf is Gunnamatta Beach.

This beach has surf competitions frequently and has some of the largest waves on the Mornington Peninsula. But, it has been known to be quite flat in summer!

Gunnamatta Beach has two car parks you can use in Mornington Peninsula National Park. Head to the second one, and you’ll find surfers sitting out at the many breaks along the beach.

Look for offshore north-easterly wind with a swell from the southwest.

Be careful though, this beach can be very dangerous for those that are not comfortable with rip currents, large waves or undertows; it has been known for inexperienced tourists to be washed out to sea.

Exercise extreme caution at this beach if you are a novice surfer, or maybe give it a miss and head around the corner to the more sheltered beaches lower down in this section, Point Leo or Shoreham.

This beach is also notorious for the Gunnamatta outflow or ‘poo pipe,’ as it is known as to locals where sewage flows out. While it flows hundreds of meters out to sea, probably won’t affect you and can’t be seen from the shore, we still want to warn you!

Portsea Back-Beach

Surf Difficulty Level: 4

One of the most well-known Mornington Peninsula Beaches for photo opportunities when the tide is out, this beach is terrific for surfers and has consistent waves year-round.

As a back beach, it can really get a bit messy from the winds, so make sure you check reports. Ideally, you’re looking for a north-easterly and/or southwest swell. Boards can be hired in Sorrento Main Street.

Be careful though – if you walk too far down the beach, as you’ll find the old military zone for Point Nepean with signs saying, “No Entry – Quarantine Area.” Further up this section of the beach is where the famous Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared. So be careful!

For our video of quite a few of these Mornington Peninsula Beaches, see below!

Sorrento Back-Beach

Surf Difficulty Level: 3

Like Portsea, another one of the well-known Mornington Peninsula surf Beaches is Sorrento Back-Beach. Known for its large rock pools when the tide is out, it’s a family-friendly beach with a large surf life-saving club and is a short drive from town.

A little more sheltered due to its cove-like shape, the best wind direction is from the northeast and the optimum swell is from the southwest. Boards for surfing can be hired on Sorrento Main Street.

Shoreham Beach

Surf Difficulty Level: 2

Once almost too secret to be on our list, Shoreham Beach is now a popular family-friendly beach with the best longboard surf break of the Mornington Peninsula beaches. A terrific beach for beginners and those looking for a party wave with mates, it can get rather crowded and has been known to have SUP surfers dropping in left and right.

Best surfed in the winter at high tide (it is rather shallow at the point so be on the lookout for rocks), look for north-westerly wind with a southwest swell.

Be warned though, as Shoreham and Flinders are at the start of the Western Port Bay, where shark sightings are common. Oh, and if you don’t like seaweed, Shoreham has a fair bit.

Point Leo Beach

Surf Difficulty Level: 1

Probably the best beginner surf beach from the Mornington Peninsula Beaches, Point Leo has a well-known surf culture. It even has a few surf hire stores on the way into the National Park, for those of you driving all the way down from the city.

Pt. Leo’s surf lifesaving club is well known across Victoria for anyone who is a bit scared or super new to surfing. The store on the way in also has people who can provide surf lessons. The beach is also great for families and for those who enjoy a boogie board or just a lazy board surf.

Mornington Peninsula Beaches for Swimming

Victoria and Port Phillip Bay are famous for their colorful beach boxes…and you won’t find more than on the Mornington Peninsula Beaches! On the opposite side of the peninsula’s surf beaches (above), you can find calm bay waters fantastic for swimming without any danger from waves.

From one end to the other, family-friendly spots can be found with beautiful, clear, and calm waters. Most beaches are located within a short distance to a classic fish and chip shop for when the sun goes down – or a bottle shop, but you didn’t hear that from me!

So in no particular order, see below for the best Mornington Peninsula Beaches for swimming.

Mills Beach, Mornington

Mills Beach is the absolute gem of the Mornington Peninsula Beaches and the lesser-known of Mornington’s two main beaches (the others being by the Mornington Pier, Mothers Beach).

Located just a short drive or walk from Main Street in Mornington, we recommend heading down almost halfway past the start of the beach and all the rocks (and all the people!). This one has dozens of colorful beach boxes that are just waiting for a photo op.

This beach is beautiful in summer and perfect for the family (and little kids) as it is rather shallow and has many sand bars. It’s also often great for beach cricket if the tide is out! It has a large lifesaving club that sells ice creams and drinks in the summer – get a frosty fruit if you haven’t had one before.

Mt Martha Beach

Similar to Mills Beach for its family-friendly vibe, Mt Martha Beach is a quieter and longer beach. For that reason, it can be much less crowded on hot days when everyone around is also heading to Mornington Peninsula Beaches.

We recommend parking behind the shopping center and not in the beach car parks – they can get super busy and hard to find a spot. Head towards the southernmost carpark, as there is a small stream in the north near the Yacht Club that comes out with dirty water runoff (you don’t want to swim there!).

It also has a great local fish and chip shop and a bottle shop in the IGA.

Sorrento Front Beach

A picturesque beach very famous around Victoria, Sorrento Front Beach is an iconic staple of the Mornington Peninsula Beaches.

With the ferry to Queenscliff at your doorstep, the main street filled with cafes and surf shops, a terrific park for the kids, clear blue water, more famed beach boxes skirting the sand, and the marina within an arm’s reach.

This, of course, is terrific, but it’s also common knowledge. So for that reason, Sorrento is one of the busiest beaches in Victoria in the summer (although not quite as busy as St Kilda).

Also, with all the holidaymakers of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs such as Toorak and Prahran flocking down to Sorrento or Portsea for the holidays, the area can tend to be a little more upper class and… dare I say… snooty in the summer. So be warned – it isn’t quite the surfer beach bum town it could lead you to believe. 

McCrae Beach

Probably one of the lesser-known of the Mornington Peninsula Beaches, McCrae was once just a region of the neighboring Rosebud suburb, but now is an up-and-coming place on the Mornington Peninsula.

The beach itself is relatively small and has some rocks when you come towards McCrae from Dromana. There is also a small amount of bush to walk through, so the beach itself is a little more secluded.

Adventurous Mornington Peninsula Beaches

The beaches of the Mornington Peninsula do have a bit of something for everyone. We like to think that the below beaches are more catered to those of you who aren’t particularly keen on surfing or getting amongst the waves but want a bit more of a thrill.

These beaches have a mixture of walking trails, rock pools, cliffs, and fun secluded locations well-suited for a bit of adventure or a bush walk with a view.

Bushrangers Bay

Bushrangers Bay is an absolute favorite of ours for Mornington Peninsula Beaches for many reasons. Firstly, it has a cool name and history; it is actually named after two escaped convicts who made it there way back when.

Secondly, it requires a bit of a walk to get to – around 2-3km – which means it’s not always as busy as some other beaches. This is true especially during the summer, and it can be a great place to head for the day and have a picnic.

Thirdly, if you get there during low tide, it has some of the best rock pools to swim in. If you’re a decent swimmer (be careful though) the beach can be great for some bodysurfing. Finally, there is a terrific clifftop walk that can go all the way to Cape Schanck Lighthouse (around 10km return).

But a few words of warning, this was once a hidden gem we couldn’t put on our list, but is slowly but surely becoming a tourist hotspot. For that reason, it can be really difficult to park if you get there later than midday.

You’ll also find the start of the Two Bays Walking Trail at the Bushrangers Bay car park. It’s 26.5km one way, and it also hosts a marathon between the two bays of the Mornington Peninsula every year.

Cape Schanck Beach

Cape Schanck Beach is a well-known tourist location, famous amongst the Mornington Peninsula beaches. It’s mostly known for a big white lighthouse, but it is also terrific fun for those of you that like rock pools.

We recommend you check this beach out if you are limited for time and can’t quite get to Bushrangers Bay, as it similarly has terrific views. If you can, though, check the surf forecast and find out when low tide is if you plan to go swimming in the rock pools.

It also has a larger car park than Bushrangers Bay, so it can be more tourist-friendly, but can be equally busy in summer.

There is also a beach nearby with the best rock pools of the Mornington Peninsula Beaches, but you’ll need to reach out as we can’t give away this local secret spot. There’s also an abandoned bunker nearby that legend says a hermit built… follow Kimmie on IG to find out!

Point Nepean National Park

So Point Nepean National Park isn’t a specific beach; it is actually an old military base at the very tip of the Mornington peninsula with tons of walking trails. If you’re in the area, you should make a day of it all – bring a picnic, water, and some comfy walking shoes.

The full walking circuit is around 14kms, depending on which way you go, but you also have the option to take a shuttle bus. We wouldn’t recommend the bus if you’re able to walk.. but if you do want to take it, be warned that it’s overpriced and is often really crowded so don’t expect a seat.

The National Park itself has a lot of signs with stories of the base and how it came to be. There are tunnels and old rooms carved into the rock face; you can even see old heavy artillery guns and where the first shot of World War I was fired from the Southern Hemisphere.

But this base also has amazing views of the entire bay, and you can easily see right across the heads of the bay to Queenstown, where the ferry heads from Sorrento.

Flinders Blowhole 

The last recommendation for adventurous Mornington Peninsula Beaches is Flinders Blowhole. Flinders may be better-known for its protected pier and harbor, but just on the other side of West Head are some beaches known for much rougher waves and even black sand!

Head a few minutes down the coast from the main town and you can access the Flinders Blowhole Lookout, and if you are brave, you can walk all the way down to the Flinders Blowhole itself.

This part of the coast is known for rough and sudden waves that hit part of the rocks in a way that makes them shoot up in the air like a blowhole. It’s quite a sight to behold, but don’t get too close to the edge!

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Well, that’s it for our top recommendations of the best beaches Mornington Peninsula can offer! We KNOW there are more – lots more – so we welcome your recommendations too!

Let us know in the comments which ones we should add, and we can get up to 20 amazing beaches in the Mornington Peninsula eventually!