Sorrento

The villages of Sorrento and Portsea are nestled west of Blairgowrie on the tip of the Mornington Peninsula and face the calm waters of Port Phillip in the north and the rough ocean of Bass Strait in the south.

Sorrento is a beautiful village which has retained much of its heritage in the form of the historic limestone buildings that line the main street. The village offers shopping that is stylish and sophisticated, with more than 60 retail outlets including boutiques, interior design stores, galleries and antique outlets. Naturally, the cafes, restaurants, local produce stores and designer ice-cream are superb. The crescent-shaped Sorrento front beach offers a white sand beach and shallow waters making it ideal for swimming and other water activities.

The Sorrento Pier is the departure point for the ferry to Queenscliff, as well as fishing trips, seal and dolphin watching excursions, sight-seeing cruises, yacht charters and diving trips. The Sorrento Ocean beach has a popular rock pool but also offers surfing – care must be taken when swimming as deep rips operate along this coastline.

 There is a lot of history in the area and the Sorrento-Portsea Artists Trail covers a wide range of sites around the area and offers an insight into renowned Australian artists’ works showing views as they were painted in situ. Portsea has one of Australia’s most expensive postcodes with clifftop mansions that exude luxury and style on a very grand scale.