The Easter long weekend is the perfect time to recharge your
batteries and the Bellarine Peninsula is the place to do it - with
charming coastal villages, boutique accommodation, fresh produce,
fine dining and activities galore. All just over an hour from
Melbourne.
A great starting point for sampling the best of the region is
the Bellarine Taste Trail, which stops by farm gates, wineries,
provedores, restaurants and cafes. You might find yourself at an
olive grove, a berry farm or a brewery, before taking lunch by the
beach, on a hillside or amongst the grapevines.
On the way, you can drop by the cellar doors of some of
Australia's best cool climate wineries, including Bellarine Estate,
Leura Park and Scotchmans Hill. NewcomerJack Rabbit Vineyard boasts
magnificent bay vistas, a restaurant, a new tasting house and
award-winning wines. Or visit Oakdene, which has a fine dining
restaurant, luxurious accommodation and a quirky new cellar door
shaped like an upside-down house.
Play a round of golf at Barwon Heads Golf Club or Thirteenth
Beach's Beach and Creek courses, all of which were recently ranked
in Australia's Top 100 by Golf Digest magazine.
Or hit the water with dolphin swims, boat tours of the bay or
scuba diving.
Afterwards, pamper yourself at Queenscliff Day Spa, or the
Bellarine Day Spa in Portarlington, where treatments include
massage, body wraps, salt scrubs and indulgent couples
packages.
The Point Lonsdale Market runs on Saturday and Sunday of the
Easter weekend, with around 150 stalls selling hand-made crafts,
jewellery, plants, freshly baked treats and home-grown produce.
More perusing can be done at Salt Contemporary Artin Queenscliff or
Ashby House Interiors, which specialises in antique French
furniture and homewares.
Finding last-minute accommodation for Easter is made easier with
the help of local booking agents who know what's available. Try
Beds by the Beach Holiday Rentals, Queenscliff & Coastal
Holiday Bookings or Ozbook.