Victoria’s glorious south-east is one of the best places to go antique hunting with charming towns near Melbourne dotted with antique shops, plus cellar doors and gourmet pit stops along the way. Spend one blissful weekend wining, dining and finding your way around the Mornington Peninsula, just a stone’s throw from Melbourne. Here’s where to stop and seek out along the way.
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Follow the back roads that snake across the narrow stretch of the Mornington Peninsula. The town of Tyabb, just west of Mornington, is a must-visit destination for lovers of antique shops in Melbourne and is home to Australia’s largest antique and collectable store – The Tyabb Packing House.
This place is literally packed, and you need good trawling skills to find treasures across the 5,000 square metres of shop space. Pick through items dating back to the first European settlers in 1803, crockery from the 1950s, Art Deco furniture, retro and vintage clothing, fine art, jewellery and memorabilia from across the ages. The Packing House is an antique in itself, paying homage to the shed’s history as an apple storage facility. Right next door, the Tyabb Grainstore is also an antiques and vintage store worth a look.
Antiquing is indeed a pleasurable pastime, especially when you combine the hunt with time to meander through the stunning seaside villages fringing Port Phillip Bay. The Mornington Peninsula is home to more than 50 cellar doors pouring everything from award-winning pinot noir at Paringa Estate, to the gamay being nurtured at Eldridge Estate Red Hill.
On the hunt for more vintage and antique shops near Melbourne? Duck and weave through coastal and country villages, criss-crossing the Peninsula to discover antique barns, vintage tailors and more. Tyabb is home to half a dozen antique stores alone, but there’re even more stores waiting to be found across the Mornington Peninsula. Make a slow drive down to Rosebud Vintage Bazaar in Rosebud, and Marlene Miller Antiques at the tip in Sorrento.
The Mornington Peninsula has no shortage of gorgeous cellar doors, home to some of the best restaurants for paddock-to-plate dining, showcasing the region’s finest produce on every plate. None has raised more fuss than Doot Doot Doot, the signature restaurant at Willow Creek Vineyard’s lavish boutique hotel, Jackalope. Some 10,000 glowing lights hang from the ceiling, setting the tone for what is an extravagant meal. For something slightly less over-the-top, try Ten Minutes by Tractor, a fine dining spot that serves a six-course set menu with an air of casual, country warmth.
Still too fancy? How about Green Olive, a sustainable farm shop and casual café set on a 27-acre property. Here, local produce shines through with zero-kilometre produce and homemade olive oil, chutneys and preserves, which you can purchase on-site. After lunch, tour the farm or join a hands-on workshop.
Filling your boot with farm-fresh produce is easy in the Mornington Peninsula. Stop at Red Hill Cellar & Pantry, a gourmet grocer that stocks more than 700 products from the local region, including local cheeses and provisions, fresh produce, dairy and smallgoods, and, of course, local wine, beer, cider and spirits. There’re pick-your-own fields for strawberries, cherries and blueberries at Sunny Ridge Estate Strawberry Farm, hand-painted Belgian chocolates to sample at Mornington Peninsula Chocolates, and a host of farm gates with herbs, pumpkins, olives and tomatoes for sale with an honesty system in place.
End the day at Cook Street in Flinders, a sleepy little hamlet overlooking the moody waters of Western Port Bay. Here you can explore the charming town near Melbourne and its little boutiques and antiques dealers or immerse yourself in nature. Watch the ocean break over the basalt rocks of Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary, hike the rugged coastline from Flinders to Cape Schanck, or take a walk down to The Blowhole, where a rocky coast and huge basalt boulders await.
Eager to explore the Mornington Peninsula antique shops? Oaks Hotels in Melbourne has the perfect base for these easy day trips.
