Weekly Adventure: Royal Beach, Mornington

View to the left

The weather has been so lovely this week, which is perfect for exploring a new beach! I’d never been to Royal Beach before, despite it being right near the pier, but I’m glad I took the time to go this week. It’s great for dog owners, as it’s leash free, so if you want a dog-friendly beach that’s right next to Main St, Mornington, Royal Beach is ideal for you. It’s fairly small, but that just adds to its charm!

View to the right

Royal Beach is fairly easy to access, too, as it has steps leading down from the Esplanade (a road that runs along the coast of the Mornington Peninsula). An easy way to find the steps, is to look for the Kirkpatrick’s Hotel (which is right next to the Royal Hotel, the beach’s namesake) and the stairs are just across the road from there.

The steps leading down to the beach

My impression of Royal Beach was that it’s a smaller, less-frequented beach than Mothers Beach or Mills Beach, but it is just as conveniently located and is also dog-friendly. If you haven’t been there, I’d recommend giving it a go and seeing what you think! ❤

Weekly Adventure: Christmas Lights in Mornington

Waltham Drive Charity Fundraiser

Roberston Drive; North Pol

To celebrate Christmas I have made an extra festive post this week! My Mum and I went to a few houses in Mornington to see the Christmas lights, so I made a small gallery of photos to show some of my favourites. The lights at 19 Waltham Drive, Mornington were easily the best; they had put on a whole show, with a donations box for charity. There was a projector playing Christmas-themed music videos – including clips from Frozen ❤ – and the lights flashed and changed colours to fit the video (for instance, they went all blue and white for ‘Let It Go’). The other two houses shown in the gallery were on Barkly Street and the Nepean Highway. Other than the missing ‘e’, the house on Barkly Street was quite pretty, and the house on the highway was quite subtle – hence the lack of pictures of it; they didn’t come out well in the photos. We used a list posted to the Fernwood Mornington facebook page, if you want to check out some lights yourself (note: most displays start at around 9pm, so that’s the best time to go have a look!).

Merry Christmas, wanderers! ❤

Bonus Adventure: Today is Market Day down at Schnapper Point!

Hello fellow wanderers! Today is market day down at Schnapper Point, so if you have some time to spare on such a lovely day, why not pay it a visit? It’s just a gold coin donation ($1 or $2) to get in and then you have until 1pm to browse the local food, or the hand-crafted goods. Happy travelling! ❤

Daily Adventure: Mothers Beach

Mothers Beach is right next to the pier

Just past the clay cliff on the right is Mills Beach 🙂

I climbed up to a lookout to get a good shot of the pier 🙂

Some beachside art ❤

It’s such a pretty beach ❤

Just south of Mills Beach is Mothers Beach! You can access it from several places; a set of stairs slightly further down the esplanade from Mills Beach, a ramp just near the roundabout at the end of Main St, or by walking down to the pier and accessing the beach from there. It’s a popular beach because it’s easy to get to and is right next to the pier (so it’s great if you have a boat!). I love going there because it’s right near several places where you can get ice cream, and we all know that ice cream is a necessity on a summer’s day! ❤

Daily Adventure: Schnapper Point & Mornington Pier

(Not the pier, that’s under construction)

This IS the pier; currently under construction

A great restaurant ❤

Schnapper Point

View from the path along the cliff

C

The boardwalk

You can always see Melbourne across the bay ❤

I decided to combine these two, seeing as they’re in the same area. Unfortunately the pier is under construction at the moment, but Schnapper Point is still looking beautiful as ever!

The pier is a popular fishing spot and is also home to the Mornington Yacht Club. It’s also great for dinner, as The Rocks is there and has some amazing views if you manage to get a table on the balcony. If you don’t want a full meal, there’s the cafe which also has a little kiosk for ice cream. Mothers Beach connects with the pier, so it’s a popular beach for people with boats 🙂

Schnapper Point is a small section of low cliff face with a memorial to Captain Matthew Flinders. It has a boardwalk that runs along the top of the small cliff, as well as paths leading down towards the rocky coast. It’s usually quite windy, but great for a refreshing sea breeze in the peak of summer ❤

Daily Adventure: Mornington Park

A sign near the Main St Entrance

The entrance to the park closest to the pier

A walkway through the park

A memorial for the footballers who died at sea

Matthew Flinders has his name all over the peninsula

A new addition to the park

I love that the kids’ park is pirate themed! ❤

A statue of Mr Flinders

I have a feeling this park will also be a part of the Heritage Walk I plan to go on, but I was in the area taking photos for some upcoming posts and I thought I might as well visit while I was there. Mornington Park is located at the end of Main St, right next to the pier and Mothers Beach. It’s a great spot for a picnic as there are electric barbecues and tables, as well as grassy spots if you prefer a good ol’ picnic blanket. There’s a pirate-themed play area for the kiddies, too, so it’s a great spot for families! Occasionally events are held here, so it’s a good idea to keep your eye out for free yoga or performances. All in all it’s a very picturesque, tidy park and I’ve spent many an hour there relaxing under the trees with a book or eating some fish and chips with friends.

For more information on the memorial to the footballers who died, follow this link

Happy travelling! ❤

Bonus Adventure: Main St Market, Mornington

Gotta have fresh veggies at a market 🙂

I tried 3 different chilli sauces and they were all delicious, especially the coconut one.

I love this trend ❤

She was selling beautiful hand-crafted jewellery, and also has a store on Etsy if you want to check it out 🙂

Australia is famous for its opals, and these pieces were all from Queensland.

One of my favourite stalls; so many gemstones, crystals and jewellery to choose from! ❤

So many types of tomato!

No Australian market is complete without a stall full of ugg boots!

Winnie the Pooh would love this stall!

Today is market day in Mornington! Every Wednesday, Main St becomes filled with stalls and this week I spent my time; trying chilli sauces, browsing through hand-made jewellery and admiring locally-grown flowers and herbs, among other things. It’s definitely a great little market and you can always find something delicious, interesting, or both! ❤

PS. If you’re interested in looking at some hand-crafted jewellery from the market, here is a link to Studio87’s shop on Etsy 🙂
PPS. If you want more information on Atomic Chillies, here is a link to their website, too.

Daily Adventure: Mills Beach, Mornington

Walking down the hill to the beach

Aimee doing the ‘jetstar jump’ 😛

The view of Melbourne from across the bay

A panoramic shot of the beach huts by Aimee ❤

The iconic beach huts of Mills beach!

The weather began to turn…

A panoramic shot by Aimee ❤

This is how it looks in high tide; in low tide you can walk on the rocks 🙂

Seagulls!

Just thought I’d sneak my feet into one…

Seagulls and Melbourne ❤

Today’s adventure was at Mills Beach and this time I was accompanied by my best friend Aimee ❤ She took the panoramic photos that I have uploaded here.

Mills beach is located just north of Main St, Mornington. It’s very popular in summer due to the beautiful sandy beach and calm, shallow waters. It’s also in a convenient location, as it’s within walking distance of Main St! The colourful beach huts are very iconic and are often featured in pictures of Mornington. So if you don’t know which beach to pick along the peninsula, Mills is one of the busiest on a warm day, but it is that way because it’s one of the best ❤

Daily Adventure: Mornington Museum

Me outside the museum

I love this statue ❤

A snapshot into household life of the time

An interactive display

Imagine pushing that pram around!

A display dedicated to the Red Cross

I don’t want to say too much on the actual historical information found in the museum, as it’s only a small building and it’s much more fun to go and be immersed in it yourself! I will say that it’s a fantastic little museum and I loved seeing all the pictures of Main St, Mornington in the 19th and 20th centuries. I also love that it’s converted from the old post office, so you really feel like you’ve stepped back in time. If you want more information before you go, click here to peruse their website. It’s just a gold coin ($1 or $2) entry fee to keep the place up and running, so there’s no reason not to go if you like a bit of history! It’s also part of a Mornington & District Heritage walk so stay tuned because I fully intend to do one soon ❤

Daily Adventure: Mornington Botanical Rose Garden

View from the lookout

A cheeky peek at the gazebo

Don Gordon; founder of the gardens

Wilting pink roses

My favourite rose ❤

To those of you who are in Mornington, or thinking of going, I would highly recommend the Rose Gardens. It’s a beautiful spot for a picnic, or even just a relaxing stroll. Just remember to go during rose season! ❤