Being surrounded by water creates unique marine experiences on the Mornington Peninsula. This small peninsula to the south-east of Melbourne provides a mind-numbing variety of activities on the sea there are picturesque rocky coasts leading into beautiful hills, there are shingle beaches, and there is sand. There are sheltered beaches, there are open beaches, and there are seaside resorts and beach holiday houses suited to the rich and famous, many of them very well known. Surrounded by Port Philip, Western Port Bay and the Bass Strait, Mornington is known as simply the peninsula to the locals or Melbournians.

Mornington is easily accessible on road and rail, and enjoys a favorable climate throughout the year, the water playing a huge part in stabilizing the temperature. What this means for tourists is come rain or shine, you are likely to enjoy your time on the beaches or wandering the many options to sample on the mainland. The sheltered bays and the peninsular geography provide surfing beaches as well.

This makes Mornington an ideal holiday location where the surfboarder can indulge in their favorite sport, can use other family beaches, and relax and enjoy the many wonders of this special part of Victoria.

There are many enchanting villages within the peninsula, and Sorrento is certainly the most popular and well known. It has fine beaches and weather, the fine limestone architecture, luxurious hotels, fabulous eateries, sidewalks, cafes, boutiques, galleries, nightlife, and everything else you can think of.

Theres a long to-do list for Sorrento:

visit the various lookouts, take the many trails, go for dolphin and seal sightseeing trips, catch fish, surf, see the galleries and museum, or participate in the festivals that happen from time to time.

Portsea is another famous suburb it has a population of only 330, and is known as a roost for the rich and the famous with their multi-million-dollar mansions. An enchanting place, it borders the Mornington Peninsula National Park, where you can take exhilarating cliff-top walks, swim or surf at the beautiful beaches, go scuba-diving, play golf or go for exquisite dinner.

Flinders is another suburb facing Philip Island on this side of the bay offering breathtaking views of the island. A peaceful holiday retreat, it has surf and family beaches, an enchanting curio market, golf course, adventure trails, and much more.

At the time of European settlement, the area was very much covered with Oak forests, which were cut down for the timber they yielded. The land was resettled with orchards for a long time Mornington supplied lots of apples and grapes to the surrounding areas. Even today, it is these orchards which come out with the magical harvests the apples, berries, cherries and other fruits concoct not only magical drinks, but also chutney, the jam and olive oil.

Cheese and beef produce of this area is also very well known - so you can be sure you have lots to take back home from the local market. The Red Hill area is particularly famous for the local produce, wineries and the markets.

There are also a couple of must-see national parks in the Point Napean National Park and Mornington Peninsula National Park, the latter being probably more famous.

In short, the Mornington peninsula offers a great variety of attractions for everyone and provides a welcome respite from the bustling city life which is still so conveniently close by in Melbourne.

Produced by the team at http://www.travelAU.com.au - a group of travel and technology industry professionals promoting unique Australian tourism and travel products produced this article on behalf of http://www.vervebeachside.com.au