The Bellarine Peninsula: Geelong's Wine and Coast Playground

The Bellarine Peninsula, extending east from Geelong to Point Lonsdale and the Queenscliff Ferry crossing to the Mornington Peninsula, provides Geelong with the wine region and coastal leisure geography that the city's growing professional population and the lifestyle migration it attracts use for the weekend and holiday activities that a complete regional city lifestyle requires. The Bellarine's combination of the By Farr, Oakdene, Jack Rabbit, and the dozens of smaller wineries that produce the cool-climate wines from the bay-facing vineyards, the beach communities of Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, and the historic townships of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale creates the regional wine and coast destination that Victorian visitors make day trips and weekend stays to experience.

Queenscliff, the Victorian-era resort township at the tip of the Bellarine, provides the heritage destination that the combination of the fort, the lighthouse, the Queenscliff Hotel, and the seaside character of the town sustain for visitors who value the historical atmosphere that resort towns built in the colonial era preserve in their built fabric. The Queenscliff-Sorrento Ferry, connecting the Bellarine to the Mornington Peninsula across the Rip, provides the water crossing that continues the coast road circuit for visitors exploring both peninsulas in a single day or weekend itinerary.

Barwon Heads, the river-mouth coastal town where the Barwon River meets the sea between the Bellarine and the Surf Coast, has become one of the most sought-after coastal lifestyle addresses in the Geelong region, its combination of the beach, the river mouth surfing, the village character of the main street, and the proximity to both Geelong and the Great Ocean Road's beginning at Torquay making it the complete coastal lifestyle village that the professional and creative migration from Melbourne and Geelong have discovered and driven to premium property values.

The Bellarine Rail Trail, the converted railway line that provides the sealed cycling path between Geelong and Queenscliff, connects the peninsula's wine country and coastal communities in a way that allows the cycling visitor to move between cellar doors, farm gates, and beach stops in a linear itinerary that the car-independent journey enhances. The trail's connection to the Geelong Railway Station provides the multi-modal option that allows visitors from Melbourne to arrive by train and complete the peninsula exploration by bicycle.

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