BEST MORNINGTON PENINSULA AND PHILLIP ISLAND PHOTO SPOTS
This trip takes us from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula and then on to Phillip Island. These locations are all about seascapes. The Mornington Peninsula is an area I've visited only a few times, and I still have lots of spots on my list to tick off, but these are my favourites so far. I used to spend many summers in Phillip Island as a kid, mostly around the Cowes area. My favourite spot on the island isn't this area these days, but down at Cape Woolamai with rocky outcrops and boulders exposed to the ravages of the wild seas. If you have time, you should still stop by and see the Nobbies, the Penguins and Cowes, and get the whole Phillip Island experience. This trip is around 4 and a half hours of driving one way, so it's probably best to split it into two trips, one for the Peninsula and a separate one for Philip Island, especially if you want to explore the areas.
Red Bluff Beach (not on the peninsula, but it's a great spot on Port Phillip Bay, sort of on the way)
Beach Rd, Sandringham VIC 3193
Red Bluff Beach is in the Melbourne suburb of Sandringham, which is around 25 minutes from the city by train, followed by a 14 minute bus ride. I grew up around a kilometre from this beach, and you can capture some great sunsets here. There's a lookout on the cliffs above, or you can walk down to the beach and scramble over the rocks to the right to find a composition that you love! You will likely see a few wedding photographers here, and sometimes parties in the little sandy gaps between the rocks.
(B) Cameron's Bite Jetty
Point Nepean Rd, Blairgowrie VIC 3943
A beautiful little jetty just before you hit Sorrento. I've found it great for sunrise, and in winter the sunrise lines up almost perfectly with the rising sun!
(C) Sorrento Long Pier
Coppin Rd, Sorrento VIC 3943
Another beautiful pier. Just in front of a cafe/restaurant, this pier is not surprisingly, long! It's quite narrow too, and there's lots of opportunities for shots of the pier stretching away into the distance. I was here only briefly on an overcast winter day, so I chose to shoot a long exposure using a 10 stop Nisi filter to create a beautiful, smooth monochrome image.
(D) Shelley Beach / Collins Bay
Shelley Beach is a really quiet little spot on the peninsula with some really interesting jetties, some with buildings and some without. These are private piers leading to millionaire homes, but the beach is public! The great thing about this beach is that it looks back towards the rising sun, which can great some great light and great colour in the early hours. I bumped into a number of other photographers out shooting from the same spot, so you may make some new friends if you choose this one!
(E) The Quarantine Station
Coleman Rd, Portsea VIC 3944
Operating between 1852 and 1980, this is originally where the passengers and crew on incoming ships used to be checked for signs of disease. If found, the ship was placed under quarantine, with extensive accommodation and facilities on site to house people and sanitise luggage and equipment. It was used during the Spanish Flu, and later to house the army WWII and then became an Officer Cadet School
Visiting is quite fascinating. It's a large site, with a Parks Victoria (Link) information office and maps. You can wander around and learn about the different buildings and what they were used for at your leisure. When I visited, the sanitation rooms were closed for upgrades, but we could peer into the windows and the huge machines looked absolutely fascinating. I'd love to see them up close.
I visited during the afternoon, and it was very busy with tourists and visitors. There's a great little secluded beach that's protected from the rougher seas in other beaches - great for small kids under supervision.
I came back to visit just after the road in is opened at 7am to take some images when it was a little quieter and the light was a bit more magical.
(F) Number 16 Beach
Number 16 Beach, Blairgowrie
Lizard Head Rock
Lizard Head rock stands alone in the middle of the beach, and depending on the time and tides can make for some great images! I've only visited once, and at the middle of the day. I tried to use a 10 stop ND filter to turn the water into mist, however I'm only partially happy with this result. Sunset here would be rather special depending on the tides and how rough the surf was. The sun sets out to sea behind the rock
Dragon Head Rock
This is the 'main event' on the beach, one of Melbourne's most popular spots for photographers. At low tide the rock is revealed on a rock shelf with water streaming down below. Similarly to Lizard Head, the sun sets out to sea, so on the right day you can produce some amazing images. I have seen great images at dawn, and a number of fantastic astro shots with the milky way, or long stair trails behind the rock.
This weekend low tide was closer to the middle of the day, so I popped out to grab a few shots. The day was a bit overcast, so I compensated by concentrating on the foreground, and ensuring there is enough interest and motion leading through the mid ground straight to the rock. I minimised the sky as there's nothing much going on, and the contrasting yellow of the rock in front of a largely monochrome blue background stands out quite well.
I used a polarising filter and also Nisi 6 stop filter to slow down the shutter speed and draw out motion in the water.
(G) Pulpit Rock
420 Cape Schanck Rd, Cape Schanck VIC 3939
Pulpit Rock is an incredible monolith standing on a rock ledge at the southern most point of the Mornington Peninsula. There are so many compositional opportunities here. There's a rocky beach, rock pools, boulders, fishermen - all of which you can use with the amazing rock in the background. Long exposures are also a great device to use at this spot, to capture the water streaming across the rocks, or to still the rock pools to translucent panes of glass.
Make sure you research the tide times, as they will make a huge difference to your photo shoot, and please make sure you are incredibly careful of the weather and the waves. If you are too far out on the rocks, or not aware of your surroundings you could be putting yourself in serious danger.
The Cape Schanck lighthouse is just near the car park, and there is a short boardwalk that leads down to the rock, perhaps 20 minutes. Be careful on wet and windy days, it an get quite slippery. There are great opportunities for shots looking back to the mainland towards the lighthouse on the way back.
(H) Bore Beach + Cadillac Canyon
145 Potters Hill Rd, San Remo VIC 3925
Bore Beach is a great little spot in San Remo just before you cross over to Phillip Island. There are some great rocks at either end of the beach where you can make some dramatic images of waves crashing onto the rocks. 'Cadillac Canyon' is a channel in the rocks that water thunders down on days with a big swell. Make sure you check the tides to be sure you will get some of the waves, and again please be very careful as waves can be dangerous and unpredictable.
(I) Shipwreck S.S. Speke
Kitty Millers Bay Rd, Ventnor VIC 3922
These are the remains of a shipwreck from 1905. You can read about it's history here. To access the wreck, drive Kitty Miller Bay car park, then walk to the left end of the beach and follow the walking track over the rise and down onto the other side. Be careful on wet days going down, it can be slippery. The wreck is just on the other side, and can make for some great compositions. This was my only visit, and I used stacked polarising and ND filters to turn the water to a translucent surface. There are great patterns on the rock and rusting bits of wreckage everywhere. I've also seen some great astro shots using the wreck in the foreground.
(J) The Pinnacles at Cape Woolamai
288 Woolamai Beach Rd, Cape Woolamai VIC 3925
The Pinnacles at Cape Woolamai is one of the most spectacular spots in Victoria for seascape photography. You need to set aside at least 4 hours for this one. At sunset you can capture the sun setting behind iconic rocky stacks, with smooth boulders worn away by aeons of waves in the foreground. I've seen incredible astro and long exposure photographs taken here, along with amazingly creative compositions. The possibilities are really endless here, it's a photographer's playground.
To get here, park at the Cape Woolamai Surf Beach parking, walk to the beach and turn left. Walk along the beach until you come to a wooden staircase, follow that up and follow the path around the headland until you get to the Pinnacles Lookout. It's all very well signposted.
Please note that access from this spot is dangerous and against signposted directions. The cliffs are steep and you are at high risk if you choose to ignore these warnings. Access to the bottom should really only be made at low tide when you can walk along the beach and over the boulders, but please be aware of the times, and leave yourself enough time to get back. At high tide the waves can be ferocious.
French Island
French Island is the island next to Phillip Island. You can only get there via Ferry, and it’s raw, quiet and wonderfully off-grid. It’s a patchwork of saltmarsh, empty paddocks and crumbling jetties, with barely a shop or sealed road in sight. The appeal is its simplicity: big skies, shifting light and a sense of isolation that makes every frame feel earned. When kangaroos or koalas wander into view, it turns this overlooked island into one of Victoria’s most quietly compelling places to photograph. It is quite difficult to get around if you don’t have access to a car, and didn’t bring a bike over. I did see a few tours operating, so that may be a great option.
There’s a general store a couple of km from the ferry that rents bikes, and has some good food and a cafe where you can eat. There’s also a winery and pizzeria at the other end of the island which is pretty famous.
