Discover the best campgrounds near Mornington, Victoria with campfires

A hour’s drive from downtown Melbourne, Mornington has a coastal holiday vibe with plenty of foreshore camping sites overlooking Port Phillip Bay. The sheltered waters of Western Port and Hastings are a short drive away, as are the seaside villages of Rosebud, Portsea, and Sorrento, where a car and passenger ferry connects the Mornington Peninsula with the Bellarine Peninsula, Queenstown, and Geelong. Camping accommodations are plentiful with tent sites and holiday parks all over. Don’t miss the geothermal mineral pools and spa at Peninsula Hot Springs, where campers can bathe in gorgeous natural surroundings.

Where to go

Frankston

This area is prime for family camping, serving as a home base for exploring the region. Expect campsites and holiday parks offering leafy tent sites and shaded caravan sites with access to camp kitchens, free wifi, and even swimming pools.

Sorrento and Portsea

At the far western reaches of the Mornington Peninsula, Sorrento and Portsea are the favoured weekend getaway hotspots for Melbournians. The region is dotted with vineyards and wineries, with restaurants and cafes in abundance. Portsea Pier is a timber jetty jutting out into the bay providing a safe swimming enclosure with the jetty a popular spot for walking and fishing.

Hastings

Overlooking the protected waterway of Western Port and French Island, Hastings is great for holidaymakers with a keen interest in fishing or boating ,or for surfing the beaches of Mornington Peninsula’s south coast. Look out for pet-friendly holiday parks on the waterfront with powered sites for motorhomes, campervans, and campers.

When to go

Summer is peak season in Victoria with campsites, caravan parks, and holiday parks often booked well ahead during holidays, especially Christmas and Easter. Quieter times occur after the Australia Day long weekend in January when school holidays finish. Mornington and surrounds are a popular weekend getaway spot for Melbournians year-round, so holiday parks and campsites are usually quieter during the week. If you’re into cosy winter escapes, Mornington Peninsula has plenty to offer, especially for kite surfers, boaties, and fishermen who can launch small boats from boat ramps strung along Port Phillip Bay.

Know before you go

Caravan sites and holiday parks are typically set either inland or along Port Phillip Bay from Mornington to Rosebud, Rye, Sorrento and Hastings.
Foreshore camping sites are available from October to April and are in high demand—check Mornington Peninsula Shire website to find out when bookings open at Rosebud, Rye, and Sorrento. Council-run campsites have bathrooms as well as laundries, BBQs, and powered and non-powered sites.
A passenger-carrying car ferry links east and west coasts of Port Phillip Bay, making it possible to do a circumnavigation of the bay from Melbourne.
Mornington Peninsula has two coastlines with wildly different shores: calm and protected on the Port Phillip Bay northern side, and beaches exposed to Bass Strait with wild surf and breakers on the southern side.
Snorkel or scuba dive from the beach at Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park to see dolphins, seals, and weedy sea dragons.