The Bellarine Peninsula is the stretch of coast between Geelong and the entrance to Port Phillip, 22 to 34 km from the city. The main things to do are Fort Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale lighthouse, dolphin swims, Portarlington mussels, the surf beaches at Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, cellar doors and the Sorrento car ferry.
The Bellarine Peninsula is the coastal stretch east and south-east of Geelong, between Corio Bay, Port Phillip and Bass Strait. Its towns sit 22 to 34 km from the city, 25 to 35 minutes by car. The main things to do on the Bellarine Peninsula are Fort Queenscliff, the Point Lonsdale lighthouse over the Rip, dolphin and seal swims from Queenscliff, mussels in Portarlington, the surf beaches at Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, a loop of cellar doors, and the car ferry to Sorrento.
About 70,000 people live on the peninsula, and the population roughly doubles in summer. Most of it belongs to the City of Greater Geelong; Queenscliff is the seat of the small Borough of Queenscliffe. It is Wadawurrung Country.
Drive distances and times from Geelong city centre are routed estimates for free-flowing traffic; add time on summer weekends. Checked October 2026.
| Town | From Geelong | Bus | Best for | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barwon Heads | 22 km, about 25 min | 55 | The Bluff, rock pools, river beach, SeaChange | Barwon Heads |
| Ocean Grove | 23 km, about 25 min | 55, 56 | 2 km surf beach, surf lessons, bush walks | Ocean Grove |
| Point Lonsdale | 29 km, about 30 min | 56 | Lighthouse tours, the Rip, Front and Back beaches | Point Lonsdale Lighthouse |
| Queenscliff | 31 km, about 35 min | 56 | Fort, maritime museum, dolphin swims, old hotels | Queenscliff |
| Portarlington | 31 km, about 30 min | 60 | Mussels, pier, ferry to Melbourne, calm beach | Portarlington |
| St Leonards | 34 km, about 30 min | 60 | End of the foreshore trail from Portarlington | (covered in Portarlington) |
| Drysdale | Inland | 60, 61 | The Q Train, wineries, start of the gravel rail trail | Bellarine wineries |
Think of the peninsula as two coasts and a middle.
Our Geelong map plots the main Bellarine towns, the ferry terminal and the Point Lonsdale lighthouse alongside the city sights.
Fort Queenscliff, built between 1879 and 1889, is still a Defence site, so you see it on a guided tour: Monday and Friday at 11 am, and 11 am and 1:45 pm on weekends. Adults pay $25 (Checked October 2026), and every adult needs government photo ID. The Black and White lighthouses of Queenscliff stand by the fort.
About 6 km south-west, Point Lonsdale Lighthouse has watched over the Rip since 1902. Museum volunteers take groups of eight to the lantern every Sunday morning; book ahead. Details: Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale Lighthouse.
From Queenscliff Harbour, Sea All Dolphin Swims takes snorkellers to Pope’s Eye and the fur seals at Chinaman’s Hat, then searches the bay for dolphins. The season runs roughly October to May. The GetYourGuide version takes 3.5 hours and has an optional pickup from Geelong Station.
Portarlington is billed as the mussel capital (Visit Geelong & the Bellarine says Australia’s, Wikipedia says Victoria’s). Eat them by the pier, take a three-hour boat tour of the farms, or come for the Mussel Festival in early January. See Portarlington.
The Bellarine has both kinds. For flat water, swim at Portarlington or Point Lonsdale’s Front Beach. For surf, go to Ocean Grove’s 2 km main beach (patrolled in summer) or 13th Beach at Barwon Heads (experienced surfers). Time a visit to the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary for low tide, when its rock pools are exposed. More beaches, including the city’s own, are in the Geelong beaches guide.
The hills around Drysdale, Bellarine and Wallington hold a cluster of cellar doors: Scotchmans Hill, Jack Rabbit, Terindah Estate and Oakdene among them. Most open about 11 am to 4 pm; tastings at Scotchmans Hill cost $20 to $30 (Checked October 2026). Halliday counts more than 60 wineries in the wider Geelong region. See Bellarine wineries.
The Bellarine Rail Trail runs 35 km from South Geelong to Queenscliff, sealed to Drysdale and gravel after. Alongside its eastern half, the volunteer Bellarine Railway runs heritage trains between Queenscliff and Drysdale, and The Q Train serves a five-course meal on the same line. A separate 17 km foreshore trail runs from Portarlington to St Leonards. See Bellarine Rail Trail.
The Portarlington Mussel Festival is in early January. The Queenscliff Music Festival fills the last weekend of November (27 to 29 November in 2026). The National Celtic Folk Festival comes to Portarlington on the June long weekend.
| Way | Details (Checked October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Car | 25 to 35 minutes from Geelong to the main towns; the easiest way to link several towns in a day |
| Bus | McHarry’s 55 (Ocean Grove via Barwon Heads), 56 (Queenscliff via Ocean Grove and Point Lonsdale), 60 (St Leonards via Drysdale and Portarlington), 61 (Drysdale via Leopold); myki |
| Ferry from Melbourne | Port Phillip Ferries, Docklands to Portarlington, 70 minutes, daily; adult $25.38 weekdays, $29.70 weekends |
| Ferry from the Mornington Peninsula | Searoad, Sorrento to Queenscliff, about 40 minutes, hourly 7 am to 6 pm; car and driver $91 one way on 16 October 2026 |
| Bike | Bellarine Rail Trail from South Geelong station |
| Train from Melbourne | V/Line to Geelong, then a bus; see Melbourne to Geelong |
Public transport in Victoria is half price until 1 January 2027, and that includes Geelong’s buses, but not the ferries.
The Searoad ferry has its own guide: Queenscliff to Sorrento ferry. For the Portarlington and Geelong ferries to Melbourne, see the Melbourne to Geelong ferry guide.
Two days is better. Spend one on the south coast and the fort, and the other on wineries, mussels and maybe the Q Train.
Geelong has the widest range of hotels and puts every Bellarine town within 35 minutes; see where to stay in Geelong. On the peninsula itself:
The tours we list for the Bellarine include a day from Melbourne that starts on the Geelong waterfront and finishes with the Sorrento ferry, the Queenscliff seal and dolphin snorkel, The Q Train, a cruise-and-cycle day to Portarlington from Docklands, and a food and wine loop with lunch at Jack Rabbit. All are on our tours page.
10 hours
Starts with a walk past the Baywalk Bollards on the Geelong waterfront, then Point Lonsdale lighthouse, lunch in Queenscliff and the car ferry across the bay to Sorrento and the Mornington Peninsula.
fromA$199
Check availability3.5 hours
Snorkel at Popes Eye and with the young fur seals at Chinaman's Hat, then go looking for dolphins in Port Phillip Heads, with an optional bus transfer from Geelong Station.
fromA$210
Check availability3-6 hours
A five-course lunch or dinner on The Q Train's heritage carriages, running from Drysdale past Swan Bay to Queenscliff and back.
fromA$150
Check availability7 hours
Take the ferry from Docklands to Portarlington, pick up a bike at the pier and ride the flat Bellarine coastal trail towards St Leonards at your own pace.
fromA$175
Check availability10 hours
A food and drink loop of the bay that opens with a stroll on the Geelong waterfront, lunches at Jack Rabbit Vineyard on the Bellarine, then crosses to a Mornington Peninsula brewery and the bathing boxes.
fromA$219
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Updated
Its seaside towns and food. Queenscliff has a 19th-century fort and old hotels, Point Lonsdale a 1902 lighthouse over the Rip, and Portarlington its mussel farms. Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads have surf beaches, and the hills inland hold dozens of cellar doors. The peninsula also has the Searoad car ferry to Sorrento and a heritage steam railway.
By road from Geelong city centre, Barwon Heads is about 22 km, Ocean Grove 23 km, Point Lonsdale 29 km, Queenscliff and Portarlington 31 km, and St Leonards 34 km. Those take roughly 25 to 35 minutes by car. McHarry's buses 55, 56, 60 and 61 serve the peninsula from Geelong.
Yes, with planning. Buses run from Geelong to every main town, the 35 km Bellarine Rail Trail links South Geelong to Queenscliff by bike, and Port Phillip Ferries sails Docklands to Portarlington daily. Tours from Melbourne cover the highlights in a day, and The Q Train dining train runs from Drysdale. A car is still the easiest way to link several towns.
Yes, especially if you're already in Geelong. In a day you can tour a coastal fort, climb a lighthouse on a Sunday, swim with seals in summer, eat Portarlington mussels and visit two or three cellar doors, all within 35 minutes of the city. Summer weekends get busy: the resident population of about 70,000 roughly doubles at peak times.
It depends on the trip. Queenscliff suits history and the ferry, with restored 1880s hotels. Portarlington suits wine and mussels and has a pub hotel with balcony rooms. Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove suit beach holidays. For the widest choice of hotels and prices, stay in Geelong and drive out each day; most towns are 25 to 35 minutes away.
Queenscliff is a small Victorian-era town at the tip of the Bellarine Peninsula, about 31 km and 35 minutes from Geelong.
Portarlington is a bayside town on the Bellarine Peninsula, about 31 km from Geelong, known for its mussel farms.
The Bellarine Peninsula's wineries sit mostly on the hills between Drysdale, Portarlington and Wallington, about half an hour's drive from Geelong.
The Searoad car ferry crosses Port Phillip between Queenscliff and Sorrento in about 40 minutes.