Portarlington is a bayside town on the Bellarine Peninsula, about 31 km from Geelong, known for its mussel farms. Eat mussels by the pier, join a mussel farm boat tour, ride the 17 km foreshore trail or visit nearby wineries. Port Phillip Ferries runs to Melbourne's Docklands in 70 minutes, daily.
Portarlington is a small bayside town on the north coast of the Bellarine Peninsula, about 31 km from Geelong. The things to do in Portarlington centre on mussels: eat them by the pier, go out to the farms on a boat tour, or come for the Mussel Festival in early January. The calm north-facing beach suits swimming, a 17 km foreshore trail runs east to St Leonards, and Port Phillip Ferries sails to Melbourne’s Docklands in 70 minutes. Several wineries are a short drive inland.
About 4,400 people live here (4,436 at the 2021 census).
Visit Geelong & the Bellarine calls Portarlington “Australia’s mussel capital”, and Port Phillip Ferries uses the same line; Wikipedia settles for “Mussel Capital of Victoria”. Either way, mussel farming is one of the town’s main industries.
Where to eat them, per the tourism board:
Portarlington Mussel Tours runs boat trips from Portarlington Pier on Valerie, a restored heritage mussel vessel built of Huon pine. Port Phillip Ferries, which sells the tour with ferry tickets from Melbourne, gives these details:
| Classic Mussel Tour | Checked October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Length | About 3 hours |
| Price | A$310 per person, tour only (ferry booked separately) |
| Group | Up to 12 people |
| Age | 12 and over |
| Meets | Portarlington Pier, next to the ferry berth |
| Includes | Mussel farm visit with farmer Lance Wiffen, tastings and cooking demonstration, native oysters, Bellarine wine or beer, produce platters |
The operator also runs a Deluxe Seafood Tour, an Angasi oyster tour and private charters. Book the mussel tour first and then pick ferry times around it, as Port Phillip Ferries suggests.
The Portarlington Mussel Festival is a one-day event on the foreshore in early January. The 2026 festival was on Saturday 10 January. An events listing gives Saturday 9 January 2027 for the 19th festival; the festival’s site at portmusselfestival.com had not announced it when we checked, so confirm there. Visit Geelong & the Bellarine says Portarlington supplies “more than half of the nation’s harvest”.
Port Phillip Ferries runs a fast ferry between Portarlington Pier and Docklands. The crossing takes 70 minutes.
| Portarlington to Docklands | Docklands to Portarlington |
|---|---|
| Mon to Fri 7:15 am | Mon to Fri 9:30 am |
| Tue 11:00 am | Mon to Fri 5:40 pm |
| Mon, Wed to Fri 4:00 pm | Sat and Sun 10:40 am |
| Sat and Sun 9:00 am | Sat and Sun 6:30 pm |
| Sat and Sun 5:00 pm |
Off-peak timetable, Checked October 2026.
| Fare, one way (incl. 8% fuel levy) | Weekdays | Weekends and public holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $25.38 | $29.70 |
| Concession and seniors | $23.22 | $27.00 |
| Child 4 to 16 | $15.12 | $18.90 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | $71.28 | $84.24 |
| Under 4 | Free | Free |
Checked October 2026. Return tickets cost double. Myki isn’t accepted, and the ferry isn’t part of Victoria’s half-price public transport scheme.
Is it running? Yes. The winter 2026 pause you may have read about applied only to the operator’s Geelong services, from 25 May to 5 September 2026, and said all Portarlington services would run all winter as normal. The timetable changes between off-peak and peak seasons, so check portphillipferries.com.au for your date.
On weekends the same company runs Portarlington to Geelong at 12:10 pm and Geelong to Portarlington at 4 pm, 40 minutes each way. That leg is covered in our Melbourne to Geelong ferry guide.
Portarlington’s beach faces north across Port Phillip, with Melbourne and the You Yangs on the horizon on a clear day. It gets few waves, so it suits swimming and floating more than surfing. The pier dates from 1859 and was lengthened in 1870, when daily steamers from Melbourne began calling.
The 17 km foreshore trail runs from Portarlington to St Leonards along the bay, a flat ride. The GetYourGuide day we list pairs the Docklands ferry with a bike from the pier and a ride along this trail.
The town’s 1857 steam flour mill still stands. Its opening as a museum is unclear: listings disagree on whether it opens to the public, so check before planning around it.
Several Bellarine wineries are a short drive from Portarlington. On its Portarlington page the tourism board names Terindah Estate (with a W Class tram bar), Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Scotchmans Hill, Lethbridge Wines, Bellarine Estate and Circulus Wine. Opening hours and tasting fees for the main cellar doors are in our Bellarine wineries guide.
Port Phillip Ferries also sells hosted wine and food days from Docklands, such as the Texas BBQ & Barrel Trail (from A$195), which visits Lethbridge, Bellarine Estate and The Whiskery in Drysdale.
The Portarlington Grand Hotel, 76 Newcombe Street, has 18 rooms, six with balconies, and free on-site parking. Book through the official site or Booking.com. For more choice, Geelong is 30 minutes away; see where to stay in Geelong.
| Way to go | Time | Details (Checked October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Car from Geelong | About 30 min | About 31 km |
| Bus 60 (McHarry’s) | Check the timetable | Geelong to St Leonards via Drysdale and Portarlington; myki |
| Ferry from Geelong | 40 min | Weekends only, Geelong 4 pm; adult $20.52 |
| Ferry from Melbourne | 70 min | From Docklands, daily |
Queenscliff, with its fort and the Sorrento ferry, is about 20 minutes south by car, according to the tourism board. The Bellarine Peninsula guide covers the other towns, and the tours page lists bookable trips.
7 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 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 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
Yes. Port Phillip Ferries runs Portarlington to Docklands every day on its current off-peak timetable, taking 70 minutes. In winter 2026 the operator paused only its Geelong services, from 25 May to 5 September, and said all Portarlington services would run as normal. Check portphillipferries.com.au for the timetable on your date, as it changes with the season.
With the 8% fuel levy added from September 2026, an adult one way between Portarlington and Docklands costs $25.38 on weekdays and $29.70 on weekends and public holidays. Children 4 to 16 pay $15.12 or $18.90, and under-4s ride free. A family of two adults and two children is $71.28 or $84.24. Myki is not accepted.
Yes. Portarlington Mussel Tours takes small groups out from the pier on Valerie, a restored wooden mussel boat, to see the farm, with tastings and a cooking demonstration. The Classic Mussel Tour runs about three hours for up to 12 people aged 12 and over, at A$310 per person without the ferry. It also runs seafood and native oyster tours.
It is held in early January. The 2026 festival was on Saturday 10 January, and an events listing gives Saturday 9 January 2027 for the 19th festival, though the festival's own site had not confirmed it when we checked. Port Phillip Ferries has run special one-hour cruises from Portarlington on festival day.
Drive about 31 km, roughly 30 minutes, or take McHarry's bus route 60 from Geelong to St Leonards via Drysdale and Portarlington. On weekends Port Phillip Ferries also sails Geelong to Portarlington at 4 pm, a 40-minute trip, and Portarlington to Geelong at 12:10 pm. Adult fares were $20.52 on weekends with the fuel levy.
The Bellarine Peninsula's wineries sit mostly on the hills between Drysdale, Portarlington and Wallington, about half an hour's drive from Geelong.
The Bellarine Peninsula is the stretch of coast between Geelong and the entrance to Port Phillip, 22 to 34 km from the city.
The Geelong ferry is run by Port Phillip Ferries on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only.
Queenscliff is a small Victorian-era town at the tip of the Bellarine Peninsula, about 31 km and 35 minutes from Geelong.