| SORRENTO - VICTORIA - 3943 | ||||
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Population: 1330, Elevation: , Latitude: 38.20.00 Longitude: 144.45.00 Location: 95km south of Melbourne Highway: Point Nepean Road off Nepean Hwy Nearest Major Town: Mornington Nearest Airport: Melbourne Touring Area: Bays & Peninsulas |
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 Sorrento from the ferry. | |
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Situated on the South-western corner of the Mornington Peninsula, some 90km. south
of Melbourne, Sorrento has been a playground for day-trippers since the 1870's. In those early days of Melbourne, the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas (now connected by a 2 hourly ferry between Sorrento and Queenscliff), were popular meeting places for the gentry. Actor, enterpreneur and politician George Coppin began a steamer company which landed trippers from Melbourne at Sorrento Pier where they were transported by steam tram to the beach and rotunda where they could enjoy the walkways and lookouts. Today its popularity survives and the facilities are much the same as they were then. Bed and breakfast, resorts, hostels, hotels and caravan and camping grounds are often packed with visitors who take the 90 minute drive from Melbourne or the ferry trip across Port Phillip Bay. Early European activity began in 1803, the same year Hobart was settled, when the "HMS Calcutta" and the "MV Ocean" arrived at Sullivan Bay to establish Victoria's first, and unsuccessful attempt at colonisation. A quarantine station was established at Point Nepean in 1852 as the migrant intake to the new settlement at Melbourne flourished after the discovery of gold at Clunes and Ballarat. The station was in use until 1952 when it was re-invented as an Officers Cadet School. It is now the Army's School of Health. In the late 1800s the new colony was expecting an invasion by Russia and Forts were established on both sides of "The Rip", the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Fort Nepean defended the east and Fort Queenscliff, the west. Other fortifications were at Swan Island, Fort Franklin and the South Channel. The battlements at Fort Nepean fired the first allied shots in both World Wars and visitors to Sorrento can now visit the First Settlement Site, the Quarantine Station Museum, the Nepean Historical Museum, and enjoy some of the areas rich history. For those who want to explore the natural attractions of the area the Point Nepean National Park and Cape Schanck offer spectacular scenery along the rugged coastline and across Bass Strait. Coppins track, commemorating the "Father of Sorrento", opened to the public in 1890 in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and follows the beaches and coast from London Bridge to Cape Schanck. The coastline is rich in seabirds with gannets, albatross and penguins, and dolphins are often seen foraging off the beaches while Australian Fur Seals colonise most rock outcrops and channel markers. PLACES OF INTEREST: There is plenty to see and do around Sorrento. National Parks, beaches, walks, wildlife and seabirds, golf courses, and of course the romantic and idyllic atmosphere of this historic town built largely of local sandstone and very much preserved as it was in the 1890s. At nearby Arthurs Seat you can take a 20 minute chairlift towards the 300m. summit to view the 360 degree panorama across the peninsula and Port Phillip Bay. Around the base of Arthurs Seat there are many things to see and do. Wildlife Parks, Botanical Gardens, walks, picnic areas, BBQs, and several wineries. There is also a restaurant/bistro at the summit of Arthurs Seat, once known as the "Garden of the Moon", and offering unique wining and dining. Main Events January: Annual Percy Cerutty Fun Run; Sorrento Rotary Art Show; Rescue Squad Fishing Competition; February Triathlon March Banksia Festival (Art exhibition); Sorrento Street Festival;
INFORMATION CENTRE: Sorrento Information Centre St. Aubins Way. Sorrento, Victoria. Ph: 03 5984 5678 HOW TO GET THERE: |
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© Copyright Peter W. Wilkins | |