Mornington Peninsula

An hour south of Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is hemmed in on either side by the Port Phillip and Western Port Bays.  Now a mixture of residential and seaside holiday towns, for over 40,000 years the Peninsula formed part of the territory of the Bunurong people. It subsequently became the site of Victoria’s first settlement, the Sullivan’s Bay penal colony, formed in 1803 – 30 years prior to the establishment of Melbourne. During the latter part of the nineteenth century and World Wars I and II the Peninsula was also a key defence post. Point Nepean’s fortifications and the heritage listed Quarantine Station, built in 1852, speak to this history. The landscape varies from sandy beaches and holiday towns on the Port Phillip side, to mudflats and mangroves on the Western Port side, from treacherous cliffs and rips at Point Nepean, to the vineyards and olive groves of Red Hill and Main Ridge. This unique and varied geography and history make the Mornington Peninsula an endless subject of inspiration for an artist.