Sorrento Vic 3943 (Pop 1 550)

Sorrento is an attractive Mornington Peninsula seaside resort located 114 km south of Melbourne. Transformed from a quiet town to busy holiday destination during summer, Sorrento offers lovely beaches, historic buildings, a range of activities and many scenic walks. Early grazier settlers arrived in 1830s with several limestone kilns built soon afterwards to cope with the huge demand for limestone as a building stone. An early entrepreneur built the Continental Hotel, pier and sea baths in 1875 and named the settlement after the Italian resort town. Its tourism popularity has continued to grow. Sorrento Art Festival (Jan), Sorrento Street Festival (Mar).

Tourist Attractions & Info:
Collins Settlement Historic Site, Sullivan Bay marks Victoria’s first European settlement site (1803) together with a number of graves. The Foreshore Reserve and Bay Beach attractive recreational area with a pier. Nepean Historical Museum, Melbourne Rd housed in the old National Trust-listed Mechanics’ Institute (1876) has a fine collection of historical memorabilia, photographs, shipwreck relics and Aboriginal artifacts with nearby Watts Cottage (1869). Open (1.30-4.30pm) weekends/holidays. Historic Sorrento includes Sorrento Hotel (1871), St John’s Church (1874), Continental Hotel (1875), Koonya Hotel (1878), Hindson House (1870s). Sorrento Hardware Museum, Ocean Beach Rd. Sorrento Ocean Beach, Ocean Beach Rd good surfing and rock fishing. Coppins Track (3 km return) follows the rugged cliffs with excellent views, sand dunes and an ancient Aboriginal midden.

Nearby:
Blairgowrie (4 km s-e) small seaside resort with a July street festival and scenic Blairgowrie-Bridgewater Walk (2 km return). South Channel Fort (5.7 km offshore) (1879) many original fortifications, underground passages, magazines intact. Excellent views and petrel sanctuary and breeding ground.

Accommodation: Sorrento has 2 motels, 2 hotels, over a dozen B&Bs, holiday apartments/cottages, 3 caravan parks and a backpackers. Visitor Information Centre: 359B Point Neapean Rd, Dromana. Tel (03) 5987 3078 or 1800 804 009.