Wednesday was the day we planned to explore the coastline of Mornington Peninsula.  So with our picnic lunch packed, we set off on a cool but fine morning.  There was a quite a bit of sea fog, so the photos aren't as clear as they could be, but all in all our day travelling down the coastline of Port Phillip Bay was very relaxing and enjoyable.  There were lovely seaside towns and homes, some far more up upmarket than others.  At Mornington we left the main highway and got onto Nepean Highway and from there to Esplanade Road, which took us right around Balcombe Bay.  The road changed it's name a number of times as we travelled through Dromana (where the Information Centre is for the area), Rosebud, Rye, Blairgowrie and finally to Sorrento.  This is where we will catch the ferry to Queenscliffe next Tuesday morning.The town of Mornington was quite busy and there was lots of activity in the park near the ocean.  It looked a great park to bring the children.  We headed further west towards the fishing harbour.   Peter is always attracted to that area and after we left his comment was "They are catching the same amount as we have seen in other places.   Zilch"!  One fisherman did catch a squid though and he was jumping back to avoid being squirted with the black ink they excrete.  We did find 'Schnapper Point' though and there was a fisherman down there trying his luck!  Note the spelling!  Perhaps that is why we find nice snapper hard to buy here!  We had morning tea overlooking the fishing vessels and over to our right on the beach, were lots of 'Mornington Bathing Boxes'.  I was definitely going there before we left!  Peter decided it would be a good idea, as then he wouldn't be pestered to stop for the rest of todays trip!  The boxes were also on the beach, at another couple of locations down the coastline.  There are about 150 'Bathing Boxes' at Mornington and Mount Martha has around 250.  At Dromana there are 240.  The Shire of Mornington Peninsula manages about 850 boxes or sheds.  Boatsheds and bathing boxes are icons of the Victorian beachscape and occupy a unique role in bayside beach life. Many of these structures also have historic and cultural significance. It was a bit of a walk to get to them and a bit too far for Peter's leg in the beach sand.  So Wally, Clara and I set off for a look.  I asked an English lady to take a photo for me and we had a chat for a while.  She was visiting her brother in Mornington and waiting for him to come down, so they could go for a swim together.  Brrr!  Too cold for swimming for me!!  What I did find out from a local was..."That anyone who owns one of the huts has a permanent lease.  Owners can onsell and if you want to buy one you can pay anything from $60,000 to $250,000"!  There were some beautiful homes along Esplanade Drive, especially on the Mornington and Mount Martha coastline.  Once we got to the Rosebud area we came upon the 'Shire Managed Camping Areas'. We were amazed at how much of this coastline is available to camp on.  There is power and water on some of the sites and it is all tea tree country.  Very much like the Busselton area of which there still continues to be controversy.  Maybe they need to consider how this area is managed over here.   The Information Centre for booking and paying for these campsites is directly opposite the shopping area in Rosebud.  We are going to stay there on Monday night and when I made the booking with Patrick, he was very helpful.  The cost is something like $31.00 per night, so it is not cheap.  In the busy times, you have to do an online application and go into a ballot for a bay.We arrived at Sorrento around lunchtime.  This area is really beautiful and Peter's comment was "It is just like the West End used to be".  Maybe back when all the old cottages were at the West End, Sorrento had lots of old cottages too!  The water is the same depth!  Very safe beach for the kids.  Lots of grass and pine trees.  We sat on the grass with our feet hanging over the edge in the sand, close to the water and enjoyed our picnic lunch.  It's the best we can do with the 'Fine Dining' so far Tammy!!  We watched the ferry come in and unload and reload.  So now we know the drill for next Tuesday.  From Sorrento we continued on down to Portsea and of course this bit of the peninsula is quite narrow, and you can see Queenscliffe on the other side of Port Phillip Bay.   It is a dangerous part of the coast to swim as 'Port Phillip Head'  is also named 'The Rip'.  There are warning signs on the beach as to the dangerous currents of the area.  We went for a drive into the Point Nepean National Park, which is a little further on from the township of Portsea.  The only way to get to the point of the peninsula is to take the shuttle bus or on a walking track.  We didn't do either, but we did take a walk around the historic Point Nepean Quarantine Station.  There were painters sanding back posts and repainting.  The site is huge, heritage listed and a site of "outstanding historical significance" (wriiten on the information board).  Established in 1852 it was the major place for quarantine in Victoria until 1979.  It closed in 1980.  The site was used for the Army Officer Cadet School from 1952 until 1985 and then as the School of Army Health from 1985 - 1998.  In 1999 the buildings were used to accommodate Kosovo refugees.  There were three phases to the building development of the Quarantine Station.  1850's, 1890's and 1911 - 1919.  The Cemetery and Heaton's Monument also stand on the site.  In 1852 a disease plagued a vessel traveling from England with 795 passengers onboard.  When it arrived at Port Phillip Head it was flying the yellow quarantine flag.  During the voyage 100 passengers had died and 400 were seriously ill.  The vessel was quarantined for 7 weeks and a further 70 passengers died.   They were buried in the original cemetery.  Heaton's Monument is an Egyptian style burial vault which was built from 1856 - 1858.  Over the years sea erosion caused graves to collapse and storms unearthed the remains of those who had died whilst in quarantine.  In 1952 quarantine staff removed all that was identifiable to Point Nepean Cemetery.  The first burials in the cemetery were from those travelling on the 1852 English sailing ship.  Amongst the buildings constructed 1858-59, in the early stage of the Quarantine Station development,  were two large sandstone two storey hospitals.  The buildings had four large dormitory style rooms.  From the 1870's they were used by steerage passengers, or 'lower class' migrants.  To the rear of the hospitals, there were kitchens where passengers prepared their own meals.We went over to the eastern coatline of the narrow area of the peninsular and checked out London Bridge, another tourist attraction.  This was also another stretch of the wild coastline of Bass Strait.  There was one lone surfer catching the huge waves.  We decided we had seen enough coastline for one day and came back to the caravan park via the motorway.  

Tomorrow  we are off to Melbourne and will take in some touristy sites in the city.  Maybe there will be a little shopping!  Not much room in the caravan though for shopping!  12 photos