Mornington Tours FAQs
Pickups, lunch, tastings, the hot springs, children, getting there and refunds, answered from the operators' own listings and the official pages. Planning Mornington Peninsula guided tours? The answers below settle most of what you need first.
Two answers matter more than the rest. First, where your day starts: a kerb in central Melbourne, your hotel, a town on the peninsula, or the San Remo jetty on the road to Phillip Island. Second, what your fare buys. Some days include Bath House entry at the springs, some include tastings and lunch, and some are the transport and a guide, with the rest paid on the day.
After that, it is the calendar. The springs sell out at weekends, the whale cruise runs in winter and daylight saving moves the park gates. Every tour refunds you in full up to 24 hours ahead.
Do you need a ticket to visit the Mornington Peninsula?
No. The peninsula has no gate, and its parks, beaches and lookouts charge nothing to enter. The tickets you buy are a tour fare, Bath House entry at Peninsula Hot Springs, or a ride on the gondola up Arthurs Seat.
How much are Mornington tour and ticket prices?
From $28 for the self-guided bike at Point Nepean and $53 for the 90-minute cruise from Sorrento. Guided days from Melbourne run from $87 to $192 a person. Adult Bath House entry at the springs is A$60 to A$90, depending on the day and the time you arrive.
How far is the Mornington Peninsula from Melbourne?
Arthurs Seat is 60 km south of Melbourne and Point Nepean, at the tip, is 110 km, by Parks Victoria's figures. The hot springs put themselves less than 90 minutes from the city. A tour from Melbourne spends roughly three hours of the day on the road.
Do tours pick up from Melbourne hotels?
Some do. The small-group wine days and the private day collect you from your Melbourne hotel, and one operator picks up from a list of central hotels and theatres. The hot springs express leaves from the Regent Theatre on Collins Street, and the coast day from Arts Centre Melbourne on St Kilda Road.
Is lunch included on Mornington Peninsula wine tours?
On the guided wine days, yes: a winery or restaurant lunch, usually with a glass of wine, is in the fare. The hot springs day with lunch serves a grazing board at a Red Hill winery. The hop-on hop-off winery bus includes no food.
Are wine tastings included?
Yes on every guided wine day, which pours at two or three cellar doors. On the hop-on hop-off bus you book and pay for each tasting yourself, and the fare buys the ride between venues. You must be 18 to drink.
Is hot springs entry included in the tour price?
Yes, on every hot springs tour: Bath House entry is in the fare. Towel, robe and locker hire usually is not (A$6, A$15 and A$12 at reception), except a towel on the bathing-boxes day and the paddle-and-hike day. Bring your own and you pay nothing extra.
How long do you get in the hot springs on a tour?
Three hours on the early-bathing shuttle and on the day with lunch and wine, and four hours on the day that adds the bathing boxes. The entry ticket gives you up to five hours. Once you leave the springs you cannot go back in.
Can children go to the hot springs?
Yes, in the Bath House, which welcomes all ages; children from 3 to 15 must be with an adult, and infants up to 2 bathe free. The Spa Dreaming Centre is for guests of 16 and over, and moonlit bathing for 18 and over.
What is the cancellation policy?
Every tour listed here refunds you in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. Inside 24 hours, and for a no-show, nothing is refunded. The springs apply their own 24-hour rule to bathing you book with them directly.
Is there a private Mornington Peninsula tour?
Yes: a private day with your own guide and vehicle, collected from your Melbourne hotel, the airport or the Station Pier cruise terminal, on a route you shape. It is priced per person, from $192. If you want something close for less, the small-group wine days stop at six or eight guests.
Can you see the Mornington Peninsula without a car?
Partly. The Frankston train line and bus 788 run down the bay side to Point Nepean, and the ferry from Queenscliff lands at Sorrento. Neither reaches the cellar doors, the springs or the ocean coast, and that is where a tour earns its fare.
When is the best time to visit?
December to March for the beaches and the longest days; February is the warmest and driest month at the nearest weather station. The cooler months suit the hot springs, and winter is when the whale cruise sails from San Remo.
Will I see dolphins on the Sorrento cruise?
Maybe, but no listing promises it. Seals on the pile light at Popes Eye and gannets are the usual sightings, and dolphins turn up on some trips and not on others. Book it for the bay, and count a dolphin as luck.
How do I book, and do I need a reservation?
Book the tour online, and most listings confirm it straight away. At the springs, numbers are capped and every bathing session needs a reservation. Weekends and school holidays sell out, and a same-day booking costs 10% more.
Are the Phillip Island cruises on the Mornington Peninsula?
No. They sail from San Remo, across Western Port on the road to Phillip Island, about an hour and a half's drive from Melbourne by their own listing. They are here because they are the nearest whale and sea-cave trips to the peninsula.
What is the drinking age on a wine tour?
18, as in the rest of Victoria, and several wine days are sold to adults only. If someone in your group is not drinking, ask the operator what they can pour instead.
Is Point Nepean free?
Yes. Point Nepean National Park charges no entry, and walkers and cyclists can come and go at any time. The shuttle from the gate to the Quarantine Station and Fort Nepean costs A$12 for an adult, bought from the driver.
How much is the gondola up Arthurs Seat?
A$36.50 for an adult return, A$23.50 for a child aged 4 to 16 and A$97 for a family of four; under-4s ride free. Tickets are valid for 12 months with no timed booking. It opens from 10 am, closing at 4 or 5 pm by season.
Can I do the hot springs and a winery in one day?
Yes. One day from Melbourne pairs three hours in the springs with a grazing-board lunch and a wine paddle at a Red Hill winery. The paddle-and-hike day from Fingal adds a paddleboard, a bushwalk, a picnic and a tasting.
Are the tours wheelchair accessible?
No listing here says it is. The gondola up Arthurs Seat takes wheelchairs and prams, and the Point Nepean shuttle takes standard wheelchairs but not motorised ones. Ask the operator before you book.
What should I bring to the hot springs?
Swimwear, a towel and a robe of your own or money to hire them, sandals and a water bottle. Food is sold on site, and glass is not allowed in the pools.
Can I leave the hot springs and come back?
No. Once you leave, you cannot go back in on the same booking, so eat at the springs. If you want a longer soak than a tour allows, book the entry ticket and drive.
Do the tours run in the rain?
The coach days run in most weather, and guides change the order of the stops when it turns. The springs open every day of the year. The cruises depend on the sea, and the operator offers another date or a refund when one is called off.
How big are the groups?
Six on the smallest wine days, eight or nine on others, and up to 15 on the coast day. The hot springs express takes up to 23, and the cruises carry 40 to 90.
Which tours go to Point Nepean?
The southern-coast day from Melbourne spends two and a quarter hours there, and the self-guided bike starts beside the Information Centre. Neither fare buys park entry, because there is none to buy.
Does the hop-on hop-off bus leave from Melbourne?
No. Despite its title, the bus picks up at stops on its route on the peninsula, with the first run at 9:45 am. You get yourself there and pay for each tasting.
Can cruise-ship passengers do a peninsula tour?
Yes: the private day collects from the Station Pier cruise terminal, with flexible times. Give the guide your all-aboard time when you book.
What is the Sorrento ferry?
The Searoad car and passenger ferry between Queenscliff and Sorrento, across the mouth of Port Phillip. The crossing takes about 40 minutes and runs daily. Fares change with promotions, so check them when you book.
Can you go inside the bathing boxes?
No: the tours stop for photographs. The boxes line bay beaches such as Dromana, Mount Martha and Safety Beach, and the stop is usually a short one on the way home.
Does the whale cruise run all year?
No, it is a winter cruise along the whales' migration route, from San Remo on the way to Phillip Island. The open water can be rough, so take a seasickness remedy if you are prone to it.
Why do some tours appear twice at different prices?
An operator sometimes sells one day through two booking channels, with its own fare and reviews on each. The tour grids show one version of each, so you never compare a day with itself.
What does 'national park fees' mean on a listing?
Some listings include it. The peninsula's parks charge day visitors nothing at the gate, so the fare is paying for the transport, the guide and whatever else it lists.
Can I pick strawberries on a tour?
On the sightseeing day from Melbourne, from November to April. From May to October the same stop becomes a chocolate tasting.
How much is towel, robe and locker hire at the springs?
A$6 for a towel, A$15 for a robe and A$12 for a locker, or A$25 for all three, on the 2026 price list. The Spa Dreaming Centre includes towels and robes.
Are the hot springs cheaper on a weekday?
Yes. An adult pays A$60 on a weekday early-bird or twilight booking and A$80 at other times, against A$70 and A$90 at the weekend. Public holidays and same-day bookings add 10%.
Still deciding? The practical detail is in the visitors guide, what travellers made of each day is in the reviews, and every fare sits side by side on Mornington Tours.