Touring the Pinot Coast: four days

9.30am

Depart your Melbourne hotel and collect your rental car before heading down the Mornington Peninsula Freeway. It is an easy drive that takes about 60 minutes. 

11.00am

Pull off the freeway and drive the two minutes to Yabby Lake Vineyard Cellar Door for your first taste of the Peninsula's acclaimed cool-climate pinot noir. Here the focus is on single vineyard pinot, which you'll sample at the tasting bar built from recycled timber in the bright and airy cellar door. Soak up the vineyard views, stroll through the sculpture park or, in the cooler months, cosy up in front of the fireplace.

12.00pm

Hop back into the car and drive to Paringa Estate for lunch. The two-hatted (Australia's equivalent of a Michelin star) restaurant's menu features locally sourced seasonal produce, including some indigenous ingredients like native pepper, and finishes with a show-stopping dessert that sees marshmallows toasted over flaming pine cones at your table. It's a dining experience to remember. 

2.30pm

After lunch, head to Stonier Wines, less than 15-minutes' drive away. Here you'll taste cherry- and raspberry-scented pinot created from some of the Peninsula's oldest vines.

3.45pm

Make your way to your accommodation for the night. You'll be staying in true luxury at Jackalope Hotel, one of Australia’s most heralded hotels. It's just a 10-minute drive from Stonier.

4.00pm

Check into Jackalope Hotel, an architectural wonderland and destination in its own right perched above Willow Creek's vineyards. 

5.00pm

Once you've settled into your luxurious room, indulge in some of the property's outstanding amenities. Take a plunge in the infinity pool, or for a truly indulgent experience, book a treatment at the spa or order a luxurious DIY room service spa ritual. The 'Soak' involves bathing in goat's milk, magnesium and rose water while enjoying a glass of cool-climate pinot noir. 

7.00pm

You're spoilt for choice when it comes to dining at Jackalope, with two one-hat restaurants onsite. At Rare Hare Wine and Food Store, enjoy casual share plates accompanied by sweeping views of Willow Creek Vineyard, or at the high-end Doot Doot Doot, enjoy a five-course tasting menu under the stunning Studio Ongarato-designed 'Fermentation Installation' ceiling.

9.00am

Start the day with a luxurious Asian-influenced artisan breakfast at Jackalope’s Doot Doot Doot restaurant.

10.30am

Check out and drive 15 minutes to your first wine tasting of the day at Port Phillip Estate in Red Hill. This architectural marvel offers vast views over the vineyards and coast, along with a highly regarded restaurant and a unique cellar door. Taste a range of pinot noir from the Kooyong and Port Phillip Estate labels.

11.45am

It’s time to head to Polperro Winery for an early, casual lunch. Nab a spot on the terrace or spread out on the lawn under the trees. Order liberally from the sharing menu, and make sure to include a glass of pinot.

1.00pm

Say goodbye to the lovely Mornington Peninsula – it’s time to head to rugged Gippsland to taste another side of the Pinot Coast wine route. It’ll take 90 minutes to drive around Western Port Bay to Phillip Island. A beloved beach holiday destination, it offers spectacular landscapes, sandy beaches, wildlife wonders and fresh, locally grown fare.

3.00pm

There’s only one bridge connecting Phillip Island to the mainland at the village of San Remo. After driving over the bridge, your first island stop is Purple Hen Wines – one of the most maritime-influenced vineyards along the wine route. The vines were first planted in 2002 and are just 500 metres from the edge of the water. Experience a relaxed tasting at the cellar door while soaking up the surrounding views of pristine farmland.

4.00pm

Depart the winery and drive to your accommodation for the night, Glen Isla House in Cowes. The quiet country roads of the island make for an enjoyable journey – look out for birdlife, including Cape Barren Geese, along the way.

4.30pm

Check-in to Glen Isla House. This elegant and historic guesthouse is nestled beneath 100-year-old oak trees and is just a short walk from restaurants and cafes in the village of Cowes.

5.00pm

Take an evening stroll for an early bite to eat at Grenache Wine Bar. Sample a wide range of local Gippsland pinot noir alongside a selection of small plates, such as slow-cooked pork ribs and fried zucchini and chickpea fritters.

6.15pm

You might want to linger here but a highlight of your day is still to come – it’s time to drive to the famous Penguin Parade.

7.00pm

The Penguin Parade is a 15-minute drive south-west of Cowes. Some 4000 fairy penguins, which are native to Australia and the smallest penguin in the world, live in the water around Phillip Island. The penguins arrive daily at Summerland Beach around sunset; in autumn and winter aim to arrive around 5pm and in summer it could be as late as 8:30pm. Watch the birds dash out of the ocean and return to their burrows after a hard day’s fishing.

9.00pm

Drive back to your accommodation to rest up for tomorrow.

8.30am

Check out of your accommodation and head to The Cape Kitchen in Newhaven for breakfast. Soak up the spectacular waterfront views while tucking into free-range bacon and eggs, sourced from local producers just a few kilometres away on the island.

9.45am

It’s time to wave goodbye to the island and depart for the charming and historic Gippsland village of Loch.

10.45am

Explore Loch’s antique stores and galleries or duck into popular café Olive at Loch for a coffee. You can also pick up local jams or honey here to take home as gifts.

11.30am

Make your way to the Gippsland Wine Company cellar door where you'll discover pristine small batch, cool-climate pinot noir, influenced by the Bass Coast winds.

12.30pm

Pop into the Loch Brewery and Distillery to purchase local whisky or gin, all made onsite. The cellar door and some of the distillery's stills are housed in a century-old building that was once home to the village’s bank. The next-door brewery was once the local butcher’s shop.

1.00pm

Depart Loch and drive to the village of Korumburra for lunch at The Borough Dept. Store. As the name suggests, the building was originally a bustling retail operation – today it hosts a range of local producers and businesses who’ve come together to create a unique food, coffee and wine destination.

2.30pm

Drive to the village of Inverloch to visit one of Gippsland's well-known wineries, Dirty Three Wines. Here you'll taste winemaker Marcus Satchell’s distinctive cool-climate pinot noir.

3.30pm

After a day of gourmet delights, it's time stretch your legs with a bracing seaside walk at either Venus Bay or along the Bunurong Coastal Drive. Both offer excellent coastal views with plenty of photo opportunities.

5.00pm

Check into The Church House Gourmet Retreat in Fish Creek. The luxury accommodation is perched on the South Gippsland hills and its distinctive architecture featured in an episode of the TV show Grand Designs Australia. Put your feet up in a sumptuous suite before dinner and soak up the views of Wilsons Promontory in the distance.

7.00pm

Dinner at the Church House is a social affair – gather with other guests in the lounge for drinks and canapes before enjoying a gourmet dinner paired with pinot around the communal table. For those seeking more privacy, a table for two can be set.

9.00pm

It's time to turn in for the night.

8.30am

Tuck into a generous breakfast on the Church House's verandah – choose from a continental-style brekkie or, with a full day ahead of you, a full cooked breakfast complete with eggs from the hotel's chooks and homemade sausages.

9.30am

Depart and drive 45 minutes to Wilsons Promontory.

10.30am

Check in at Tidal River for the 11am cruise around 'The Prom'. Over the two-and a-half-hour voyage, you'll see rugged landscapes carved by the Southern Ocean – keep an eye out for fur seals, sea eagles, dolphins and whales.

1.45pm

Depart for Waratah Hills Vineyard in Fish Creek, one of the southernmost vineyards on the Australian mainland.

2.30pm

Have a late lunch at Waratah Hills. Choose from a generous cheeseboard, tapas platters or seasonal specials, paired with pristine small-batch pinot.

3.45pm

After lunch, leave for Melbourne via the South Gippsland Highway.

6.15pm

Arrive at your hotel in Melbourne, ready to enjoy a night at one of the city’s renowned restaurants or bars.

Alternative Day Four

If you are continuing on to Sydney along the Melbourne–Sydney coastal route, head east from Waratah Hills and on to Bairnsdale. From there, you.ll easily be able to visit Lightfoot & Sons and Nicholson River Winery.