For lovers of craft, design, vintage, music and of course food, the EPM is a favourite monthly hang-out for entrepreneurs, creatives and plain old regular cool people! It’s truly more than just a market, the EPM brings together the community for a monthly festival-like feast of art, food, design and culture set within the picturesque Emu Plains Reserve, Balnarring.

For lovers of craft, design, vintage, music and of course food, the EPM is a favourite monthly hang-out for entrepreneurs, creatives and plain old regular cool people!

Chill out to the awesome tunes all day long and let the Little Emus frolic and play amongst the trees.

+ Over 200 of the very best curated selection of stallholders Victoria has to offer

+ Amazing food from all over the world

+ A bar fully stocked with local beer and cider

+ Gourmet food a plenty ready to devour or take home for later

+ Live, local music all day

+ Easy on-site parking! $5 goes towards supporting the projects of Westernport Rotary and Emu Plains Reserve for upkeep of reserve land

+ Most stallholders have card payment facilities, but bring some cash just in case

+ Disabled toilets available

For further details, please click through to ‘More Information’.

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Perched just above Mount Martha South Beach, with uninterrupted views across Port Phillip Bay and out to the Melbourne skyline, South Beach feels naturally anchored to its setting. The elevation matters. The light matters. The way the space opens to the elements — without being exposed to them — matters too. It’s coastal dining done properly, without fuss or performance.

What’s immediately noticeable is how easy it feels to be here. Plenty of natural light. Open indoor–outdoor seating protected from wind and weather. Tables positioned to take in the view rather than compete with it. You’re not rushed. You’re not squeezed in. The pace is relaxed, but purposeful — and that’s no accident.

This is what we talk about when we refer to Uncompromised & Ambient Experiences. Places that protect how it feels to be there. South Beach understands that atmosphere isn’t something you decorate after the fact — it’s something you design into the bones of a space. Warmth, light, airflow, sightlines, acoustics, and service all working together so patrons can simply arrive and exhale.

The setting does a lot of the heavy lifting. Below, Mount Martha South Beach stretches out in front of you — swimmers, walkers, early risers and sunset seekers moving through the day. To one side sits Dominion Road Park and the Mount Martha Tennis Club, creating a rare sense of openness and community. Kids play. Parents linger. Friends meet before or after a swim, a walk, a hit of tennis. South Beach feels stitched into the fabric of local life rather than placed on top of it.

Food and drink follow the same philosophy. Fresh, coastal flavours designed to suit the rhythm of the day — whether that’s breakfast with a view, a long lunch that drifts, or afternoon plates shared as the light softens. The menu doesn’t shout. It doesn’t need to. It’s thoughtful, approachable, and made to be enjoyed in good company.

As the day moves on, the venue subtly shifts gears. Long afternoons ease into golden hour. Drinks land on the table. Plates are shared. Conversations stretch. This is where Connected Experiences come into play — not as a concept, but as something felt.

South Beach is a place where people genuinely come together. Locals. Visitors. Families. Friends. Regulars who know the staff by name. It encourages connection without forcing it. Indoors and out, there’s room to sit, stand, lean, laugh and stay longer than planned. Phones tend to disappear. Time loosens its grip.

There’s also a quiet versatility to the space. While it works beautifully for everyday dining, it’s equally suited to life’s bigger moments — weddings, private celebrations, milestone gatherings — occasions that benefit from a setting that feels special without being overbearing. The view becomes the backdrop. The coast becomes the constant.

What South Beach, Mount Martha does particularly well is resist over-definition. It doesn’t try to be everything to everyone yet somehow manages to welcome all. It’s relaxed without being casual. Polished without being precious. Coastal without leaning into cliché.

In a region spoiled for choice, South Beach earns its place by understanding something simple but often overlooked: when a venue gets the environment right, everything else falls into line.

It’s not about reinvention. It’s about refinement.

And that’s why it works.

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There’s plenty happening behind the scenes here, too. The Rye Kitchen is one of four Peninsula venues, with an on-site kitchen producing handmade pies, sausage rolls, pastries, sandwiches, salads and sweet treats for the group. There are pantry essentials for the everyday shop, great coffee for the caffeine-dependent among us, and plenty of good things to take home. It’s all made with that same generous, unfussy approach to food that makes a local café feel like a proper part of the neighbourhood.

From Wednesday to Sunday, breakfast and brunch take centre stage, with a cooked menu that gives you every reason to stay a little longer. Think sunny courtyard mornings, generous plates, coffee refills and the sort of catch-up that somehow stretches well past the original plan. It’s relaxed, friendly and very much part of the rhythm of Rye. Come for breakfast, come for coffee, come because you’re hungry after a beach walk, or simply because you were passing and something in the window looked too good to ignore. The Rye Kitchen is one of those easy Peninsula stops that quickly becomes a favourite.

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This is St Andrews Kitchen, the sibling to The Kitchen Tootgarook — same ethos, same people, same food, different location — and it has quietly become a lifeline for the community that orbits this ocean edge for the past three years.

Where Tootgarook glows as a roadside beacon, St Andrews hums to the rhythm of the tides. Doors open at 6:30am, welcoming early risers with strong coffee, pastries, and the promise of a day about to begin. Surfers heading out, locals grabbing their morning ritual, walkers brushing the sand from their shoes — everyone comes through these doors.

From 8am until 2pm, the all-day breakfast and lunch menu keeps the kitchen moving. It’s food that works for all tastes and dietary needs, made with the same commitment to quality and consistency that defines The Kitchen Group. And just when you think service might slow, the doors stay open until 3pm, catching the stragglers: the late lunches, the last-minute snackers, the ones in search of a final caffeine hit before the day turns.

What sets St Andrews Kitchen apart isn’t just its hours or its menu. It’s the way it doubles as a pantry and storehouse for the community. Shelves are stacked with homemade jams, chutneys, and relishes; pies, pasties, sausage rolls, and bread; milk, gifts, and pantry staples. It’s a place where you can pick up dinner on the way home, find a jar of something new, or grab the missing ingredient without trekking into town.

New shelving arrives faster than it can be filled, but that’s part of the charm — the place is always evolving, responding to what the community needs. It’s equal parts café, general store, and gathering point.

If there’s one thing that elevates St Andrews Kitchen beyond its modest exterior, it’s the deck. Facing northwest, it catches the light in a way that makes afternoons linger. On a clear day, the sun dips and paints the space gold; in winter, it becomes a pocket of warmth against the coastal chill. It’s the kind of spot you don’t rush from — coffee in hand, chatter around you, the ocean just out of sight but always present in the breeze.

Behind it all is the same ethos that drives The Kitchen in Tootgarook. Bob Coley’s vision of hospitality without pretence, delivered alongside head chef Andrew “Sharkey” Sharkey and their team, translates seamlessly here. It’s about making people feel at home, delivering consistency every single day, and serving food with love.

St Andrews Kitchen may look like a modest brick veneer at the edge of the world, but step inside and you’ll feel its aura — warm, dependable, and deeply human. It’s proof that even at the wildest parts of the Peninsula, there’s always a place to pause, refuel, and belong.

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Drive. Take Peninsula link from Frankston until you reach the Dromana/Arthurs Seat exit (C789) then climb the famous route to the top of Arthurs Seat. This should take about 30 minutes from Frankston and will provide you with your first stop – a view from the top looking down at the glory of Port Phillip Bay and through to the Moorooduc Plains. From here follow Purves Road, then Browns Road through Main Ridge and Rosebud until you reach Springs Lane in Fingal. All up, this route should take approx. 30 minutes unless you stop and smell the roses along the way.

Do. Stop at Arthurs Seat State Park (Seawinds Gardens) to see kangaroos or The Cups Estate for a glass of wine or light snack before you book into the Peninsula Hot Springs for some relaxation.

Drive. From the Peninsula Hot Springs head back the same way and veer East back on Browns Road until you reach Boneo Road. Turn right here and head due south (follow the Flinders sign) All up, your comfortably about 30 minutes from Flinders.

Do. Stop at Cape Schanck Lighthouse (detour off Boneo Rd, 10 mins.), Bushrangers Bay or one of our favourites if your time poor and want just a little stretch – the Blowhole (just outside of Flinders). Once in Flinders pick up some organic bread at Flinders Sourdough, or if it’s lunch, take a seat on the deck at the Flinders Hotel for some local fare and hospitality. There’s lots to see and do in Flinders.

Drive. From Flinders head north east on Frankston-Flinders Road (C777) and by the time you reach Shoreham turn left onto Red Hill Road. Continue on this road until you reach Merricks North and Bittern Dromana Road (C788) where you will turn right. Follow this until you reach Balnarring Road (C784) where you will turn left and you will follow this road through to it’s completion – the Peninsula Link underpass. From here head back on to the link – your homebound. All up this route would take no more than 40 minutes but there are plenty of interesting places to see and do – weight up the time of day, season and your mood and go from there.

Do. If you’re looking for some inspiration in the garden then a stop at Nobbies View Plant Farm in Shoreham is a must. In Red Hill South there’s coffee time at The Cellar & Pantry (a local institution) Darling Park Winery (casual European fare), Polperro (sophisticated surrounds and menu) The Gordon Studio Glasslowers for exemplary glass works. Further along and in Merricks North you have Willow Creek Winery and to finish things off Terre at Dromana Estate (in Dromana), two of the finest experiences involving wine and food on the Peninsula.

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A Journey from Classroom to Vineyard. Lindsay McCall, a former geography teacher, planted his first vines in 1985. By 1996, he had left teaching to fully immerse himself in winemaking, driven by a passion sparked by a taste of a 1980 Seville Estate Shiraz. His hands-on approach and relentless pursuit of quality have made Paringa Estate synonymous with exceptional wines. The home vineyard may be modest in size, but the quality of its fruit, combined with select regional vineyards, produces wines of unmatched complexity and character.

Paringa Estate is renowned for its dense and rich Pinot Noir, and Shiraz with spicy herbal notes and concentrated fruit flavours. The Chardonnay and Pinot Gris are equally compelling, full of varietal flavour and complexity. James Halliday has consistently rated Paringa Estate with five stars, highlighting the exceptional gift Lindsay has for winemaking.

Paringa Estate Pinot Noir is dense and rich while the Shiraz has spicy herbal notes and concentrated fruit flavours. The Chardonnay and Pinot Gris are full of varietal flavour and complexity.  James Halliday rates Paringa Estate five out of five wine glasses in the new edition of the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion:  ‘Lindsay McCall has shown an absolutely exceptional gift for winemaking across a range of styles, but with immensely complex Pinot Noir and Shiraz leading the way. The wines have an unmatched level of success in the wine shows and competitions Paringa Estate is able to enter, the limitation being the relatively small production of the top wines in the portfolio.’

The estate’s wine portfolio is divided into three distinct series:

• Peninsula Series Wines: Sourced from leased vineyards and select sites around the Mornington Peninsula, these wines emphasise lively fruit flavours and the region’s distinctive style.
• Estate Series Wines: Made from the low-yielding, mature vines on the estate, these wines are aged in new French oak barrels, combining powerful fruit flavours with meticulous winemaking to create the unique Paringa “style.”
• Single Vineyard Series Wines: The pinnacle of Paringa’s portfolio, these wines come from the oldest blocks in the home vineyard. Only made in exceptional vintages, these wines are a pure expression of Paringa’s unique terroir.

The Paringa Estate Restaurant, opened in 1999, offers an exquisite dining experience with expansive vineyard and valley views. The dining room, with its rich timber ceiling and wood fire, provides warmth and intimacy for lunch and evening dining, while the deck captures the natural beauty of the surroundings.

Under the leadership of Head Chef Nick McGonigal, who brings an impressive resume including stints at The Ledbury, Bentley Bar & Restaurant, and Society, the restaurant’s menu is a celebration of the region’s bounty. McGonigal’s philosophy revolves around respect for nature, place, and seasonality, sourcing beef from Gippsland, pork from the Western Plains, mussels from Mt Martha, and cod from Lakes Entrance. He even forages for wild mushrooms and sea herbs, incorporating these unique ingredients into his dishes.

Dishes are always seasonal and change but the following are indicative of what your tastebuds can expect to devour – standouts in the past included grilled saganaki with caviar and preserved lemon oil, drunken chicken ribs with hot mint, duck fat potatoes, wakame spiced calamari with wasabi dipping sauce, and truffle and parmesan croquettes to name but a few. For heartier appetites, the main menu offers beef eye fillet steak, pork belly, and nduja stuffed chicken, ensuring there’s something for everyone.

Lindsay’s journey from a wine enthusiast to the owner of one of Australia’s top wineries is nothing short of inspirational. His first vintage in 1987 may have been modest, but it set the stage for decades of award-winning wines and culinary excellence. The first commercial vintage was in 1988, and by 1996, Lindsay was able to devote himself full-time to winemaking.

His first major accolade came in 1990 when his Shiraz won gold at the Yarra Valley Wine Show. This was just the beginning of a cascade of awards, culminating in 2007 when Paringa Estate was named “Best Winery in Australia” in the James Halliday Wine Companion.

Today, the winery continues to thrive under the watchful eye of Lindsay and his son, Jamie McCall, who has followed in his father’s footsteps to become head winemaker. Jamie, with his international experience and passion for viticulture, is poised to carry the legacy of Paringa Estate well into the future.

Whether you’re there for a wine tasting at the beautifully refurbished cellar door, a delightful meal at the award-winning restaurant, or to celebrate a special occasion among the vines, Paringa Estate promises an experience that engages all the senses. The cellar door offers a chance to taste the currently available wines and learn about Paringa’s grape growing and winemaking processes, often with Lindsay himself on hand to share his knowledge and passion.

Paringa Estate hosts stunning events year-round and the estate’s combination of exceptional wine, fine food, and breathtaking views makes it a premier destination for both locals and visitors.

Paringa Estate is located at 44 Paringa Road, Red Hill South. For more information and to book your visit, check out their website above.

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Jazz, Food & Wine Ticket includes entry into the winery, live jazz entertainment for the day, slow cooked winter meals (vegetarian option also available) plus an etched Paringa Estate ‘Plumm’ wine glass to keep, with a glass of your favourite Paringa Estate ‘Peninsula’ wine.

11am Wine Bar Opens

12-2pm Chef’s Winery Kitchen Open

12:30–3:30pm Live Jazz

4pm Event Concludes

This year’s event is strictly limited to just 150 tickets to ensure a relaxed, safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

Tickets will be available at the door only if not sold out in advance. Booking early is recommended.

A small number of children’s tickets are also available, which include a kids’ meal.

Tickets

$75 Adult

$35 Children

Get ready for an unforgettable afternoon of jazz, blues and roots with some of Melbourne’s most celebrated musicians.

The legendary Bob Sedergreen, inducted into the Bell Awards Jazz Hall of Fame, brings his signature touch on keys. Joining him is Paul Williamson, renowned saxophonist, vocalist, and bandleader who is a true master of jazz and blues. Michael Jordan, long-time drummer and vocalist with Paul’s iconic combo, lays down the groove, while Jon Chidgey brings decades of experience on electric bass, including years alongside Bob in the Stonnington Jazz Showband.

Topping off this stellar line-up is our special guest, Kerri Simpson who is the undisputed queen of blues, soul, and gospel with a rich catalogue of acclaimed albums.

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Soak, Relax, Repeat

At the heart of the Peninsula’s wellbeing scene are its renowned geothermal springs. A visit to Peninsula Hot Springs is almost a rite of passage. Nestled among rolling dunes, this award-winning wellness destination offers over 70 globally inspired bathing experiences.

Slip into naturally heated mineral pools, ranging from tranquil hillside baths with sweeping views to intimate cave-like spaces perfect for quiet reflection. The waters, rich in minerals, are known for easing muscle tension and promoting deep relaxation — ideal after a busy week in the city.

For those seeking a more elevated experience, the Spa Dreaming Centre offers private bathing, luxurious treatments, and serene spaces reserved for adults. It’s the kind of place where time seems to pause, allowing you to fully switch off.

A New Era of Wellness

For a contemporary take on relaxation, discover Aurora Spa and Bathhouse. This modern wellness sanctuary blends sleek design with immersive experiences, creating a space that feels both grounding and indulgent.

Aurora’s bathing rituals are thoughtfully curated, combining geothermal pools, steam rooms, and saunas to guide you through a journey of hot and cold therapy. It’s not just about relaxation — it’s about rejuvenation, circulation, and restoring balance.

Your Perfect Reset

Whether you’re planning a weekend escape or a longer retreat, the Mornington Peninsula offers something increasingly rare — space to slow down. Here, wellness isn’t rushed or complicated. It’s as simple as soaking in warm mineral waters, breathing in fresh coastal air, and allowing yourself the time to truly unwind.

You’ll arrive feeling like you need a break — and leave wondering why you didn’t come sooner.

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Across the road from the McCrae lighthouse and yacht club , Alatonero is giving diners the opportunity to enjoy well known and much loved Greek food. With an impressive resume in the restaurant world, and with energy and drive to burn, Jacqui Poulier has brought to life her love of the Greek Islands, it’s culture and lifestyle.

The restaurant is light, bright, open and airy with a fresh sea breeze that drifts through the open plan dining area. Launched in mid-October, 2016, Alatonero has quickly built up a solid reputation for delicious fare, fine produce and a stylish, comfortable atmosphere. More kaftan than collar, the welcoming hues of blue and white invite guests to sit back, relax and enjoy.

Alatonero is all about bringing people together – sharing the love of food, wine and stories. The venue is a very modern take on the Mediterranean – a bright and breezy space with a touch of Mornington Peninsula flair.

The centrepiece is the food where you can order stunning meze style favourites including both traditional and modern dishes. While their food is unmistakably modern Greek, they aim to source as much local produce as possible such as honey, coffee, domestic olive oil, seafood, lamb, goat and wine.

The meze style menu is full of mouth watering delights – saganaki, fried calamari with harissa aoili, chargrilled octopus with wild fennel, fava and pickles, slow roasted lamb shoulder with caper berries, dill, cucumber, saltbush and Moussaka.

There are loads of delicious side dishes, and kids are well catered for, as are those with a sweet tooth. Jacqui is also happy to welcome guests for any occasion, from family get togethers to casual, spontaneous dining and special occasions and celebrations.

While the flavours are from afar, all of the produce is Australian – and locally grown where possible – including local seafood, seasonal fruits, olive oil, coffee, and lamb and goat from Gippsland.

The wine list is concise yet impressive, with a strong focus on local Mornington Peninsula white and red varietals and an offering of Greek red and white wines too. You’ll find local beers along with Mythos Greek Lager and a Volkan Santorini Pilsner. Or you can always drop in for a Greek Iced Coffee Frappe, or perhaps make that ouzo?

New for Spring and rolling into Summer is Alatonero’s take away offering. Drop-in or call in advance to order your favourites loaded with Greek goodness – perfect for the beachside picnic or to take home on those busy days where cooking isn’t fathomable. Take away is available lunch and dinner Wednesday through to Sunday.

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