I thought I'd open with an apology: sorry for not posting every day. While the blog sequence is in chronological order, there are days missing here and there. This is because my internet connection is actually my iPhone and the speed of upload is sometimes so frustratingly slow that I give up.
Today is Thursday and I am intending to post this today.
Over the last two days we have done some driving around the Peninsula and have spent time at Sorrento (again) and yesterday at Flinders. Two very different worlds. Sorrento is where the old money meets the new money. I have stopped counting the Porsches and Masseratis because there are too many BMWs and Mercedes getting in the way. A European car is de riguer darling. This morning while having breakfast on Main Street we saw a new Jaguar and a Rolls Royce.
Sorrento is not like other parts of the Peninsula. The shopping area has been crowded each time we've been there and the houses ... wow. There are plenty of mansions with ocean views tucked away behind impeccably manicured hedges. You can only glimpse the mansions because the hedges are so thick and tall. It really is Gatsby territory. That said, you can keep it. I prefer the laid back feel of Mornington itself. It feels less rushed and there are plenty of options for eating and drinking, most of the cafes double as bars in the afternoon.
Food Reviews
Food wise... Lilo, a cafe for breakfast has the most generous serves, but the coffee is average and they don't do fresh juice. Lilo is on the Esplanade towards Mount Martha and is about 2km from Main Street of Mornington. Via Boffe is on Main Street and has tables out the back of the shop. The crowds testify that the food is good, but once again no juice and the coffee is OK. Boyz for Breakie do fresh juice - yay - but the coffee was too bitter. Reasonable menu, but not enough to bring us back. Then we discovered Biscottini, finally everything came together. Another cafe on Main, good coffee, fresh juice and great sourdough. It is going to be our regular breakfast haunt until we head home.
As for dinner, the pick so far has been The Counting House. It's on the Esplanade just around the corner from Main Street. Good wine list and a small but interesting menu. DOC, part Italian deli, part restaurant. They do pizza the proper way, less is more. Yum. They also serve a variety of mozzarella plates and a lasagne. The wines are all Italian and I have yet to see the place not packed to the rafters at dinner time. The service is fast and efficient. It's on Main down towards the water. Soy is obviously Asian and does Yum Cha for lunch. We went for dinner. Not radically different from any other Australian-Chinese restaurant and a little expensive for what it was.
Flinders
We decided to visit Flinders after speaking to shop assistant in the morning (I love David Smith shirts). Flinders is on the south-east corner of the Peninsula. It is a small community in comparison with development from Mornington down to Portsea. There is a small shopping centre with a take-away and obligatory art gallery a surf shop and not much else of note. There are a couple of other galleries and antique shops and a 'licensed' post office - I'll have beer with my mail please.
There was also a jetty, popular with the fisher folk of the area. You can see out into Bass Strait and also across the water to Phillip Island. Just up the hill from the jetty was the local golf club. The tourist drive went right through the centre of it and there plenty of signs telling drivers to beware of errant golf balls. Drifting around the edge of the course off a small cliff was a para-sailor .
As we were driving back down to the main road we noticed that one of the locals had answered that age old question: what do you do with the remnant tree truck in the front yard of your house? Do you really want to know? Check out the picture below ...
A little further on from Flinders is the southern most tip of the Peninsula, Cape Schanck, complete with lighthouse and walking trails and some stunning views of the rugged coastline.
Food Reviews
Food wise... Lilo, a cafe for breakfast has the most generous serves, but the coffee is average and they don't do fresh juice. Lilo is on the Esplanade towards Mount Martha and is about 2km from Main Street of Mornington. Via Boffe is on Main Street and has tables out the back of the shop. The crowds testify that the food is good, but once again no juice and the coffee is OK. Boyz for Breakie do fresh juice - yay - but the coffee was too bitter. Reasonable menu, but not enough to bring us back. Then we discovered Biscottini, finally everything came together. Another cafe on Main, good coffee, fresh juice and great sourdough. It is going to be our regular breakfast haunt until we head home.
As for dinner, the pick so far has been The Counting House. It's on the Esplanade just around the corner from Main Street. Good wine list and a small but interesting menu. DOC, part Italian deli, part restaurant. They do pizza the proper way, less is more. Yum. They also serve a variety of mozzarella plates and a lasagne. The wines are all Italian and I have yet to see the place not packed to the rafters at dinner time. The service is fast and efficient. It's on Main down towards the water. Soy is obviously Asian and does Yum Cha for lunch. We went for dinner. Not radically different from any other Australian-Chinese restaurant and a little expensive for what it was.
Flinders
We decided to visit Flinders after speaking to shop assistant in the morning (I love David Smith shirts). Flinders is on the south-east corner of the Peninsula. It is a small community in comparison with development from Mornington down to Portsea. There is a small shopping centre with a take-away and obligatory art gallery a surf shop and not much else of note. There are a couple of other galleries and antique shops and a 'licensed' post office - I'll have beer with my mail please.
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| A licensed Post Office ... cool. |
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| Phillip Island in the distance |
As we were driving back down to the main road we noticed that one of the locals had answered that age old question: what do you do with the remnant tree truck in the front yard of your house? Do you really want to know? Check out the picture below ...
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| Nice view, but I prefer the lookout. |
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| Says it all really. |
A little further on from Flinders is the southern most tip of the Peninsula, Cape Schanck, complete with lighthouse and walking trails and some stunning views of the rugged coastline.
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| Pulpit Rock |
The flowering gums are beautiful and everywhere. The main colours are red, orange and crimson. I'm going to try and get some seed pods to bring home and plant on the reserve behind our house.
The temperature hit 38° today and I spent a large part of the day inside trying to fix the slipping gears on my bike. I think I've been successful after 4 different youtube tutorials and a trip to one local bike shop to purchase a bike stand. I did try to book the bike in for a service, which was a cheaper option, but the best they could do was offer me a time in 3 weeks. It's like getting in to see a doctor. I'll let you know tomorrow whether I was successful.
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