The Back Beaches of Melbourne

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Victoria's back beaches can be easily found, just a short distance from central Melbourne.

These fascinating places make for the perfect opportunity to indulge in two fun things to do.

- beachcombing

- sea glass collecting 

It is such an exhilarating experience to walk along a deserted beach, with the wind in your hair and all your senses on full alert.

Winter is one of the best seasons to do just this,  as the rugged coastline is usually deserted and you can really appreciate the wild and untamed landscape.

To introduce you to the fantastic Victorian rugged coastline, I have selected a few of my favorite back beaches, some I have spent long hours exploring and I highly recommend that you take the time to do so as well.

As a very young child, I was introduced to the amazing, wild and thrilling aspects of the back Melbourne's beaches.

Many a happy hour was spent sifting through the sands, clambering over the coastal rock ledges, exploring rock pools and fossicking for bits and pieces.

This page is divided into sections as there are specific back beaches to explore that are unique to the area.

• Map of all the best back beaches
• Sorrento Back-Beach
• Portsea Back Beach
• Mornington Back-Beaches
• Phillip Island Back-Beaches
• Back-Beaches West of Melbourne

Point Lonsdale back beach and lighthouse

Melbourne's Best Back Beaches Map

Click onto the map for a larger image.

Fill in your starting point and follow the directions as to how to get there.

Collecting pretty sea shells, is just one of the things that you can do when visiting these beaches. The sea deposits plenty more interesting bits and pieces up onto the shoreline. Beachcombing is such a fun, relaxing and sometimes highly rewarding pastime.

When wandering the shoreline, you can collect ...

• Driftwood
• Sea Shells
• Fossils
• Rocks
• Sea Glass
• Broken Pottery
• Shipwrecked artifacts
• Gemstones

Sorrento Back Beach

My very first memories of days spent at the ocean back beach, were of warm sunny times exploring the rock pools at Sorrento.

You will find an amazing stretch of ocean beach. Just a short stroll down from the car park, leads you to soft, sandy stretches along the foreshore,  tantalising rock pools to explore and expanses of seaweed hugging rock ledges.

When the tide is out these rock pools and ledges are a swimmer's and beachcomber's delight. There are deep blue pools brimming with incredible marine life.

Sorrento back beach in Victoria, Australia

Sorrento's swimming hole, just to the right of the carpark, has a rock platform where you are able to dive from into the clean, crystal clear waters of Bass Strait. This is refreshed daily with the new tide arrival.

A safe family beach that can be enjoyed by all age groups. There are BBQ and Picnic facilities available and a kiosk for that hot cuppa and bucket of piping hot, salty chips on a cold and blustery winter's day.

Sorrento back beach swimming hole

Portsea Back-Beach

This is a popular beach for excellent swimmers and surfers, however the waters are very dangerous so please, if you do want to swim here take notice of the flags when the beach is being patrolled and never swim alone.

London Bridge By Stephen Bain - Own work

The rock arch London Bridge, has been formed by the erosion of wind and waves. It can be found by walking along the Farnsworth Track which hugs the cliff line to the west of the beach, or you can reach it by car on the back-beach road ... just watch for the sign on your right.

The walk offers you an amazing view eastwards to Cape Shank, Arthurs Seat and westward towards Barwon Heads and the Otway Ranges.

Cape Schanck By Marshlung - Own work

Pick up your very own uniquely created beachcombing bag. Pop everything that you need into this sturdy carry all. Just one design in the full collection of bags created for you by Family Getaways Melbourne.

Material:

• Exterior: 100% sturdy brushed polyester
• Interior: 100% polyester 
• nonwoven laminate100% cotton web handles
• Printed then sewn for edge-to-edge designs
• Black laminated lining for extra support

Designer Bag used for beachcombing, shopping or picnics

Mornington Peninsula National Park Back-Beaches

These open stretches of sandy beaches, an occasional rocky outcrop and saltbrush wind-swept dunes are perfect for long and delightfully soul mending walks, with or without the kids.

Here you can sing to your hearts content, or shout your cares away, or with head down and absorbed in the art of the beachcomber, wile away many an hour or two or more.

If you enjoy surfing, then this stretch of foreshore on the back-beaches of Mornington make for great waters. Just be careful and watch the rips.

Surfing at the Rye back beach Victoria, Australia

The beaches are vacuumed daily by nature and sometimes she offers up a few of her well chosen treasures to share.

The beaches are patrolled weekends and public holidays, swimming and surfing here is really for the very experienced as the waters are very dangerous. This stretch of coastline also is a fantastic area to surf fish.

Fishing on the back beach at Gunnamatta Victoria Australia

These beaches also provide an excellent chance to explore the underwater coastline. Scuba diving is a popular past time for some although please do so with company as the rock ledges and open ocean seas make the area quite formidable.

Scuba diving on Flinders back beach Victoria Australia

Ocean Beaches Of Phillip Island

On the eastern section of Phillip Island the Western Port Bay waters mingle with those from the Bass Strait bringing with them some fascinating sea treasures.

• Huge forests of thick rubbery Kelp
• Empty shark egg cocoons
• An amazing variety of sea sponges
• Interesting fossil finds
• Huge Cuttlefish
• Shipwreck artifacts
• Sea Glass
• Sea Shells, different seasons bring different types
  

On the back western beaches the coastline is rugged and the swimming is dangerous so be cautions if you are intending to do so. Perfect beaches to beachcombe and take photos though looking out onto the open ocean seas of Bass Strait.

You might even catch a glimpse of one of the big ocean liners that sometimes find their way into Western Port Bay.

The Nobbies on Phillip Island in Victoria, Australia

Another excellent way to discover the ocean beaches of this amazing natural wonderland, is to book a tour with Viator, who offer amazing tours of this region.

Click the image below for a full selection of tours onto Phillip Island.

Click the image below, a page will open with a Search Box on it, type Phillip Island and all the fun tours will display.

Please note that some links on this page are to companies that I have an affiliation with. By that I mean that if you purchase a product through them I receive a very small commission. This way of earning income is termed Monetization and it is a way for me to keep my site out here for you to enjoy. I will only affiliate with companies that I feel offer value for money and excellent back up service. These are Companies that I personally have used to purchase products for myself, my family and my friends. To learn more please refer to my Disclaimer page

The Back-Beaches West Of Melbourne

Snorkelling around these rocky areas can bring a very pleasant surprise ... huge crayfish, yummy!

Swimming at this beach is quite dangerous so only swim in areas that are patrolled, usually on a weekend and public holidays.

For some amazing photography you can't go past this beach, nature at its best, Point Lonsdale is a great family getaway diversion.

Further along this amazing ocean coastline you will find amazing, rugged beaches. Some of these are accessible, whilst others can be admired from on top of the cliff tops.

London Bridge along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia

Full Day Great Ocean Road Tour from Melbourne

Visit the Great Ocean Road on this full day tour from Melbourne to witness one of the world's great drives in true, epic detail; a dramatic, powerful, dangerous and majestic Victorian coastline which is also known as the Ship Wreck Coast - one of Australia's most famous "must do" experiences.

This full day tour on the Great Ocean Road extends from Geelong to Apollo Bay through Torquay and Lorne, featuring all the key natural and historical highlights that make this stretch of coast unique and all conducted aboard a comfortable coach with informative commentary given along the way.

Enjoy the Otway National Park, to the rugged beauty of the Twelve Apostle National Park and the Twelve Apostles themselves - are there really twelve? To Loch Ard Gorge and Port Campbell shaped by the wild Southern Ocean this coastline will not fail to impress; so be sure to bring your camera!

Add in extras such as complimentary hotel pickups, free on-board Wi-Fi to browse as you travel, and refreshments along the way, and you'll have everything you need for experiencing the best of the Great Ocean Road in comfort and style.

The 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road Day Tour from Melbourne

Beachcombing Tips And Suggestions

Beware The March Fly

These nasty little creatures just love to hug the shoreline and they bite like a lion

Their bite can leave a nasty red and swollen mark and the itch, oh dear...

Try to swat them, good luck. They are so fast and cunning. I have found that the best way to beat them is to spray up. If you don't like to spray then use the gel or roll on, just as effective.

Don't forget the Aerogard - Here are a few more tips to help make your day more pleasant

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