Frankston and Surrounds

Visitors driving through Frankston to the Mornington Peninsula on the Nepean Highway get just a glimpse of one of the city’s best attractions: its long, clean beach and waterfront reserve with a popular children’s playground. On the freeways you see even less, but the biggest ‘town’ in the region has a multitude of delights. There’s a boardwalk from the playground to nearby Olivers Hill and its several lookouts. Visit the worldfamous McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery and dine at its classy café. Spend a few hours exploring George Pentland Botanic Gardens and Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre with awesome water slides for every age.

The city’s arts centre hosts performances of all kinds that come down from Melbourne.

The CBD is packed with street art, murals and sculptures, and you can take a guided or selfguided tour. Cafe culture is strong in Frankston and there’s some good restaurants and hotels, including on the foreshore.

Other attractions include Beauty Park, Jubilee Park, Seaford Wetlands with several bird hides, Kananook Creek trail, Sweetwater Creek Reserve, Frankston Reservoir conservation reserve with its many walking and cycling trails, and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s Cruden Farm.

Historic buildings in Frankston and surrounds include Ballam Park Homestead, Mulberry Hill, Mechanics Institute, and Frankston Oval’s gates from Old Melbourne Gaol.