Three generations on why they love the Mornington Peninsula

There’s a long list of reasons why so many have flocked to the Mornington Peninsula for a sea change in recent years.

To start with, the wild surf beaches of Bass Strait provide rugged beauty while the pristine waters of Port Phillip Bay rival the Mediterranean.

Then there are the wineries dotted throughout the hinterland around Red Hill, bath houses and day spas popping up all over the place, award-winning restaurants, farm gates, markets, arts festivals, bushwalks and plenty more.

Of course, locals have been familiar with the delights of the Mornington Peninsula for a long time.

Katherine La Nauze grew up here before moving to Melbourne to study in the 1990s. When she drove to Dromana for work at weekends, she “would wind down the car windows and breathe in the fresh sea air and the smell of the eucalypts”.

La Nauze and her husband returned to Mornington to raise their four children and “have not looked back”, she says, adding that the combination of a nurturing local community and immersion in nature have made for an idyllic family life.

“We spent a lot of time swimming at the beach and doing bushwalks,” she says. “We have had enough space to make a beautiful garden, grow a lot of our own food and keep animals. This has taught our children a lot.

“We also love horses and bike riding, and the peninsula has many avenues for these activities.”

La Nauze names Dromana, Main Ridge and Red Hill as among the family’s favourite areas for mountain-bike riding, and says they also enjoy exploring Devil’s Bend Reservoir, Coolart Wetlands, Bushrangers Bay, Mushroom Reef, Point Nepean National Park, and the ocean beaches of Rye and Sorrento.

She is also a big fan of the region’s culinary culture.

“I love that there is so much locally grown and locally made produce available on the peninsula,” La Nauze says. “Beautiful wine, craft beer, cheeses, bread, coffee and fresh produce.

“A favourite winery is Yabby Lake in Tuerong. We love the cheese from Boatshed in Dromana.”

The Mornington Peninsula has been home to La Nauze’s family for generations. Her mother, Laurel Chan, grew up in the area and still lives in Mount Eliza with her husband.

“I love the diversity of the nature and wildlife on the Peninsula,” Chan says. “You do not have to go far to see such beautiful landscapes.

“My favourite walks are at Rye Back Beach, The Briars in Mount Martha and Sweet Water Creek in Frankston.”

Chan, her three daughters and La Nauze’s two daughters, Kitty and Daisy, have all attended Toorak College in Mount Eliza, a private girls’ school that has been in operation for 150 years. Kitty and Daisy are current students.

Chan graduated in 1969 and says seeing her daughters and granddaughters attend the same school she did “creates a sense of continuity and legacy” and is “incredibly fulfilling”.

Given its location minutes from the foreshore and right at the entrance to the peninsula, Toorak College is in a prime position to give students access to a range of enriching outdoor and nature-based experiences.

Chan remembers participating in swimming and cross country training events at the beach, and visiting local sites of Indigenous significance.

She sent her daughters to the college because of her own positive experience.

Today, the school’s grand old architecture is complemented by developments such as the Swift Science Centre, opened in 2020, and the Community and Arts Precinct expected to be completed by the end of the year.

La Nauze is happy that her daughters have an even greater breadth of opportunities at the school than when she attended and says “the philosophy of nurturing every student as an individual is genuinely evident”.

“With each generation, the opportunities and facilities expand, as do their dreams for what they can become,” Chan adds. “Toorak nurtures these dreams and it is exciting to see the generational changes.”

For La Nauze, the love of the arts she developed in school has flourished through life on the peninsula. She now plays violin with the Peninsula Chamber Musicians, a professional group of classical musicians that “make music accessible to the local community”, and her family regularly visits the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery.

From awe-inspiring natural landscapes to enriching cultural experiences, La Nauze has found “the choices are endless” on the Mornington Peninsula.