The tower on the beach at Rosebud

Rosebud (including Rye, Boneo, Gunnamatta and McCrae)
Holiday resort on Port Phillip Bay near Mornington Peninsula National Park
Wiht its pleasant foreshore and choice of three golf courses, Rosebud is a busy holiday resort and commercial centre of 11 000 people located 78 km south of Melbourne via the Nepean Highway. It is situated on the northern rim of the Mornington Peninsula, facing northwards across Port Phillip to the state capital which lies 50 km away on the opposite shore. The local beach is calm and sheltered and therefore ideal for families. There are three golf clubs - in Elizabeth Drive, Boneo Rd and Truemans Rd - and a major shopping strip on Point Nepean Rd.

The newly-created Union Jack was raised for the first time in Australia in 1802 at Point King which is about 16 km west of present-day Rosebud. This occurred during a 25-day exploration of Port Phillip Bay by Lieutenant Murray and party in the Lady Nelson. He was quickly followed by Matthew Flinders who mistook Port Phillip Bay for Western Port and only discovered his mistake after climbing Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana).

Two French ships were also exploring the southern waters at this time and, largely to forestall French claims to any part of the continent, the first European settlement on Port Phillip Bay was established in 1803, though it was abandoned the following year (see entry on Sorrento). White settlement of the peninsula was not resumed until the 1830s after the establishment of Melbourne). Pastoralists began bringing livestock into the area late in the decade and fishermen soon followed.

Rosebud is named after a schooner which ran aground on a sandbank here in 1851. The settlement developed after fishermen gathered to scavenge planks and damask.

The Wittingslow Foreshore Carnival is held at Rosebud in January and the Rosebud Family Festival is on the last weekend in November. The Rye Markets occur on the first Saturday of each month, the Rosebud Community Marketson the second Saturday and the Boneo Community Market is held on the third Saturday, on Boneo Rd (6 km south of the Rosebud foreshore).

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
The Dromana Visitor Information Centre is located on Point Nepean Rd at Dromana, tel: (03) 5987 3078 or (1800) 804 009.

Sheds on the shoreline at Rosebud

Rosebud Beach, Fishing Charters, Boat Hire and Dolphin-Watching Cruises
Owing to sandbars which extend out from the shore for up to 200 metres, Rosebud offers a safe aquatic environment for families. Equipment for water sports can be hired from Beachcomber Catamaran Hire at West Rosebud, tel: (03) 5981 2112.

Fishing and boating are very popular in the area and there are several boat hire services. Homestead Boat Hire is located opposite 753 Point Nepean Highway, tel: (03) 5986 1947. Magnum Boat Hire, on the foreshore at Rosebud (opposite 771 Point Nepean Highway), has fishing, half-cabin and cruising vessels, row boats, catamarans and cruisers, tel: (03) 5986 4547. Rosebud Boat Hire & Tackle in Rotary Park, on Foreshore Point (Nepean Road), has fishing and cruising vessels, funboats, catamarans and hovercraft, tel: (03) 5982 2066.

Fishing charter services which operate in the area are A Reel Time Experience at Rye, tel: (0414) 229 488; Bayfish Charters of Blairgowrie, tel: (03) 5988 9370; Calypso Fishing Charters of Tootgarook, tel: (03) 5982 2854; Jillian Fishing Trips of Rosebud, tel: (0500) 566 010; and Profishing Charters & Imports of Rye who also offer boat charters, tel: (03) 5985 7620. Other boat charters are available from Lady Cutler of Rosebud, tel: (03) 5981 8290; and Oz Dive & Boat Charters of Rye, tel: (03) 5985 7775.

Dolphin Adventure Swims (tel: 03 5984 3664), Moonraker Charters (tel: 5984 4211), Polperro Dolphin Swims (tel: 03 5988 8437) and Rip Charters (tel: 03 5984 3664) all offer dolphin cruises. The dolphin swim season is from October to May with sightseeing tours continuing through winter. All dolphin operators take in the seal colonies of the area.

Rip Charters also run fishing charters while Moonraker offer private charters, sightseeing and fishing tours and diving experiences with quality gear and a fully qualified divemaster and lifesaver.

Gordon Studio Glassblowers
Gordon Studio Glassblowers are located at 1591 Nepean Highway (corner of Chatfield Ave), Rosebud West, tel: (03) 5986 7044. It is open every day but Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. or by appointment

Rosebud Picnic Park
Rosebud Picnic Park, on Jetty Rd, is a family recreation area with a 9-hole golf course, shops and amusements. It is open on Sundays and on school and public holidays.

Tallarida Winery
Tallarida Winery and Boneo Vineyard, established in 1988, is located at RMB 1400 Browns Rd, South Rosebud. It is open weekends, public holidays and most other days from midday to 5.00 p.m. They produce cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot and sparkling wine, tel: (03) 5988 6208. To get there, head south of Rosebud along Boneo Rd (the Flinders Road) for 4 km then turn left into Browns Rd.

Ace Hi Ranch
Boneo Rd heads due south from Rosebud. About 8 km south of the Rosebud foreshore, at 810 Boneo Rd, is the Ace Hi Ranch. This is essentially a family recreation centre, combining aspects of a 10-acre free-range wildlife park, animal nursery, farmyard, horseriding venue and accommodation centre, offering fun activities amidst the dune country of Cape Schanck. It has koalas, wombats, possums, tawny frogmouths, emus, kangaroos, waterfowl, cockatoos, galahs, parrots, dingoes, sheep, pigs, ducks, geese, chickens, trail rides, forest rides, ocean beach rides, excelent views,self-contained cabins, a restaurant, barbecues, picnic facilities, a ten-metre simulated rock climb, an archery range and a flying fox, tel: (03) 5988 6262, or fax: (03) 5988 6698. The email address is ride@ace-hi.com.au

A recent addition is an international military vehicle collection featuring 73 armoured vehicles. Two of them are used for passenger rides and driving lessons, tel: (03) 5973 4342.

The walkway at Cape Schanck, Mornington National Park

Cape Schanck and Mornington Peninsula National Park
About 12 km from Rosebud, along Boneo Rd, there is a right turn into Cape Schanck Rd which heads out to a carpark by Cape Schanck Lighthouse, situated at the eastern approach to Port Phillip Bay. Built of stone it is 21 metres tall and has been in service since 1859. If you wish to book accommodation in the two former lighthouse keeper's cottages or if you wish to see the inside of the lighthouse ring (1800) 804 145 or (03) 9568 6411.

An information board has details of walks in the area. From the carpark a constructed track leads south out to the beach and rock platform of Cape Schanck.

Another track heads east from the carpark along Bushrangers Bay (90 minutes return), past rugged basalt cliffs and some exceptional coastal scenery to Main Creek. A detailed guiding leaflet is available from the box at the start of the walk or from Parks Victoria.

An optional extra is to pick up the Main Track which heads north-east, taking in some fine views and shady banksia groves. It leads to the Bushrangers Bay Walking Track carpark on Boneo Rd (see previous entry) and continues north to Greens Bush.

Just north of Cape Schanck Lighthouse, a short side road heads west off Cape Schanck Rd past a small parking area, which is the start of a series of walking tracks, and on to The Pines Picnic Area which has toilets, picnic tables and electric barbecues. From the parking area it is possible to pick up the Fingal Circuit Walk (8 km return) which leads through areas of dense tea-tree growth, past a lookout over Selwyn's Fault. It offers outstanding views of the basalt cliffs then steeply down to Fingal Beach. This trip is best undertaken at low tide if you wish to explore the coastline. Shorter circuit walks are signposted from the Pines carpark.

This walk is only part of the 27-km Coastal Walk which follows the coastline all the way westwards to London Bridge near Portsea.

Greens Bush
Almost opposite the turnoff to Cape Schanck is a signposted turnoff on the left into Long Point Rd (gravel) which leads to Greens Bush. The largest section of remnant bushland on the Peninsula, it is an island of native forest and wildlife amidst a sea of farmland. There are many birds (including honeyeaters, parrots, wedge-tailed eagles, kites and wrens), along with kangaroos (which can be seen feeding on the grasslands at dawn and dusk), the swamp wallabies of the forests and nocturnal mammals such as ringtail possums, sugar gliders and bats.

After about 1.4 km Long Point Rd intersects with Rogers Rd. This is the start of the Long Point Circuit Walk (4 km return) which passes through eucalypt forest with a bracken understorey before opening out into grasslands and gullies of coastal banksia and blackwood.

The Two Bays Walking Track is a 30-km bush corridor between Cape Schanck and Dromana. It takes in eucalypt forest, 200-year-old grasstrees, tea-tree thickets, fern gullies and open grasslands. Leaflets outlining these walks are available from Parks Victoria (tel: 131 963) or the Dromana Information Centre.

The Bushrangers Bay Walking Track and Main Creek Walking Track
3 km beyond the turnoff into Long Point Rd there is a signposted carpark. A walking track (5 km return) leads south to the secluded beach at Bushrangers Bay. It is considered one of the best short coastal walks going. The beach can also be accessed via the walking track which departs from the Cape Schanck carpark.

It is also possible to walk north from the carpark into Greens Bush via the Main Creek Walking Track which follows the Main Creek valley through varied scenery (including eucalypt woodland, small fern gullies and grazing paddocks) to Lightwood Creek.

Gunnamatta Beach
Truemans Rd heads south from the Port Phillip coast at a point intermediate between Rosebud and Rye (just east of Tootgarook) out to Gunnamatta Beach which faces out towards Bass Strait, west of Fingal Beach and Cape Schanck. It is a good beach for surfing, bodyboarding, wave skiing and sailboarding, depending on the winds, and it is patrolled on weekends in summer and during other holiday periods but it is important to swim between flags as the ocean beaches on the southern side of the peninsula are often too dangerous for swimming. To get there from Boneo Rd, turn into Limestone Rd, 6 km south of the Rosebud coast and follow it to its end then turn left into Truemans Rd.

Gunnamatta Museum
Located at Lot 14 Truemans Rd, they have a collection of jewellery, gemstones, crystals, fossils, cacti and bonsai and are open weekends, school and public holidays from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. or by appointment, tel: (03) 5988 6496.

Gunnamatta Trail Rides
As one drives along Truemans Rd, towards Gunnamatta Beach, there is a turnoff on the right into Sandy Road. Along here are Gunnamatta Trail Rides, tel: (03) 5988 6262 or (1800) 801 003. They offer treks of varying length which take in the Red Hill area, St Andrews Ocean Beach and Greens Bush. There are also horse-drawn tram rides of local wineries. Professional instruction is available and there are self-contained cottages, school camps, educational excursions and a horse and pony-hire service for parties, functions and films, tel: (03) 5988 6755 or (1800) 801 003.

St Andrews Beach
Along Sandy Rd there is another turnoff on the left which leads down to St Andrews Beach, which is just west of Gunnamatta Beach.

Rye
Like Rosebud, Rye is essentially suburban in character with strip shopping centres but it has a golf course, a fine foreshore area, a pier, a playground and rotunda, barbecue facilities, and a shallow sandy and safe beach which is good for sailboarding and windsurfing. Rye Back Beach lies at the end of Dundas St, which also provides access to Sandy Rd and hence St Andrews Beach and Gunnamatta Beach (see previous entries). Cycling tracks traverse the bayside, passing through tea-tree bush.

A major feature of the foreshore is a reconstructed limeburners' kiln which reflects the fact that the limeburners were the first permanent white settlers in the immediate area. The industry remained the primary economic activity at the southern end of the peninsula until the 1860s, by which time most of the good lime deposits were gone. Rye did not develop as a tourist attraction for Melburnians until the era of the motor car as it lacked a pier for the disembarkation of passengers on the paddlesteamers which plied the area late in the 19th century.

The Blairgowrie-Rye Recreational Track is well-made and well-maintained. It follow the bay foreshore through an understorey of coastal tea-tree, banksia and other native vegetation and can be extended through Rosebud and Dromana. Incomplete sections mean you occasionally have to go via the beach or road.The Blow Wave Windsurfing Classic is held at Rye, along with the Rye Athletics Gift in January and the Sand Sculpture Competition in February.

Four-metre power boats can be hired from Rye Boat Hire, along with fishing gear, canoes, surf skis, windsurfers and paddle boats, tel: (0417) 516 406.

Fishing charter services which operate from Rye are A Reel Time Experience (tel: 0414 229 488) and Profishing Charters & Imports who also offer boat charters, tel: (03) 5985 7620. Other boat charters are available from Oz Dive & Boat Charters of Rye, tel: (03) 5985 7775.

McCrae and McCrae Homestead
At the eastern edge of Rosebud is McCrae which has a popular beach. The lighthouse (1874) is located immediately opposite the McCrae shops. It marks the turning point for shipping in the main channel between Port Phillip Heads and Melbourne.

Formerly an independent township, McCrae was named after McCrae homestead, a small timber cottage (stringybark and messmate) with shingled roof, rough-hewn posts and drop-slab walls built on the slopes of Arthurs Seat in 1844 for the eight children and two parents of the McCrae family. The first homestead on the Mornington Peninsula, it was based upon plans drawn up by artist and diarist Georgina McCrae whose surviving sketches and diary entries enabled a proper restoration of the home. There are original furnishings, a reconstructed period kitchen and a museum. It is located at 11 Beverley Rd and is open daily from 12.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m., tel: (03) 5986 5688.

Interestingly, the McCrae family had made its fortune on the back of the Jamaican sugar industry (based on slave labour imported from Africa) but Andrew's father formed a friendship with William Wilberforce, the central political figure in the British campaign to abolish the Atlantic Slave Trade (legislated in 1807) and to emancipate all slaves in the British dominions (legislated in 1833). As a result Andrew's father was disinherited and Andrew was one of five children to migrate to Melbourne. His son George Gordon McCrae, was a poet of some contemporary notoriety.

	Motels
	Admiral Motel 799 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8933 Facsimile: (03) 5986 2558 Rating: ****
	Bayview Motor Inn 1795 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5981 1333 Facsimile: (03) 5981 2970 Rating: ***
	Copper Lantern Motel 1571 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 2220 Facsimile: (03) 5986 2220 Rating: **1/2
	Nepean Country Club Holiday Browns Rd P.O. Box 403 Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 9800 Facsimile: (03) 5986 9700 Rating: ***1/2
	Hotels
	Rosebud Hotel Nepean Hwy Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 1688
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	4th Ave B & B 115 Fourth St Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 6663 Rating: ****
	Inglewood Bed & Breakfast 268 Jetty Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 1552 Facsimile: (03) 5986 1552 Rating: ***1/2
	Tapestry House 6 Morgan St Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 4119 Facsimile: (03) 5981 2424 Rating: ***1/2
	Apartments
	Beachside Apartments Rosebud 860 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 1433 Facsimile: (03) 5986 2232 Rating: ***
	Dixey Court Holiday Apts 7 Chatfield Ave Rosebud West 3940 Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 9419 8325 Rating: ***
	Nepean Country Club Holiday Apts Browns Rd P.O. Box 403 Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 9800 Facsimile: (03) 5986 9700 Rating: ****1/2
	Rosebud Holiday Apartments 771 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5982 0705
	Seacove on the Beach 910 Pt Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 4365 Facsimile: (03) 5986 7980 Rating: ****1/2
	Holiday Homes & Units
	Amberlee Four Star Family Holidays 306 Jetty Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5982 2122 Facsimile: (03) 5981 2567 Rating: ****
	Dixey Court Holiday Flats 7 Chatfield Ave Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 5208 Facsimile: (03) 5986 2232 Rating: ***1/2
	Rosebud by the Bay 757 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 1433 Facsimile: (03) 5986 2232 Rating: ***1/2
	Caravan Parks
	Bay Breeze Caravan Park 138 Eastbourne Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5981 2677 Facsimile: (03) 5982 2966 Rating: ****
	Bella Vista Holiday Park 15 Truemans Rd Rosebud West 3940 Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 1344 Rating: ***
	Bella Vista Holiday Park 15 Truemans Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 1344
	Carrington Caravan Park 110 Elizabeth Dve Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 2329 Rating: ****
	McRose Caravan Park 755 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 1840 Rating: ***
	Navarac Caravan Park 1553 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8483 Facsimile: (03) 5982 1993 Rating: ***
	Rosebud Model Caravan Park 1507 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8639 Rating: **1/2
	Siesta Caravan Park 759 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8524 Rating: ***
	Sundowner Willows Caravan Park 349 Eastbourne Rd Rosebud West 3940 Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8787 Rating: ***
	Sundowner Willows Caravan Park 349 Eastbourne Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8787
	Sunrise Caravan Park 27 Rosebud Pde Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8977 Facsimile: (03) 5986 8977 Rating: ***
	Tudor Caravan Park 145 Old Cape Schanck Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8050 Facsimile: (03) 5986 7397 Rating: ***1/2
	Amberlee Caravan Park 306 Jetty Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5982 2122 Facsimile: (03) 5981 2567 Rating: ****1/2
	Camping & Other
	Rosebud Foreshore Reserve Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8286 Rating: *
	Restaurants
	Carrington Park Club Elizabeth Dve Cape Schanck Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5982 2633
	Fed-Up Fish Cafe 1571 Pt Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 4716
	Fingal's Restaurant Browns Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 9788
	Heng-Loong Chinese Restaurant 899 Nepean Hwy Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 7119
	Jade Court Chinese Restaurant 1179 Point Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 8768
	KFC Cnr Third Ave & Nepean Way Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5981 1244
	La Porchetta 1645-1647 Pt Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 6668
	Nepean Country Club Motel Browns Rd P.O. Box 403 Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 9800
	Rosebud Hotel 1099 Nepean Hwy Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 1688
	Sharma's Indian Restaurant 1183 Pt Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5981 1399
	Sun Sun Chinese Restaurant 1659 Nepean Hwy Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 4569
	That Restuarant 855 Pt Nepean Rd Rosebud VIC 3939 Telephone: (03) 5986 6988