Art trails: Coasting the Bay

This trail begins in Langwarrin, forty-five minutes drive from the centre of Melbourne, and coasts Port Phillip Bay around the Mornington Peninsula to finish in Geelong.

Port Phillip Bay was one of the first regions to be occupied in Victoria by European settlers in the 1800s who had come in search of fertile pastoral land. The goldrush of the mid-1800s led to the establishment of Melbourne, Geelong and Portland as major urban centres.

The modern towns and cities around Port Phillip Bay are well-frequented by the people of Melbourne with most being no more than two hours drive from Australia's second biggest city. Local industry and a constant flux of domestic and international tourists have ensured the prosperity of the region which has become renowned for its stretches of beautiful beaches, characteristic towns and more recently as a wine growing region.

McClelland Gallery

The trail starts with the McClelland Gallery in Langwarrin near Frankston. The McClelland Gallery is a modern gallery which features a beautiful sculpture park filled with diverse contemporary works in steel, bronze, wood and basalt.

Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery

The trail then moves to Mornington on the Mornington Peninsula, site of the earliest European settlements in Victoria. Many of the towns near Mornington are still dotted with graceful Victorian houses overlooking the Bay and surrounds. The Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery is home to an impressive collection of Australian prints and drawings, one of the foremost collections of works on paper in Australia with nearly 1,300 works.

Geelong Gallery

Cross the heads of the bay on the Sorrento Ferry to arrive in Queenscliff. From there it's a short drive to Geelong, one of Victoria's original urban centres and home to the Geelong Gallery. The Geelong Gallery is one of Victoria's oldest galleries with impressive collections of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts.

Pictured above from left are: Frederick McCubbin's A Bush Burial (Geelong Gallery), Fred Williams' The Bluff, Mornington (Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery) and a snippet from the virtual reality tour of McClelland Gallery