Our Home Melbourne, we love this GREAT city and are glad to be living here. Best known for its coffee, food and cultural scene, Melbourne also has its fair share of charming beaches. From family-friendly swimming spots to fishing and boating havens. The beaches of Melbourne and Victoria have a different feel and texture to those of the Australian east coast. Port Phillip bay services the city with gentle curves of sand, picturesque piers and quaint bathing boxes, while its Peninsula region offers these along with rugged windswept back beaches.

Some of our favourite Beaches are……

St Kilda Beach:

I shall start off with Melbourne’s most famous beach: St Kilda. Situated just six kilometres from the CBD, the bayside suburb of St Kilda is a favourite spot among both locals and visitors. St Kilda Beach offers good swimming, surfing, sunbathing and fishing opportunities, while the network of paths and boardwalks lining its foreshore also make this beach perfect for walking, cycling, jogging and rollerblading. Famous attractions such as Luna Park and the historic St Kilda Pier add to its appeal, while the vast number of cafes, restaurants and bars found nearby make this an awesome beach to visit at any time of year. Ideal for beach trippers after a little more than just sea, sand and sun, its foreshore is full with options for eating, drinking and people-watching, and all the buzz of Acland Street lies just a short stroll from the water. Mostly flat and sheltered from ocean swell, it’s a prime spot for activities like windsurfing or waterskiing, or those days when you just feel like floating around in a big sunny bathtub.

Elwood Beach:

Just a six-minute drive down the coast will bring you to Elwood Beach, a 1.3-kilometre stretch of sand with calm waters that are perfectly suited to pool-style swimming. Those who prefer to stay dry can take in the scenery – which includes views of the Melbourne CBD, St Kilda Beach, and sometimes the Spirit of Tasmania docked at Port Melbourne – while following the Bayside Trail bike and running track. Family-friendly amenities such as barbecues, picnic tables, playgrounds, grassy fields and cricket nets can all be found nearby, and Point Ormond also offers a good selection of cafes and restaurants for those looking to sit back and unwind.

Dendy Street Brighton Beach:

Very family friendly, well maintained, good for swimming and building sandcastles and sunbathing. No “best beaches” list would be complete without mentioning Melbourne’s most photographed beach. About 20 minutes from the CBD, Melbourne’s skyscrapers provide a dramatic backdrop to the beachgoers playing in the clean, shallow waters of Dendy Street Beach. The northern end of Dendy Street Beach is famously lined with 82 wooden bathing boxes, all painted with unique colours and designs. Bringing both history and personality to this already scenic spot, the Brighton Bathing Boxes are both an icon of Melbourne and a timeless tourist attraction. Picnic spots and barbecue facilities can also be found in the grassy reserve behind Brighton Beach, next to the walking and cycling path. Boasting minimal swell and a wide stretch of sandy foreshore, it attracts a good mix of families, tourists and locals. We have been coming here regularly for over 20 years and now bring our children. Fabulous in the summer evenings for a swim after work or school. No dogs allowed during the summer months so that helps keep the beaches clean.

Half Moon Bay:

About 30 minutes from the CBD lies the quiet, crescent-shaped shoreline of Half Moon Bay. Home to the Black Rock Yacht Club, this sheltered bay is a popular destination among boating and fishing enthusiasts. It’s also the final resting place of the HMVS Cerberus, a 19th-century battleship which now acts as a breakwater and artificial reef structure. Covered with a range of marine invertebrates and algae, this vessel has become a leading attraction for local snorkelers. The surrounding waters also house a variety of fish species, as well as sea stars, urchins, anemones, blue-ringed octopuses, even the odd cuttlefish and squid. Bring your snorkelling gear for a fun day out, or enjoy some refreshments with a view at the Cerberus Beach House and Kiosk.

Mentone:

A safe, sandy bay swimming beach with a popular area nearby for water-skiers. The extensive foreshore reserve area has picnic, barbecue and play facilities, as well as a walking and cycling track. Mentone is a charming little beach. Often overlooked for flashier neighbours like Sandringham and Chelsea. It starts just past the Rickett’s Point Sanctuary, and features the ever-friendly Mentone Lifesaving Club. Throughout the year, you’ll see people strolling along the boardwalk with their pooches, getting in their morning tai-chi, or (weather permitting) going for a dip. This one definitely carries a family-friendly vibe, so pack your salad rolls, watermelon and sunscreen and get down to the beach. Come at low tide. It’s shallow and warm for 50m out into the bay.

Mordialloc:

This wide, safe sandy bay swimming beach is a popular area for boating. There are boat ramp facilities nearby and an excellent foreshore reserve with picnic, barbecue and play facilities. There are also beaches at Aspenvale, Edithvale and Chelsea.

Williamstown Beach:

Roughly 25 minutes from the CBD, Williamstown Beach is a wide, sandy beach which features an attractive commercial precinct and well-designed foreshore reserves. We are not talking about Williamstown front beach but about the sandy strip around the point, away from the marina. This favourite is sparkling clean and patrolled, with minimal waves to play, though a sunny summer day will likely find you battling the crowds for a prime spot on the sand. When it’s time for a feed, there are picnic facilities close to the esplanade, or you can go up to the main drag to take advantage of one of the area’s top-notch fish and chip shops. Williamstown is the perfect beach for both deep water swimmers as well. Time your visit with the monthly Williamstown Craft Market to browse a wide range of food, art and craft stalls. Make use of the beach’s barbecue and playground facilities, or go for a stroll through the beautiful Williamstown Botanical Gardens, located just a stone’s throw from Williamstown Beach.

Altona Beach:

Altona Beach is a great spot for those seeking a relaxing day on the shores of western Melbourne. With its dedicated boat-free zone, Altona Beach is a popular spot for swimming, volleyball, and water sports such as kitesurfing and paddle boarding. The beach is patrolled during summer, and also offers jetties and a six-lane boat ramp for boating and yachting enthusiasts. Boasting free parking and easy access to public transport, as well as restaurants, cafes, barbecues, playgrounds, and leafy parks with public amenities, Altona Beach is a fantastic destination for the whole family.

Werribee South:

The bay beach is popular for boating, with an all-weather, all-tide, multi-lane launch ramp and jetty. There is a power ski ramp and zone nearby, and also a playground, reserve and barbecue facilities. They are developing an extensive area along the new Wyndham Marina and will be a great addition and fun spot to this area and this great city. Great for bird watchers as I observed a number of birds whilst relaxing on the shore. Immerse yourself in unspoilt surrounds with beautiful pathways and sumptuous grassed rolling grounds bordered with saltbush, there is simply nothing like it. This is our local beach. Don’t miss out on this beautiful spot where the river meets the sea and the You Yangs rise majestically in the background.