Relax, ride and relive history: A weekend on the Mornington Peninsula

Pulling into the Keith Motel, I get the inkling that a weekend away on the Mornington Peninsula will be just as much about taking a step back in time as taking time out. What I don't know right then is just how far back in time you can travel in this famously picturesque corner of Victoria, and just how lost in time you can get exploring its hidden gems.

From eating pizza out of an oven on the back of D.O.C's shiny emerald green Kombi van in the motel courtyard to watching a movie at the Dromana drive-in and riding an e-bike that reminds me of the Dragstar I had in the 1970s through Point Nepean National Park, my weekend is filled with plenty of nostalgia. But learning the stories behind the historic quarantine facilities, fort and guns at Point Nepean is a journey that takes me further back than I'd anticipated, to a time and place I knew little about.

There is also some happy wallowing in the here and now - soaking in the pools of Alba Thermal Springs and Spa, making candles, sampling the offerings at some of the many breweries on the peninsula, and dining on top-notch local food.

My time travel begins with the retro-styled Keith Motel which opened last July after a major makeover. It's across the road from Capel Sound beach, itself dotted with colourful bathing boxes from another era, and there are Cape Cod chairs and striped umbrellas in the courtyard.

While guests wake up to local produce in the rooms for breakfast, because the Keith is owned by the same group as Alba, they have the option of eating there as well (it's a 10-minute drive away). Alba has collaborated with chef, restauranteur, cookbook author and TV presenter Karen Martini on the menu for its in-house restaurant Thyme. General manager Craig Dodd describes the food, which changes seasonally, as Mediterranean with a slight Japanese fusion.

The luxurious Alba celebrated its second birthday in October and expansion plans are already in full swing. Three new pools were unveiled last year and seven high-end one-bedroom villas - some with sea views - will launch in June. Indulging at the hot springs comes with the fluffiest of white robes to allow you to explore the 32 contemporary indoor, open-air and outdoor thermal pools - a tranquil sanctuary a long way from the hustle and bustle of daily life. And it's the perfect way to relax after exploring Point Nepean National Park and its history, in this case, on a hired e-bike.

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When the "plague ship" Ticonderoga arrived at the heads in November 1852 with almost 300 sick passengers on board, the need to establish a quarantine station became urgent. The journey from Liverpool in England had been brutal with 100 of the 714 passengers and 48 crew dying from an outbreak of typhus and scarlet fever.

If only the walls of the hospital buildings and boiler rooms that still stand on the site could talk, imagine the stories they could tell of the many passengers that passed through the site before beginning their new life in Australia.

At the tip of Point Nepean - where you might be lucky enough like me to see the Spirit of Tasmania sailing through the heads - there are tunnels filled with Australia's wartime history to explore. Fortifications, barracks and gun batteries were built on the site from 1873 and it was from here that the first Australian shots of the world wars were fired.

Within minutes of World War I being declared, the order was given to stop German ship the SS Pflaz from leaving Port Phillip Bay and a shot was fired across its bow, forcing it to turn around.

After soaking up the sights and flavours of the Mornington Peninsula, I head for home - feeling thoroughly relaxed - aboard the Sorrento to Queenscliff ferry, gazing out upon the historical sites I have just learnt so much about.

And every time I light the candle I made at Red Hill Candle Co, the scent I created from blood orange and lime takes me back to a slice of Victorian paradise.

Getting there: Mornington Peninsula is just over an hour's drive south of Melbourne.

Staying there: The Keith Motel (1929 Point Nepean Road, Tootgarook) has rooms from about $184 a night. keithmotel.com.au

While there: E-bike hire from Bay Play is $55 for two hours, $80 for three. Alba offers a range of half-day and full-day spa experiences; a bathing ritual in the thermal springs starts from $80. bayplay.com.au; albathermalsprings.com.au

Explore more: visitmorningtonpeninsula.org; visitvictoria.com

The Mornington Peninusla is known for its many wineries but distilleries and breweries have been popping up, too. Here are three worth checking out.

Penni Ave Distillery (pictured) in Rye is one of the very few dedicated vodka distilleries in Australia but with uniquely local flavours. Their copper still (named Walter) creates their core range of spirits - 16th Beach, Lemon Myrtle, Pepper Berry and Wattle Seed - using drought-resitant native botanicals foraged from the area.

Head distiller Mitch Grenfell says the pandemic lockdowns were "a blessing in disguise" because it was during this time the idea of doing flavoured vodka with Australian botanicals was born. "Working in kitchens, I always loved using native botanicals. Turning them into vodkas was a bit of an experiment but so far so good." penniave.com.au

James McPherson's passion for his creation is contagious. With the shiny copper still he affectionately calls Matilda as his backdrop, James can bring to life the story of his rum journey and hold an audience at a rum tasting the way a sailor of old could tell of his adventures at sea.

In fact, it was when his 20-year career as a marine engineer was coming to an end that his idea to open a rum distillery turned from a throwaway line into a reality. He now has one of the first dedicated craft-rum distilleries in Victoria, located in Dromana. Flavours include honeycomb and pinot, and there's a range of pre-mix drinks such as ginger and lime, and grapefruit and quandong. jimmyrum.com.au

St Andrews Beach Brewery has a range of beers as well as apple cider and ginger beer.

At the former Fingal racetrack, stables that were once home to legends of horse racing are now private dining areas alongside a beer garden at St Andrews Beach Brewery. Tipples offered include beers, ginger beer and apple cider. It's so popular, there's an overflow carpark, from where on a busy day you can catch the regularly roaming golf cart to the restaurant. standrewsbeachbrewery.com.au

The writer travelled courtesy of Visit Victoria and the Keith Motel.