Most of my travel blog has been about extended trips. This one is about weekend away to Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, my home state. Sometimes just a little break like this does wonders to refresh.
We went away specifically for the purpose of the Queenscliff Music Festival but also for the opportunity to see some of regional Victoria. We had only been in Victoria for a year or so when COVID-19 happened and plans to see some of the state didn’t happen. We travelled for one night to the Dandenong Ranges when there was a window during COVID to travel within Victoria (but not out of the state due to border closures), but that had been it. For the years 2020 we also had many plans to see live music but that also never happened. This opportunity to go to a music festival in regional Victoria was a great plan.
The Queenscliff Music Festival is held in the town of Queenscliff over the last weekend in November – in 2022 being from Friday 25 November to Sunday 27 November. The Festival is held in a park site and in venues throughout the town. This year had a great line-up, but as I said, it was more the opportunity to see some live music and get away for the weekend. I got tickets for the Friday – which kicked off late afternoon – and Saturday.
The Festival website is where you purchase tickets and get general information, including for accommodation. By the time I got tickets accommodation for the town of Queenscliff had booked out, so I booked accommodation in the nearby town of Point Lonsdale, which is about a 10 minute drive away from Queenscliff. Speaking to Festival goers, it seems a lot of people are regulars to the Festival and book for the next year when they leave – worth keeping in mind if you are thinking about going.
We drove to the Festival from the West of Melbourne coming through Geelong – Geelong being about 20-30 minutes from the Festival area – which was an easy hour and half drive. You can also get to the area on the other side of Port Phillip Bay by ferry from Sorrento. Staying at Portsea or Sorrento and catching the ferry across to go to the Festival is also an option. You can also stay at Barwon Heads or in Geelong and drive or catch the bus to the Festival. If you are really keen and energetic, you can actually walk to Queenscliff from Point Lonsdale
Port Lonsdale is a small, seaside town with a few accommodation options, including a camping ground. I booked for us to stay at the Point Lonsdale Guest House – an old style guesthouse and hotel/motel. There’s a pool, tennis court, plenty of parking and a fully equipped kitchen which guests can use. We stayed on the ground floor in the motel part in one of the queen rooms. The rooms are small with a small bathroom – shower, toilet and sink – but it’s super clean and tidy and well looked after, plus modern furnishings. It’s absolutely fine for a 2 or 3 night stay. There are larger rooms which include kitchenettes. Check-in was contactless and everything ran smoothly, with lots of useful text updates and instructions on how to access the room.
The walls and floors aren’t well-insulated against sound – understandable being an old building – but that might be an issue for some. We could hear our neighbour’s conversations and the active kids above us running back and forth. However, we didn’t have trouble sleeping and there is a quiet time after 10pm policy, which most people seemed to respect. There’s a restaurant on site which is only open for dinner and no breakfast. At the time of writing this, the website says to look out for an update on breakfast being served. There are plenty of breakfast options though just a short walk into town up the road and there’s an excellent IGA supermarket so you can use the guest kitchen or if you have a kitchenette.
We arrived into Point Lonsdale at around 1.30pm, checked in and walked up the road into town to get something to eat and have a walk around. For a small town there are lots of really good eating options along the strip of shops – the guesthouse restaurant, a great little wine bar (more below), fish and chips, three cafes and a great IGA. We had excellent fish and chips at Lonnie Fish and Chips and went for a walk along the beach front.
Late afternoon around 5pm we walked up the road to have a glass of wine and a couple of delicious snacks at the lovely little wine bar Noble Rot. It is such a lovely little place, which wouldn’t be out of place in Melbourne. Staff – like everyone across the whole weekend – were incredibly friendly and the food and wine was really excellent. They don’t take bookings, only walk-ins but if inside is full, there are plenty of places to sit outside.
We headed off to the Festival late afternoon around 6pm and caught the bus organised by the Festival which ran about every 20 minutes between Point Lonsdale and the Festival site in Queenscliff. It was a really easy way to get there, as parking would be an issue. I bought a pass for the weekend on the Festival website but you could also purchase (with cash) off the driver.
The Festival site was in a park area, small but well spaced out and not crowded. There was really good food – lots of food trucks – plenty of bars including a gin bar. It was a mixed demographic – mainly an older audience and families – with a really great, relaxed atmosphere. Staff and volunteers were super friendly and helpful. It was just a really lovely, smaller music festival. The other excellent thing was their handling of waste – there was composting and recycling and food was served on reusable plates which were dropped off to be washed. Volunteers were there on hand to make sure everything went in the right bins. Also water refill stations throughout the site and when you purchased a drink, you paid for a reusable plastic glass.
We checked out three acts on the first night and headed back on the bus to the guesthouse at around 10pm.
On the Saturday, we walked up the street to have really nice breakfast at Plated Café and Restaurant.
Later in the morning we walked up to the Point Lonsdale Pier and Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. We went to the IGA for some provisions for a light lunch and after an afternoon relax – attempted to swim in the pool but it wasn’t quite warm enough yet – and then headed off to the Festival by bus in the late afternoon.
We had dinner at the Festival tonight – really good prawn bao and spicey cauliflower. We spent most of the day in the main tent which was good as there was some rain in the early evening. Fortunately, the Friday had been dry so there wasn’t the perennial festival problem of mud. We headed back to again to Point Lonsdale in the late evening by bus.
On the Sunday we had breakfast at one of the other cafes Pasquinis – again really good food and service – and then headed back to the motel to drive back to Melbourne.
One thing I hadn’t realised – and I should have – was that there are many wineries in the region, including just a few minutes away from Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale. About ten minutes away on the drive out we went to Oakdene Vineyards which also has eating and accommodation options. We stopped in at the cellar door and picked up a lovely pinot noir, pinot gris and rose.
We had an absolutely excellent short trip away from Melbourne. The area of Point Lonsdale is lovely, quiet and relaxing with good food, and the Queenscliff Music Festival was great. We will definitely visit the area again – next time with our dog – and also come back for the Festival.
