The best wineries in Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula

Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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Whether you’re a total novice looking for a fun day out on the road with friends, or a total oenophile plotting a serious, wine-focused itinerary, these five Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula wineries will stand you in good stead.

With its cool maritime climate, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula are known to produce low yields of high-quality fruit that makes for some award-winning wines. The region is known for its pinot noir, chardonnay and shiraz varietals, as well as its abundance of boutique, family-run wineries and warm hospitality. Whether you’re after a show-stopping lunch venue, a quirky cellar door, or a tasting in quaint countryside surrounds, these five wineries deliver.

 

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Provenance Wines

Not only is Provenance rated a 5 Red Star Winery by the illustrious Halliday Wine Companion – a title that also awarded it Best Value Winery of the Year back in 2019 – but the winery’s setting in the old, heritage-listed Fyansford Paper Mill is wildly beautiful. Located on the banks of the Barwon River, the refurbished bluestone buildings date back to the 1870s, and now house galleries, studios and a cafe, as well as the Provenance winery, restaurant and cellar door.

 

Swing by for a Tasting Experience, and sample six or eight wines, either by themselves, or matched with bite-sized chef-prepared food pairings. Or make an evening (or afternoon) of it, with dinner or lunch at the winery restaurant, where there’s a strong focus on native ingredients and seasonal produce, with veggies sharing as much of the limelight as meat and fish.

 

The winery’s grapes are sourced from the Geelong, Ballarat, Macedon and Henty regions, to produce a range of pinot noir, chardonnay, shiraz and riesling that showcase crisp natural acidity.

Provenance winery Geelong
From vineyard to glass, Provenance preserves the identity of place.

Address: 100 Lower Paper Mills Rd, Fyansford, Vic, 3218

Phone number: +61 3 5222 3422

Website: provenancewines.com.au

Nicol’s Paddock

A small, family-run winery and restaurant, situated just on the cusp of Geelong, Nicol’s is known for its warm hospitality, whether you’re here for a sit-down dinner of shared small plates, or simply popping by to enjoy a tasting in the boutique winery’s cellar door. Formerly known as Saint Regis, Nicol’s has been in the same family since the first plantings back in 1997. Original vigneron Peter Nicol is still tending to the winery’s chardonnay, pinot noir, and estate-grown shiraz grapes, grown in Waurn Ponds’ rich limestone soil, but now the second generation of the Nicol family has also jumped in to helm the Nicol’s Paddock Restaurant.

 

The winery itself is totally charming, its entrance framed by a vine-wrapped pergola blanketed with string lights and scattered with picnic tables, parasols and wine barrels repurposed as tables, that offer prime views of the estate’s shiraz vineyards. The rustic and cosy ambiance continues inside, with simple brick and timber interiors.

Nicol's Paddock
Join Nicol’s Paddock for a taste in their cellar door.

Address: 35 Waurn Ponds Dr, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216

Phone number: +61 432 085 404

Website: nicolspaddock.com.au

Scotchmans Hill

A stalwart of the Bellarine Peninsula’s wine scene, Scotchmans Hill has been pleasing punters with its cool maritime climate wines since its first vintage in 1990, and has consistently featured among the pages of the Halliday Wine Companion. Housed within the cosiest and smartly furnished environs of what feels like a country cottage, you can take a seated wine tasting from the comfort of one of the sofas, and feel as if you’ve popped round to a friend’s house for drinks (albeit one with impeccable taste). Try five of the winery’s current vintages for $10pp, or six wines from Scotchmans back vintage cellar reserve for $15pp (tasting fees waived with the purchase of takeaway wine). And if you’ve already reached peak wine indulgence then take the edge off with one of the winery’s platters, take-away picnic boxes, or a long lazy lunch at Scotchmans’ patio bistro.

 

Address: 190 Scotchmans Rd, Drysdale, Vic, 3222

Phone number: +61 3 5251 4431

Website: scotchmans.com.au

Scotchmans Hill
Scotchmans Hill has been producing premium cool maritime climate wines since 1982.

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Oakdene

If you like your wineries with plenty of character then schedule a visit to Oakdene. For starters, the cellar door at this Bellarine Peninsula winery is unconventional, constructed to resemble an upside down house. And Oakdene’s gardens and grounds are dotted with items that would otherwise have been destined for the bin (old bicycles, rusty farm equipment) and have instead been upcycled into sculptures and decorative features.

 

But don’t be deceived by this winery’s quirks – it takes the science and art of winemaking seriously: Oakdene has in fact been named an ‘outstanding’ winery by the James Halliday Wine Companion. And its small team of knowledgeable and friendly staff showcase Oakdene’s premium wines without pomp or pretence.

Oakdene Vineyards
Oakdene Vineyards is the ideal romantic getaway.

Address: 255 Grubb Rd, Wallington, Vic, 3222

Phone number: +61 3 5255 1255

Website: oakdene.com.au

Jack Rabbit

For sweeping views over both Port Phillip Bay and a carpet of pinot noir and cabernet vines, it doesn’t get much better than Jack Rabbit. You can gorge on both by taking a seat on the modern winery’s restaurant deck, or peering out of the floor-to-ceiling windows inside. There’s an ambitious modern Australian menu, lined with dishes such as oxtail and local ricotta salata tortellini with parsnip cream, savoury oil and parsnip crisps, or Hiramasa kingfish crudo with Davidson plum, finger lime, coconut, verjuice and karkalla. The winery also houses a more casual all-day cafe, the House of Jack Rabbit, which is open for brunch and lunch and also boasts sweeping vistas over the blue of the bay and the green of the vines from its deck.

Jack Rabbit winery
Jack Rabbit offers unrivalled views across the bay to Geelong.

Address: 85 McAdams Ln, Bellarine, Vic, 3221

Phone number: +61 425 750 655

Website: jackrabbitvineyard.com.au

Chloe Cann
Chloe Cann is an award-winning freelance travel and food writer, born in England, based in Melbourne and Roman by adoption. Since honing her skills at City St George's, University of London with a master's degree in journalism, she's been writing almost exclusively about travel for more than a decade, and has worked in-house at newspapers and travel magazines in London, Phnom Penh, Sydney and Melbourne. Through a mixture of work and pleasure, she's been fortunate enough to visit 80 countries to date, though there are many more that she is itching to reach. While the strength of a region's food scene tends to dictate the location of her next trip, she can be equally swayed by the promise of interesting landscapes and offbeat experiences. And with a small person now in tow, travel looks a little different these days, but it remains at the front of her mind.
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Unforgettable First Peoples tours and experiences in Victoria

    Angela SaurineBy Angela Saurine
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    From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet. 

    Victoria’s sweeping landscapes hold stories far older than any road map can trace – stories etched into stone, sung through generations and woven into every bend of river and rise of hill. From the lava flows of Budj Bim to the ancient middens of Moyjil/Point Ritchie and the volcanic crater of Tower Hill, the state is home to some of the most significant First Peoples cultural sites in Australia. These places, along with other immersive experiences, offer not only a window into a 60,000-year legacy, but a profound way of understanding Country itself. As more travellers seek connection over checklists, guided tours by Traditional Owners offer respectful, unforgettable insights into a living culture that continues to shape the land and the people who walk it. 

    Budj Bim cultural landscape  

    Budj Bim Cultural Landscape
    Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is on Gunditjmara Country. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Venture beyond the surf and sand of the Great Ocean Road to discover a deeper story etched into the volcanic landscape. At Budj Bim , ancient aquaculture channels built by the Gunditjmara people to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel) reveal one of the world’s oldest living cultures. While you’re in the area, head over to the state-of-the-art Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, where you can observe the eels in a special tank, wander the shores of Tae Rak (Lake Condah), and enjoy a bite at the Bush Tucker Cafe. Also nearby is Tower Hill, a dormant volcano reborn as a wildlife reserve, offering trails through bushland teeming with emus and koalas. 

    eel tank
    The kooyang (eel) tank at Tae Rak. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour 

    Dumawul walkingtour
    Guests are guided through Kooyoora State Park on the Dumawul walking tour. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Step into a timeless landscape with Dumawul’s guided tour through Kooyoora State Park, around an hour’s drive west of Bendigo in north-central Victoria. Led by Djaara guides, this immersive half-day journey breathes life into Country, weaving together stories, bush tucker and ancient rock art. Known to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as Guyura – the ‘mountain of light’ – this dramatic granite range is rich with cultural and spiritual significance.  The adventure begins with a meet-up at the Bridgewater Hotel on the banks of the Loddon River, before guests are welcomed onto Country with a traditional Smoking Ceremony – a powerful ritual that honours ancestors and cleanses those who walk the land. From there, it’s a gentle wander through rugged outcrops and open bushland, with sweeping vistas unfolding at every turn. Along the way, guides share their knowledge of how the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples have cared for and adapted with this land for generations, offering a rare and moving window into an ancient way of life that continues to thrive today.  

    Kooyoora walking tour
    Knowledge of the Dja Dja Wurrung is shared on the trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Kingfisher Cruises  

    Kingfisher Cruises
    Cruising the Murray with Kingfisher Cruises. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Glide quietly through the Barmah-Millewa forest – the nation’s largest river red gum ecosystem – on a scenic journey along the Murray River and into the Barmah Lakes with Kingfisher Cruises . Led by passionate guides who share stories of the cultural significance of this ancient landscape, these cruises reveal the stories, totems and traditional knowledge of the Yorta Yorta people. As you navigate narrow waterways and spot native birds, you’ll gain a richer understanding of how First Peoples have lived in harmony with this floodplain for tens of thousands of years. It’s a gentle, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression – one where every bend in the river carries echoes of culture, connection and Country.  

    wawa biik 

    Taungurung leaders
    Exploring Nagambie with Taungurung leaders. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Translating to ‘hello, Country’ in the language of the First Nations People and Custodians of the rivers and mountains of Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, wawa biik guides a range of authentic and deeply immersive experiences. Leaving from either Nagambie or Euroa, the tours are woven with ancient stories of the Taungurung, telling how a sustained connection and responsibility ensures the continued health of biik – benefitting the people, animals and plants that live in and around the Goulburn River. During the wawa Nagambie experience, guests participate in a Welcome Smoking Ceremony, and enjoy lunch and conversation with two Taungurung leaders as they cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes). The 4.5-hour tour begins at Tahbilk Winery, which is set in the wetlands of Nagambie on Taungurung Country and collaborates with Taungurung Elders to share knowledge of biik. 

    Bataluk Cultural Trail  

    Bataluk Trail
    Cape Conran on the Bataluk Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    The Bataluk Cultural Trail winds through East Gippsland like a thread stitching past to present, tracing the deep connection between the Gunaikurnai people and their land. Starting at the Knob Reserve in Stratford, visitors walk among scarred trees and ancient stone tools once used for survival and ceremony. At the Den of Nargun near Mitchell River, the earth holds stories of women’s sacred spaces, cloaked in myth and legend. Further along, Legend Rock at Metung tells of greed and consequence, its surface etched with ancient lore. At Cape Conran, shell middens lie scattered like breadcrumbs of history – 10,000 years of gatherings, stories and saltwater songs still echoing in the wind.  

    Healesville Sanctuary  

    echidna at Healesville Sanctuary
    Get up close with a resident echidna at Healesville Sanctuary. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Set on the historic grounds of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, Healesville Sanctuary honours the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation through immersive storytelling and connection to Country. Along Wurundjeri Walk, visitors are invited to reflect on the land’s rich First Peoples history, with native plants revealing their traditional uses. Wurundjeri Elder and educator Murrundindi shares culture in-person with the Wominjeka Aboriginal Cultural Experience every Sunday, and most days during Victorian school holidays. Murrundindi’s smoking ceremonies, storytelling and bush tucker knowledge reveal the sacred relationship between people, animals and the environment. Bird-lovers can’t miss the incredible Spirits of the Sky show featuring native birds daily at 12pm and 3pm. 

    The Grampians 

    Rock art at Bunjil Shelter in The Grampians
    Rock art at Bunjil Shelter in The Grampians. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Known as Gariwerd to Traditional Owners, the Grampians is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance. This rugged landscape holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known First Peoples rock art, offering a powerful window into the region’s deep heritage. Visitors can respectfully explore five remarkable rock art sites: Billimina and Ngamadjidj in the Wartook Valley, Manja Shelter near Hamilton, Gulgurn Manja shelter near Laharum, and the Bunjil Shelter near Stawell, where the creator spirit is depicted. Each site tells a unique story of connection to Country, shared through ancient handprints, dancing figures and Dreaming narratives etched into stone.