Cape Schanck lighthouse, a member of the Mornington Peninsula Attractions Pass

Pass includes four top attractions plus 10% discount offers at three more

The revamped Mornington Peninsula Attractions Pass, an initiative of seven top tourism attractions on the Mornington Peninsula, has boosted sales by 400% in the past year.

Marketed by the Explore Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula (EMMP) group, Attractions Pass sales jumped from just over 500 passes in 2009/10 to more than 2000 in 2010/11.

The pass provides entry to Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens, Cape Schanck Lighthouse, Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park and Peninsula Hot Springs, while Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm, Box Stallion Winery and Rye Hotel all have a special 10% discount offer for pass holders.

It costs $55 ($40 for children) but delivers more than $100 of value, with extras such as a fragrant lavender gift at Ashcombe Maze, a tour of Cape Schanck Lighthouse and entry to its museum, and a ‘koala cuddle’ at Moonlit Sanctuary.

“The pass now carries a 45% saving on admission and bonuses at the four attractions, as well as the 10% discount offers at three more,” Mr Arthur Ross, General Manager of Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens, said. “It’s seen as very good value, both by the international and domestic markets.”

The Attractions Pass was originally launched in 2005 for the international and Australian retail travel agency networks, and was revamped and expanded in 2009.

“The Mornington Peninsula doesn’t have a single tourism icon, unlike other regions. Visitors wanted to see numerous attractions, not just one, so the pass was a logical way to present the best of the Mornington Peninsula,” said Mr Ross, who was one of the original instigators of the pass.

“It also provided EMMP participants with the means of marketing and advertising internationally, which would be impossible for us individually.”

EMMP members have taken part in major trade events including Corroboree in the USA and ATE, and have visited emerging markets such as China.

The Attractions Pass, which carries a trade commission of 10%, is marketed through the Mornington Peninsula Tourism website, is endorsed by Tourism Victoria and Tourism Australia, and is promoted through brochures, promotional postcards and a consumer public relations campaign.

In 2009 it was included in a DVD produced by Tourism Australia on outstanding regional tourism initiatives involving cooperative marketing by small operators.

The pass is transferrable and valid for three months.

Three new itineraries have been created this year, each using a different gateway to the Peninsula, for visitors who want to see all seven attractions on a short break.

The self-drive itineraries have been created for arrivals via the Westernport Highway, the Nepean Highway and the Sorrento ferry from Queenscliff.

It takes only five to 20 minutes to drive from one attraction to the next. All are open seven days a week (except Christmas Day; Sunny Ridge is open weekends only May to October).

The Mornington Peninsula is just an hour’s easy drive from Melbourne and has more than 50 cellar doors, peaceful bay beaches, wild ocean coastline, lots of aquatic activities and top golf courses. Phillip Island and the penguins are only an hour’s drive, and the Great Ocean Road is easily accessed by a vehicular and passenger ferry from Sorrento.

A snapshot of attractions

Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens
10 hectares of magnificent gardens include Australia’s oldest hedge maze, the world’s first circular rose maze with more than 1300 fragrant rose bushes, a lavender labyrinth and gardens that flower year-round, and licensed cafe overlooking the gardens.

Cape Schanck Lightstation
Still boasting its original beacon, Cape Schanck is one of the few in Australia that still operates as it did in the 1850s. Guided tours to the top of the lighthouse give extraordinary views of Bass Strait and Western Port Bay, while the museum reveals the history of lighthouses.

Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park
Feed wallabies in the bush, have your photo taken with a koala, see 40 species of Australian wildlife including rare and threatened creatures. Kangaroos, wombats, dingoes, emus and cockatoos abound, and there’s a bushfood garden and wetlands. Attractions Pass holders can upgrade to the lantern-lit evening tour of nocturnal fauna.

Peninsula Hot Springs
Naturally heated mineral water flows from deep underground into 39 pools, baths and bathing experiences. The Bathhouse has a natural setting with extensive gardens, a bathing valley, cave pool, reflexology walk pool, massaging falling water pool, sauna, family bathing area and traditional Turkish steam bath. The Spa Dreaming Center is a separate tranquil spa with massages and therapies, plus a secluded thermal mineral spring bathing area.

Rye Hotel and Best Western One Four Nelson
Best Western One Four Nelson is known for city chic and resort comfort in 4-star luxury accommodation with 30 contemporary suites, each with a balcony or patio overlooking the heated pool and spa. The motel is owned by the historic Rye Hotel next door, where meals are available in the café bistro all day, and popular Rye Beach is just across the road.

Box Stallion Winery
Housed in a spacious former stallion barn set in a 25 hectare property, Box Stallion Winery has a stable of award winning wines, a relaxed tasting area, a restaurant serving lunch daily and live music every Sunday. Groups are welcome, up to 10 people can enjoy private lunches in converted stallion stalls, or up to 85 at a single long table.

Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm
Australia’s largest, where you can pick your own from November to April. A tantalizing café and retail area sells everything from Belgian chocolate fondue berries to fruit liqueurs and farm-made fruit icecreams, plus gourmet produce and giftware. (Sunny Ridge is open seven days a week November to April, and weekends only May to October).

Two day/1 night itineraries

Via Westernport Highway

Start in the northern Peninsula at Moonlit Sanctuary, drive past the beautiful bays of Westernport to Shoreham and Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens. Visit nearby Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm, stay overnight in a lighthouse keeper’s cottage at Cape Schanck Lightstation in the Mornington Peninsula National Park.

Drive across to Peninsula Hot Springs near Rye before lunch at the nearby Rye Hotel, then through the hinterland for a wine tasting in the former stallion barn at Box Stallion Winery.

Via Nepean Highway

Start at Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens, pre-book a picnic lunch at Cape Schanck Lightstation, visit Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm before an overnight stay at One Four Nelson, with dinner at the Rye Hotel next door.

Relax at Peninsula Hot Springs, have lunch with matched wines in the former stallion barn at Box Stallion Winery, visit Moonlit Sanctuary to hand feed the wallabies.

Via Sorrento ferry

Arrive on an evening crossing on the ferry from Queenscliff across Port Phillip Bay, stay at One Four Nelson with dinner at the Rye Hotel next door. Relax at Peninsula Hot Springs, explore Cape Schanck Lightstation, have lunch at Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens, dessert at Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm, a wine tasting at Box Stallion Winery, and tour Moonlit Sanctuary.