Grantville & Surrounds

The Gurdies is your first stop in Bass Coast as you travel the Bass Highway into the region. Wineries are increasing in number throughout this area of the hinterland and you can expect warm welcomes at their cellar doors. Enjoy landscaped gardens and gorgeous views over the bay as you taste the superb cool-climate wines.

The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve offers a variety of walks through native bushland. It has some of the largest remaining areas of native vegetation on the eastern shore of Western Port. Over 54 species of native orchids provide a great drawcard for people from all over the world who are interested in native plant species. Enjoy a variety of walks through bushland as you discover them.

You'll find Grantville on the shores of Western Port with a post office, take away food and coffee shops, a restaurant and a bakery that offer a range of treats. There is a park with children's play equipment and a couple of great BBQ spots to choose from. There is also a jetty perfect for casting a line from and a ramp from which to launch small craft at high tide. Enjoy the view out to French Island, especially at sunset.

The Western Port shoreline was originally thick with mangroves before many were cleared and harvested and can be seen from the bottom of Kallay Drive at Pioneer Bay and from the Grantville Jetty. Mangroves minimise shoreline erosion and are the breeding ground for fish favoured by penguins, so there is an intensive program underway to replant the mangroves involving volunteers and local school children.

Maru Koala and Animal Park offers a wide range of activities for the whole family including hand feeding and patting koalas and kangaroos and playing mini-golf. Take the Grantville-Glen Alvie Road as an alternative route to Wonthaggi for a spectacular scenic tour of rolling hills and rural charm. The lookout at the 'Shunt Off' is an ideal spot for a picnic and offers panoramic views across Western Port.

As you travel further south you'll find the picturesque hamlet of Corinella. With an all tide ramp for launching fishing boats, a great BBQ rotunda and a lovely sandy swimming beach, Corinella is also the pickup point for the barge to French Island. A historical marker is dedicated to the site of Victoria's first Government House - a testament to the historic importance of this area. Take a walk along the peninsula cliff tops or meander among coastal banksia and she-oaks in a serene seaside bush track setting as you enjoy the picturesque views of the islands and the sea. Nearby Coronet Bay has a swimming beach ideal for fossicking, walking, fishing and generally relaxing away from the crowds.

Bass is a small, pretty town nestled on the Bass River, not far from the turn off to Phillip Island. It was the third permanent settlement in Victoria and now services the needs of the local farming community and passing tourists. A memorial in the George Bass Park commemorates the visit by explorer George Bass and his party of six, who landed near Bass on January 4, 1789, in search of fresh water after their voyage in an open whale boat that they rowed from Sydney.

Near Bass is Woolamai Racecourse, a great place for a family outing to a classic country race meeting. Picnic races here are a popular local get together, with fashions on the field and a showcase of regional food and wine. Shuttle buses operate from Inverloch and Wonthaggi from November through to March.