The Bellarine Peninsula stretches east of Geelong for roughly 50 kilometres — a coastal arc of seaside towns, farmland and bay beaches ending at Queenscliff, where Port Phillip Bay meets the open ocean. For pub visitors, the Peninsula offers something the Geelong city pubs can't: five distinctly different towns, each with its own atmosphere, each within an hour's drive of the city.
Queenscliff has the heritage hotels (Victorian-era buildings, heritage listings, the Sorrento ferry crossing). Barwon Heads has the coastal village pubs (river mouth, summer live music, Tommy Gunns' outdoor courtyard). Ocean Grove has the largest selection — a family hotel, a decades-old Tex-Mex cantina and a Bellarine wine bar in the town centre. Portarlington has the 1888 grand hotel with bay views. And Drysdale sits at the inland crossroads, the logical starting point or stop-off for anyone navigating the Peninsula by car.
Nine venues are covered below — all verified for 2026. The Peninsula is also an easy Melbourne day trip (80km from the CBD via Geelong), and the Queenscliff–Sorrento ferry allows a circular route that combines both sides of Port Phillip Bay in one visit.
At a Glance — Bellarine Peninsula Pubs
| Venue | Town | Best For | Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vue Grand Hotel | Queenscliff | Heritage hotel, boutique stays, fine dining | Thu–Sun |
| Esplanade Hotel Queenscliff | Queenscliff | Local community pub, Harry's Balcony bar | 7 days |
| Barwon Heads Hotel | Barwon Heads | Coastal bistro, accommodation, summer live music | 7 days |
| Tommy Gunns | Barwon Heads | Wine bar, French-inspired bistro, happy hour | Wed–Sat |
| Ocean Grove Hotel | Ocean Grove | Family bistro, kids' play area, beer garden | Wed–Sun |
| The Mex | Ocean Grove | Tex-Mex cantina, live music Fri/Sat, beer garden | 7 days from 5pm |
| The Covenant Wine Bar | Ocean Grove | Bellarine wines, cocktails, pizza, Thu–Sun | Thu–Sun |
| Portarlington Grand Hotel | Portarlington | Heritage 1888, bay views, accommodation, restaurant | 7 days |
| Drysdale Hotel | Drysdale | 1930s community pub, full bistro, bottle shop | 7 days from 11am |
Queenscliff: The Heritage Capital
Queenscliff sits at the tip of the Bellarine Peninsula where Port Phillip Bay meets Bass Strait — a Victorian-era garrison town with heritage-listed buildings, a still-operational fort, and the Sorrento ferry that makes it accessible from two directions. The town has two pubs worth visiting, both in heritage buildings, and they serve different purposes: Vue Grand is the special-occasion destination, the Esplanade is the reliable local.
Vue Grand Hotel
Built in 1881 and heritage-listed, the Vue Grand is Queenscliff's most celebrated address — a Victorian-era grand hotel with 23 boutique rooms, a wraparound verandah, and The Billiard Room bar. The dining room draws on Bellarine Peninsula produce and the kitchen treats a meal here as an occasion worth arriving for. The verandah is one of the best outdoor seats on the Peninsula regardless of season. Five minutes walk from the Queenscliff ferry terminal.
Open Thursday through Sunday (closed Monday to Wednesday), so visit timing matters. The accommodation suites are particularly popular for Melbourne weekend escapes — book well ahead for summer and long weekends. Rated 3.9 stars from 521 reviews. If you're planning a special occasion dinner or an overnight stay on the Peninsula, Vue Grand is the benchmark. More Queenscliff pubs →
The Esplanade Hotel Queenscliff
Standing since 1879, the Esplanade Hotel is Queenscliff's heartbeat — the local gathering spot where visitors feel immediately welcome. The pub has a bistro, a sports bar, a beer garden, and Harry's on the Balcony: the cocktail bar on the first floor with views over Gellibrand Street. Open 7 days from 11am (Saturday from 10am), it's the more accessible of Queenscliff's two main pubs and the one to visit if you're arriving mid-week or want a reliable meal without booking.
The Esplanade is on Gellibrand Street, which puts it at the centre of the heritage township and a short walk from the ferry terminal and the Queenscliff Historical Museum. Rated 4.2 stars from 1,057 reviews — the more highly rated of the two Queenscliff pubs. More Queenscliff pubs →
Barwon Heads: The Coastal Village
Barwon Heads sits at the mouth of the Barwon River where it enters Bass Strait — a small coastal village with two distinct pub options on Hitchcock Avenue. The Barwon Heads Hotel is the seven-days-a-week community pub with accommodation and a full bistro. Tommy Gunns, fifty metres up the same street, is a wine bar and French-inspired bistro in a weatherboard cottage that opens Wednesday through Saturday. Both are good; they serve different moods.
Barwon Heads Hotel
The Barwon Heads Hotel has four distinct spaces: a bistro with a menu covering vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options alongside standard pub fare; the Bridge Bar cocktail lounge for drinks between meals; a sports bar for live sport; and a beer garden for afternoons when the coastal weather cooperates. Wednesday parmi nights ($24) and Thursday steak nights ($28) draw a regular local crowd, while summer weekends bring free live music to the beer garden. Accommodation on-site.
Open seven days from 11am (Saturday and Sunday from 10am). At 4.0 stars from 1,555 reviews it's one of the more consistently rated pubs on the Peninsula, and the accommodation makes it the natural base if you're spending a night on the Bellarine rather than driving back to Geelong or Melbourne. More Barwon Heads pubs →
Tommy Gunns
Tommy Gunns is a wine bar and bistro in a charming weatherboard cottage on Hitchcock Avenue — three spaces (open courtyard, main bar, dining room) and a French-inspired kitchen built on local and seasonal produce. Happy hour runs every Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 6pm: $18 cocktails, $8 wines and $11 pints. The courtyard is worth the visit on a fine afternoon. Open Wednesday through Saturday — the most limited hours of the Barwon Heads options.
Rated 4.8 stars from 295 reviews — the highest-rated individual venue on the Bellarine Peninsula in this guide. Closed Sunday and Monday, which limits its usefulness on a standard weekend, but Friday and Saturday happy hour makes it a natural second stop after a Barwon Heads Hotel lunch or early dinner. More Barwon Heads pubs →
Ocean Grove: The Most Options in One Town
Ocean Grove is the Bellarine Peninsula's largest town and the one with the most diverse drinking options. Three venues cover different ground: the Ocean Grove Hotel for the family bistro experience, The Mex for 30 years of Tex-Mex and weekend live music, and The Covenant Wine Bar for Bellarine regional wines in the town centre. All three are in easy walking distance of each other.
Ocean Grove Hotel
The "OGH" is the Bellarine's most family-practical pub — a full bistro with indoor and outdoor dining, a beer garden with turfed outdoor space, a kids' play area, 12 beers on tap, and the Surfside Bar for a quieter drink. It has been the Ocean Grove community's gathering place for generations. Bistro opens from 12pm Friday through Sunday; from 3pm Wednesday and Thursday — making it a better weekend lunch stop than a midweek one.
Multiple sports screens for anyone with a live game to follow. If you're on the Peninsula with children and need a venue that works for the whole table, the Ocean Grove Hotel is the practical choice. It's also directly on the main road into Ocean Grove from Geelong, so it's the first pub you'll pass as you enter town. More Ocean Grove pubs →
The Mex
The Mex is Ocean Grove's best-loved bar — a Bellarine Peninsula institution for over three decades, set on the corner of Grubb and Shell Roads. Tex-Mex food and cold drinks in a laid-back coastal atmosphere. Live music fires up every Friday and Saturday from 6:30pm. A summer beer garden adds outdoor space when the weather cooperates. Open seven days from 5pm — which makes it the natural choice for an evening session regardless of what day you arrive.
Rated 4.5 stars from 1,286 reviews — the highest-rated pub in Ocean Grove by a notable margin. The Mex has been doing this long enough that it doesn't need to try hard; the consistency is what keeps it full on Friday and Saturday nights. Happy hour from 4:30pm Fridays and Saturdays before dinner service. More Ocean Grove pubs →
The Covenant Wine Bar
The Covenant Wine Bar is Ocean Grove's alternative to the pub — a considered wine bar in the town centre focused on Bellarine Peninsula and Victorian regional wines, with cocktails and a food menu of platters and pizza. Open Thursday through Saturday 4pm–8pm and Sunday 3pm–7pm. It's the option for someone who wants something more thoughtful than a hotel bar but doesn't want to drive to Barwon Heads for Tommy Gunns.
The Bellarine Peninsula is home to several wineries — Oakdene, Leura Park, Jack Rabbit among them — and The Covenant acts as the town-centre introduction to that wine culture, accessible without a car and open on the same afternoons when the local cellar doors are trading. More Ocean Grove pubs →
Portarlington: Bay Views and Heritage
Portarlington sits on the northern bay side of the Peninsula, facing Port Phillip Bay toward Melbourne — a bayside town famous for its mussel farming and the Portarlington ferry that connects it to the city. The bay views from the Portarlington Grand Hotel are among the best from any pub in the region, and the heritage building is one of the Peninsula's most impressive.
Portarlington Grand Hotel
Established in 1888, the Portarlington Grand Hotel is a beautifully restored heritage boutique hotel on Newcombe Street with views across Port Phillip Bay. The restaurant and bar draw diners from across the Peninsula; the accommodation suites are a destination for Melbourne visitors seeking a quieter bayside escape than the more visited Queenscliff. Open seven days from 11am (Saturday from 10am, Friday from 11am until 1am).
Portarlington is the mussel capital of Australia — local mussels feature prominently on menus in town and the Grand Hotel is no exception. The Portarlington Geelong ferry also runs from the town pier, making it a viable Melbourne day-trip destination accessible without a car. Rated 3.9 stars from 1,290 reviews. More Portarlington pubs →
Drysdale: The Peninsula's Crossroads
Drysdale is not a coastal town — it sits inland at the intersection of five major roads that connect Geelong to Portarlington, Queenscliff, Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove. If you're driving the Peninsula from Geelong, virtually every route passes through Drysdale, which makes the Drysdale Hotel an almost unavoidable stop. It's the Peninsula's most practical community pub: full bistro, bottle shop, open daily, and distinctly not trying to be anything other than a reliable local.
Drysdale Hotel
A classic 1930s pub sitting at the intersection of five major roads — the Drysdale Hotel is hard to miss with its distinctive red brick and awnings. Full bistro serving lunch and dinner seven days; a sports bar with tank beer and live sports on multiple screens; an open beer garden; gaming lounge and bottle shop. Open daily from 11am until 10pm (Sunday 9pm, Friday–Saturday 11pm). Rated 4.1 stars from 692 reviews.
The Drysdale Hotel is also useful as a natural stopping point if you're navigating between Peninsula towns — Queenscliff is 15km south, Portarlington 12km north, Ocean Grove 15km south-east and Barwon Heads 18km south-west. It's one of the few Peninsula pubs with no gap in its weekly schedule, and the bottle shop makes it practical for stocking up before an evening at the beach. More Drysdale pubs →
Planning Your Bellarine Pub Trail
The nine venues above span five towns across a 50km peninsula. Here are three realistic ways to approach the Bellarine, depending on your time and starting point.
Drive the Bellarine Highway to Drysdale Hotel for a midday lunch (open from 11am). Continue south to Portarlington Grand Hotel for bay views and an afternoon drink. Head south-east through Ocean Grove to The Mex (opens 5pm, live music Fri/Sat). End at Barwon Heads Hotel for a final drink before the drive back. About 90 minutes of total driving — manageable as a full day. Drysdale pubs →
Check into Vue Grand Hotel (Thu–Sun, book ahead). That evening, walk to the Esplanade Hotel for dinner and Harry's Balcony. Next day, drive to Barwon Heads for a Tommy Gunns lunch (Fri/Sat happy hour from 4pm is particularly good value). The Barwon Heads Hotel is a solid dinner option if you want to stay local. Return via the Drysdale Hotel on the way out. Queenscliff pubs →
Take the Searoad ferry from Sorrento or Portsea to Queenscliff (35-45 min). Walk to the Esplanade Hotel for lunch (open from 11am, no booking required). Spend the afternoon in Queenscliff, head to Vue Grand Hotel if it's open. Drive or taxi 20 minutes to Barwon Heads for late afternoon drinks at the hotel or Tommy Gunns. Return on the evening ferry. A circular day trip using two different transport modes. Barwon Heads pubs →
Bellarine Peninsula Pub Tips
- Vue Grand Hotel is closed Monday to Wednesday — the most important thing to check before making the drive. Thursday through Sunday only. Phone ahead if visiting on a borderline day: 03 5258 1544.
- Tommy Gunns is open Wednesday to Saturday only — the Wednesday and Thursday openings are dinner-only (from 5pm). Friday and Saturday lunch from 12pm, with happy hour 4–6pm.
- The Queenscliff-Sorrento ferry is operated by Searoad Ferries and runs year-round. It makes a genuine circular day trip possible — arrive by car, leave by ferry (or vice versa). Check operating times and book ahead for summer and long weekends.
- Portarlington is Australia's mussel capital — farmed in Port Phillip Bay since the 1960s. Local mussels appear on menus at the Portarlington Grand Hotel and at seafood restaurants in town. Worth ordering if you're there in winter or spring.
- Barwon Heads Hotel accommodation books out in summer — the village is a popular summer destination with limited accommodation options. Book months ahead if visiting from November to March, or plan a day trip instead.