Old worlde bathing boxes adorn Brighton beachs and put on a colourful display.

With 260 kilometres of coastline, Port Phillip is 35 times the size of Sydney Harbour. The bay has safe, sandy bay beaches stretching from Sorrento, on the Mornington Peninsula, to Queenscliffe, on the opposite side of the Bay. Ferries run between Sorrento and Queenscliffe, although a drive to either of these destinations is somewhat of a day trip because of the considerable distances involved.

But it is the area closer to Melbourne, on the southern side of the bay, that interests most people. This is where the prime real estate is and also where most of the action is. The area is known as "Southern Bayside" and it is also the area that most people flock to when they go to the beach. The beaches along this stretch include St Kilda, Elwood , Brighton, Sandringham, Beaumaris, Mordialloc, Frankston and Seaford. Water temperatures in Melbourne are cool all year round so it is mostly in the hot summer months that Melbournites go to the beaches.

See Bayside Suburbs
See Driving/Cycling around the bay

Bayside Coastal Art Trail

At points along Beach Road there are references to the Bayside Coastal Art Trail. This "trail" celebrates the lives and artwork of notable Australian artists who painted the Bayside coast in past years. The trail runs from St Kilda to Beaumaris. A brochure showing all the artists that painted along this trail is available from the Visitors Information Centre at the Melbourne Town Hall.