Somers Beach curves gently along the western edge of Western Port Bay, a sheltered alternative to the pounding surf beaches that dominate Victoria's coast. You'll park beneath the paperbark canopy and step onto honey-colored sand that slopes gradually into calm, shallow water—warm enough in summer that families spread picnic blankets well into evening. The beach faces northeast, offering unobstructed views across the bay to Phillip Island's spine and, on clear days, the faint outline of French Island's low scrub.
“Western Port's tidal flats and protected waters create a bay beach experience rare along Victoria's otherwise ocean-dominated coast.”
Credit: UnsplashCrashing wave at sunset on the shoreline
The foreshore reserve behind you hosts towering eucalypts that drop their bark in long ribbons, and the breeze carries that distinctly Australian mix of salt and sun-warmed leaves. At low tide, the water retreats to reveal mudflats where egrets and cormorants hunt, and children squelch through the shallows collecting shells. The bay's protection means no waves, no rips—just flat water that reflects the sky in shades of pewter and rose depending on the hour.
You won't find surf shops or crowded promenades here. Instead, there's a playground beneath the trees, a concrete boat ramp favored by locals launching tinnies at dawn, and enough space along the sand that even January weekends feel uncrowded. The surrounding township of Crib Point remains quietly residential, a working-class pocket of the peninsula where holiday homes haven't yet swallowed every cottage.
