Mt Martha's own village shopping centre is just minutes away from Waterview Ridge, complete with supermarket, bakeries, restaurants (take away and dine-in), newsagent, hairdressers, hardware, gift and clothing shops.

Mornington's main shopping centre, another five minutes down the road, revolves around Main Street and Centro Mornington.

On Wednesdays the street is filled with market stalls, selling any number of different items from fresh farm produce to plants, flowers, arts and crafts and clothing.

There is plenty of off-street parking behind shops on both sides of the street and tables and chairs spill out onto the footpath from bustling cafes and restaurants.

Sails from yachts setting off from the harbour are a common site for shoppers strolling down Main Street towards Mornington Park and its clifftop lookouts.

Other markets are held on different days of the month throughout the Mornington Peninsula, including:

• Red Hill Community Market has a motto 'make it, bake it, grow it, breed it' and operates on the first Saturday of each month September to May (Melway 190 J4).

• Mornington Racecourse Market, with 300 stalls among the cypresses on the second Sunday of each month with parking for 3000 cars, encourages picnics on the racecourse lawns (Melway 146 B3).

• Sorrento Craft Market, on the fourth Saturday of each month (September to April) showcases the works of the many artists who have been drawn to the peninsula by its natural beauty (Melway 157 B7).

• Boneo Market, on an oval in the heart of farming country near Rye, raises money for charity and offers local produce, arts, crafts and pony rides on the third Saturday of each month (Melway 252 K3).

• Dromana Drive-In Sunday Market is a place to buy or sell new and used goods of all types every Sunday (Melway 160 E5).

• Bittern Sunday Market bills itself as 'a real country market' with proceeds from site fees going back into community projects (Melway 492 G4).

Antiques and galleries

The natural attractions of the Mornington Peninsula have long drawn the admiration of artists, with many now making it their home base. Their works reflecting this visual and aesthetic stimulation are now featured in galleries throughout the peninsula.

Antique shops are scattered throughout the peninsula's small towns and the antique trail can include visits to historic homesteads and sites. Victoria's first European settlement was at Sorrento and explorer Matthew Flinders sailed past the Mt Martha cliffs before landing at Birdrock Beach.