Departing Sorrento, Victoria’s first settlement location in 1803, aboard the swift and stable RIB boat from Sorrento Pier. First, we enjoy the beautiful coastline and multi-million-dollar clifftop holiday homes in Portsea, where we begin to view the historical artifacts, including lime-burning kilns and defense installations. From here, we admire the Point Nepean National Park coastal peninsula and Ticonderoga Dolphin Sanctuary. At the half At this point, we observe the Rip, the esteemed shipping entrance to Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait. Following, we visit Popes Eye Marine Park to view the 1888-constructed incomplete fort, where a unique population of Australasian Gannets reside and breed. Our last pause is at the nearby Australian Fur Seal haul-out platform, where up to 80 seals entertain, grunt, groan, and scratch. endlessly in front of your very eyes. Finally, we make our way back to the pier, keeping an eye out for bottlenose dolphins if they haven’t already appeared during the tour.

Guests enjoying the Ticonderoga Dolphin Sanctuary area of the Mornington Peninsula

Local bottlenose (Burrunan) dolphins appear beside the tour boat at the surface

Guests arriving at Berth 1 on Sorrento Pier are about to board the tour vessel

Australasian Gannets as seen at the breeding grounds visited during the cruise

The WaterMaarq tour vessel is ready for departure from Sorrento Pier, and participants can easily get to the departure point from Melbourne by car in around 1.5–2 hours

A proud Australian fur seal is showing off its strength at the haul-out area