Mornington is a seaside town ofMelbourne,Victoria,Australia located on theMornington Peninsula 46 km (29 mi) south-east of Melbourne'sCentral Business District. It is the most populous town in theShire of Mornington Peninsulalocal government area. Mornington had a population of 25,759 at the2021 census.^[1]

Mornington Melbourne, Victoria
Mornington 2024
Mornington
Coordinates	38°13′41″S145°03′43″E / 38.228°S 145.062°E /-38.228; 145.062
Population	25,759 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	1,908/km2 (4,942/sq mi)
Established	1850
Postcode(s)	3931
Area	13.5 km2 (5.2 sq mi)
Location	57 km (35 mi) fromMelbourne 13 km (8 mi) fromFrankston
LGA(s)	Shire of Mornington Peninsula
State electorate(s)	Mornington
Federal division(s)	Flinders
Localities around Mornington: Mount Eliza Baxter Port Phillip Mornington Moorooduc Mount Martha

Mornington is atourist destination renowned for its bay beaches and wineries, with a town centre that runs into the foreshore area and local beach.^[2]

Originally home to the IndigenousBoonwurrung people, the first European settlers arrived in the area in the 1840s for fishing, logging and agriculture.^[3]

A 46-metre long pier was opened in 1858 and became the social and economic gateway to the Mornington Peninsula, connecting the surrounding areas withMelbourne.^[4] Originally known as Schnapper (or Snapper) Point, the town was renamed Mornington in 1864 after the secondEarl of Mornington.^[4][5] The Courthouse was built in 1861 and the Post Office in 1863.^[3] The Grand Hotel was originally opened in 1892 at 126 Main Street as an alcohol-free Grand Coffee Palace designed by notable Melbourne architectWilliam Pitt.^[4] Mornington became a popular tourist destination, with day trippers travelling from Melbourne onsteamers from the 1860's.^[3]

TheMornington Railway line opened in 1889, connecting the township directly to Melbourne until it was closed in 1981.^[4]

In the 2021 Census, there were 25,759 people in Mornington.^[1] 77% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 9.3%, New Zealand 1.4%, Scotland 1.3%, Ireland 0.8% and Italy 0.7%. 94% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 0.7%, Greek 0.6% and Spanish 0.4%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 45%, Christian 45%, Hinduism 0.3% and Islam 0.2%. 41% of dwellings were owned outright, 32% were owned with a mortgage, and 21% were rented. Unemployment in 2021 was 3.8%. The top three industries of employment were Health Care and Social Assistance (16%), Construction (14%) and Retail Trade (10%).^[1]

The town centre runs into the foreshore area and local beach, which features ayacht club, restaurant and park with playground facilities.

Mornington is an attractive destination for shopping and features some excellent restaurants and cafes. The north of Mornington is also home to several horse breeders andstables. It has a library and numerous parks, gardens and historical buildings, many of which are open to the public. It holds several annual festivals, and holds a market day in the main street every Wednesday, which attracts hundreds of people.

TheMornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, opened in 1971, is the major art gallery for the region and hosts a number of major exhibitions, including the Archibald Prize in 2013.^[6] Surrounding the gallery are several parks and the Mornington Botanical Rose Gardens.

Within Mornington are several schools including Mornington Primary School,Mornington Secondary College, Mornington Park Primary School, St. Macartan's Parish Primary School and Benton Junior College.

Mornington is served by three major roadways,Peninsula Link (Mornington Peninsula Freeway),Nepean Highway andMoorooduc Highway. All three are dual-carriageway arterial roads with varying speed limits of 80–100 km/h. TheMelbourne bus routes 781, 784, 785, and 788 services the area.

TheMornington railway line closed in 1981 and reopened in 1991 as the heritageMornington Railway with the aims of restoring the line in future.

Mornington has anAustralian Rules football team, the Mornington Bulldogs, competing in theMornington Peninsula Nepean Football League.

Mornington has ahorse racing club, the Mornington Racing Club, which schedules around twenty race meetings a year including the Mornington Cup meeting in March.^[7] The Mornington Racecourse also hosts the Peninsula Cup in November and monthly markets.

Mornington also has an active Yacht club, the Mornington Yacht Club, located at Schnapper Point.

Golfers play at the course of the Mornington Country Golf Club on Tallis Drive.^[8]

Mornington has aField Hockey club competing in theHockey Victoria Association known as the Mornington Peninsula Falcons.^[9]

Terri Sawyer, the 18-year-old female driver who won the first everAUSCAR race at theCalder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne in February 1988, is a resident of Mornington.

Mornington has anoceanic climate (Cfb) with warm and occasionally hot summers and mild winters where temperatures below freezing are very rare occasions.

• Finola Moorhead
• Brodie Harper
• Terry Denton

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  Mornington Mechanics Institute
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  Mornington Grand Hotel
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  Historic aerial photo of Mornington 1940 looking west
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  Catholic Church at Mornington

• Shire of Mornington – Mornington was previously within this former local government area.