Melbourne/Frankston

Frankston is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. It has a beautiful beach, vibrant street art, many restaurants, bars and shops.

Understand

Frankston is a town 40 km from Melbourne on the edge of Port Phillip Bay often referred to as the "Gateway to the Mornington Peninsula". Frankston is where the electric train line terminates. If you are a backpacker heading to the Mornington Peninsula, French Island or Phillip Island chances are you're going to go through Frankston.

Events

Frankston is home to several festivals;

  • Waterfront Festival in January.
  • Ventana Fiesta, a Latin American, Portuguese and Spanish festival in March.
  • Big Picture Fest, a street art festival in March.
  • Pets Day Out in October.
  • Festival of Lights in late November.

A Sand Sculpting display runs from December to April.

Tourist information

Get in

By bus
  • 781 bus from Mt Martha via Mt Eliza, Mornington.
  • 782 bus from Flinders via Coolart Road, Hastings.
  • 783 bus from Hastings via Coolart Road.
  • 782/783 combined from Hastings/Flinders via Coolart Road.
  • 788 bus from Portsea via Dromana, Rosebud, Sorrento.
  • 901 bus from Melbourne airport via Dandenong.
  • Frankston and Peninsula Airport Shuttle - a faster but more expensive option than the 901 bus.

By car

Frankston has two freeways connecting it and the rest of Melbourne: the M3 Frankston Freeway and the M11 Mornington Peninsula Freeway / Peninsula Link. The Frankston Freeway connects Frankston with the rest of Melbourne's eastern suburbs, but north of the Mornington Pen Fwy it's tolled and becomes Eastlink. If you're coming from Melb CBD, head east on the M1 Monash Fwy and exit onto Eastlink. The Mornington Peninsula Fwy connects Frankston to the Mornington Peninsula to the south, but only goes as far as Kingston to the northwest. On some maps, you might see the northwestern portion of the Mornington Peninsula Freeway being labelled as Mordialloc Freeway – this is because Mordialloc Fwy was its construction name prior to opening in 2021.

By train

Get around

See

Do

BMX
  • 🌍 Frankston BMX Club, 101R Old Wells Road, Seaford. BMX Track 
  • 🌍 Langwarrin Pump Track, Lloyd Park, Cranbourne/Frankston Road, Langwarrin. BMX Track 

Bowls
  • 🌍 Barefoot Bowls, Cnr Yuille & William Streets, ☏ +61 3 9783-2877. Every Friday evening at 6PM (weather permitting) until dusk, during daylight savings. It’s a fun night for families and a sausage sizzle is included. $8.00 per adult and $2.00 for children. 

Golf

Skate

Tennis

Nature reserves
  • 🌍 Frankston Nature Conservation Reserve (Frankston Reservoir), Jeremy Way, Frankston South. Open everyday. Bush walking, cycling, kayaking. Pedestrian access is available at any time via Jeremy Way, Harry Court, Frankston-Flinders Road, Rinella Bushland Reserve and Lawson Avenue. Vehicle access to the visitor carpark via Jeremy Way, Frankston South, between the hours of 6.00am-9.00pm during daylight hours, and 7AM-7PM in non-daylight savings hours. Free. 
  • 🌍 Kananook Creek Reserve, Between Eel Race Road, Seaford and Overton Rd. Kananook Creek walking track runs for 7.5 km parallel to the coastline linking Seaford Wetlands to Frankston Foreshore. The creek reserve is home to many indigenous plants and animals and is one of Frankston's most beautiful natural environments, providing a unique and picturesque place for people to commune with nature in the midst of our urban landscape. Canoe launching sites to access the Creek are located at Riviera Street, Broughton Street Reserve and near McCulloch Avenue. 
  • 🌍 Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve. 
  • 🌍 Paratea Flora and Fauna Reserve. 
  • 🌍 The Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve, toll-free: 13 1963 (domestic). The lookouts in the reserve provide awesome views on the Dandenong Ranges. 
  • 🌍 Seaford Wetlands. 261 hectares of predominantly freshwater swamps. It is prohibited to bring cats to the reserve. 
  • 🌍 Sweet Water Creek Reserve. 

Parks
  • 🌍 Ballam Park, 260R Cranbourne Rd. Barbecues, basketball ring, playgrounds, flying fox. The Park is home to Ballam Park Homestead, a historic home and museum from the 1850s run by the Frankston Historical Society. 
  • 🌍 Beauty Park, Spring St. Outdoor fitness facilities. Lake. 
  • 🌍 Jubilee Park. Barbecues, basketball ring, cricket nets, playgrounds, wetland area. 

Other stuff
  • Cycling. There are several bicycle paths around Frankston. The longest is the Peninsula Link Trail which is 25 km. It begins at Patterson Lakes and ends near Moorooduc Station (Mornington Railway), Mt Eliza Regional Park and Moorooduc Quarry Flora and Fauna Reserve. It is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians. It interconnects with the Dandenong Creek Trail and the Frankston-Baxter Trail which follows the Stony Point train line from Frankston to Baxter. 
  • 🌍 PARC - Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre, Cnr Cranbourne Rd & Olive Grove (next to Frankston Skatepark), ☏ +61 3 9781-8444, . Pools, water slides, gym. Prices vary depending on time and what services you'll be using. 

Buy
  • 🌍 Frankston Sunday Market, Young Street, ☏ +61 3 9462 1520. Su 8AM-1PM. Art and craft, plants, second hand goods, jam donuts. Entry $1.00. 
  • 🌍 Seaford Farmers Market, Station Street, Seaford (adjacent to the Seaford Community Centre). The third Sunday of each month from 8AM-1PM. Fresh produce. 
  • 🌍 Wells Street Market, Wells Street. Thursday 9AM-2PM. (updated Nov 2016)
  • 🌍 Little Beauty Market (Little Beauty In The Park), Beauty Park. 10AM-3PM, one Saturday a month October-April. (updated Apr 2018)

Eat

There are several food courts located within the shopping centers offering a wide range of food such as Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Italian, not to mention all the regular fast food chains. Pizza, Fish and Chips there is no shortage of choices.

Drink

Sleep

Connect
  • Free internet at shopping centers and Frankston library. (updated Nov 2016)

Go next

Frankston station serves as a transit hub for bus and train services.

  • Dandenong - by Bus
  • Flinders - Bus 782 Frankston - Flinders via Coolart Road, Hastings.
  • Melbourne - by train
  • Melbourne Airport - 901 Bus or Peninsula Express Skybus- a faster but more expensive option than the 901 bus.
  • Mount Martha - Take the 781 bus via Mt Eliza and Mornington.
  • Portsea - Take the 788 bus via Dromana, Rosebud and Sorrento.
  • Stony Point - Take the train to Stony Point, where ferries leave for French Island and Phillip Island.
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