Coppins Track: Sorrento to Diamond Bay, Mornington Peninsula

If you want to enjoy a slice of the Mornington Peninsula’s famed Coastal Walk, you can’t go far wrong with the 3km Coppins Track from Sorrento to Diamond Bay. Passing rugged and rocky coastline, interesting sea stacks, turquoise shallows and drool-worthy beaches, don’t expect this to be a quick walk. Oh no, it’s a stop-start gem of a walk, where on a good day, you’ll likely be spending as much time in the water as you do on the trail.

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about walking the Coppins Track in the Mornington Peninsula.

For more coastal walks, read our Wilsons Prom Hiking Guide

Coppins Track Overview

The 6km return trail from Mornington Peninsula’s Sorrento to Diamond Bay along the Coppins Track shouldn’t take longer than 1.5 hours to complete. Along the walk, there are numerous lookouts and points of interest. Some to look out for include St Paul’s Beach and the Bay of Islands at Diamond Bay.

The rugged coastline and warm sandstone rocks feel almost Mediterranean. Additionally, the water here is so clear and inviting, that you might find the Coppins Track walk blows out a little as you stop for a bathe at each beach you pass. And let’s face it, who could blame you?

Along the Coppins Track, you’ll also find numerous numbered posts. These correspond to a self-guided historical trail, which traces the history of the area. You can find out more about that from Parks Victoria. But, rest assured, it’s not essential to enjoy the walk.

Where Is the Coppins Track?

The Coppins Track is a 3km coastal trail running between Sorrento and Diamond Bay on the south coast of the Mornington Peninsula. Given its proximity to Melbourne, Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula is a popular weekend getaway, as well as a great place to visit as a day trip. So, if you’re looking for a great coastal walk in Morn Pen on your day trip, then the Coppins Track walk from Sorrento to Diamond Bay should be high on your to-do list.

To help get your bearings, please click on the image below to access an interactive map of the area on Google Maps.

Coppins Track: Sorrento to Diamond Bay Walk

• Type: Out & Back
• Distance: 6km
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 50m
• Difficulty: Grade 2
• Trailhead: Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club

The Coppins Track is a historic coastal trail, tracing the history of the area over the last 100 years or so. English-born actor, George Seth Coppin, was instrumental in how the area developed, having built the majority of the trail as we see it today back in the late 19th century.

The Coppins Track runs between Sorrento and Diamond Bay in the Mornington Peninsula. It can be hiked in either direction. But, for the purpose of this guide, we’ll describe walking the Coppins Track from Sorrento to Diamond Bay.

Sorrento to St. Paul’s Beach

After parking at Sorrento Ocean Beach, you’ll first walk a little back up Ocean Beach Road, before joining a trail on your right. This is the beginning of the Coppins Track. From here, the trail hugs the clifftop overlooking Mornington Peninsula’s Sorrento Beach. It’s a simple track to follow, just a little strenuous in parts as you cross sand trail sections.

Soon enough, you’ll reach St. Paul’s Beach. This tiny and secluded cove is so beautiful, that you’ll definitely want to explore it further. There’s also a small rock arch cave which provides a perfectly framed window of the small beach here.

Rejoin the Coppins Track to continue.

Diamond Bay

Continuing a little further around the headland brings you out to Diamond Bay. If you take a quick detour from the Coppins Track trail to the right, you can access Jubilee Point. You’ll find that Jubilee Point is a large stony headland that provides views to the southeast of Diamond Bay and even beyond toward Cape Schanck. To the north, you’ll enjoy another vantage point of St. Paul’s Beach. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Otways on the Great Ocean Road.

Eventually, you’ll reach a wooden staircase leading down to Diamond Bay. This is without a doubt one of the best beaches we’ve visited on the Mornington Peninsula. The large sweeping curve of the sandstone cliff walls almost wholly envelopes the bay. It’s secluded, sheltered and absolutely stunning. Follow the staircase down to the golden sand and if the weather allows, take a dip.

Bay of Islands

Retracing your steps back up onto the Coppins Track, you can follow the trail a little further around the southern point of Diamond Bay. Here, you’ll join another boardwalk, protecting the areas of regeneration. From this wooden boardwalk, you can enjoy splendid views back over Diamond Bay, as well as the Bay of Islands.

Bay of Islands is a collection of epic sea stacks scattered along the coastline. The thoughtfully laid-out boardwalk is the perfect place to view them. Mismatched and differing in shape, they stand proudly in the ocean. The power of the south coast winds and sea diminishes their size every day. And yet still, they litter the sea like ancient monuments steeped with history.

Once you’ve enjoyed the views, simply retrace your steps back to Sorrento, Mornington Peninsula, to finish the Coppins Track walk.

Optional Coppins Track Extension

If you want, you can extend the Coppins Track walk further along the coastline and down to Pearse’s Beach. You’ll pass other fantastic attractions such as Dogs Head Rock, Koonya Beach and Pirates Bay Cave along this 15km out-and-back walk. You can follow the trail here.

Recap

The Coppins Track is a wonderful 6km return walk featuring some of the most beautiful coastlines and beaches in the Mornington Peninsula. Despite its coastal location, the Coppins Track rarely feels remote due to the proximity of housing and roads. In fact, there are a couple of occasions where you have plain sight of housing estates, not 50 metres from you. Although not ideal, it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the walk and the Coppins Track is still uber beautiful and its beaches sublime.

Useful Things to Know Before You Go

So, now you know about the Coppins Track from Sorrento to Diamond Bay, let’s look at a few useful things to know before visiting, including how to get to the Mornington Peninsula.

How to Get to Sorrento, Mornington Peninsula

The easiest way to get to Sorrento in the Mornington Peninsula to do the Coppins Track is to drive there yourself. From Melbourne, you’re looking at around a 1.5 hour drive. You’ll follow the M11 south, all the way to Rosebud in the Mornington Peninsula, before taking the Point Nepean Road toward Sorrento. Once at Sorrento, take Ocean Beach Road all the way to the car park at the end.

It’s possible to take public transport from Melbourne to Sorrento. But, public transport is certainly long-winded, making for a much longer and less convenient journey. To that end, we highly recommend driving yourself to Sorrento, Mornington Peninsula. If you don’t have access to your own vehicle, we recommend hiring one.

To find out more about renting a car with Discover Cars, read our Discover Cars review and Discover Cars Insurance review.

Coppins Track Parking and Facilities

There’s a sizeable car park at the Sorrento Ocean Beach. Indeed, there’s room for well over 100 cars. But, this car park can get quite busy on the weekend. There are public toilets on the western side of the car park. And, just below the trailhead for the Coppins Track, is the Sorrento Ocean Beach Club, where you can buy refreshments.

The car park address is 250 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento VIC 3943, Australia and you can locate it here on Google Maps.

If you want to hike the Coppins Walking Track in the opposite direction, you can find parking at Diamond Bay Car Park. But, bear in mind, this car park is much smaller, with room for maybe 20 or so vehicles.

Difficulty of the Coppins Track

All in all, the walk from Mornington Peninsula’s Sorrento to Diamond Bay along the Coppins Track is not a technically challenging walk. The sand trails make the walk a little more tricky in parts, but otherwise, it’s easy to walk with minimal elevation gain.

Other Mornington Peninsula Walks

The Mornington Peninsula is a stunning part of the Victorian coastline in Australia. Certainly, there are plenty of walks to choose from, and below are a handful of our favourites.

• Cape Schanck Walk to Pulpit Rock: enjoy the short boardwalk to this volcanic tip of the Mornington Peninsula.
• Bushrangers Bay Walk: a beautiful coastal walk from Cape Schanck to a golden sand beach and incredible rock pools.
• London Bridge Lookout: follow a short clifftop trail to view one of the most extraordinary rock formations in the Mornington Peninsula.
• Farnsworth Track: follow a small section of the Coastal Walk in Portsea, close to London Bridge Lookout.
• Fingal to Cape Schanck Track: another short section of the Coastal Walk from Cape Schanck to this beautiful secluded beach.
• Two Bays Walking Track: the fantastic 26km bush walk linking Dromana to Cape Schanck is bursting with flora and fauna and is a great alternative to a coastal walk in Morn Pen.
• Cape Schanck Coastal Walk: The Coastal Walk spans the southern edge of Mornington Peninsula from Cape Schanck to London Bridge, Portsea. Certainly, it’s a beautiful 30 km walk.

Read more: Mornington Peninsula Walks – 5 Wonderful Coastal Trails

Gear Essentials

Below are our top gear essentials for any walk in the Mornington Peninsula. You should also pack a hat, snacks, swimmers and sunscreen.

To find out more about all of the gear that we use and recommend, read our guides about our favourite hiking gear, travel gear and camera gear. Otherwise, read our comprehensive travel packing checklist.

Let us know your favourite Mornington Peninsula coastal walk in the comments below.

We acknowledge and respect the First Nations people as the Traditional Custodians of the land/water that we visited and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.