The end of November is a great time to get away from it all and the Queenscliff Music Festival is the perfect excuse. The weather is predictably warm and daylight savings has started.  There's heaps to do around Queenscliff and it's close to Geelong - a renowned events city - and the Great Ocean Road.

Queenscliff is a charming town perched between the shores of Swan and Port Phillip Bays. Both beautiful and historic, there is much to do and see in the township and surrounds. Historical Queenscliff had been used as a military base, a fishing village and fort. An enduring legacy of this rich past is its wonderful architecture, including grand old Victorian-era hotels, the fort, the black lighthouse and the old pilot boat shed on the Queenscliff pier. The beauty of the natural landscape has been captured by local artists and is represented in galleries. These are within strolling distance of great restaurants and cafes.

The popular Bellarine Railway operates a regular authentic 19th century steam train service between Queenscliff and Drysdale along 16km of track winding its way around internationally listed Swan Bay, through the picturesque Bellarine peninsula www.bpr.org.au  Riding the Festival Train will give you a taste of this experience.

Queenscliff and adjoining Pt Lonsdale are situated near the Rip: a notorious stretch of water separating the wild waters of Bass Strait from the relative calm of Port Phillip Bay. See the spectacular views at the Rip View Car Park in Queenscliff, or stroll down the Pt Lonsdale pier and watch the pilot boats escort the ships through the Rip.

Pt Lonsdale is where the ocean meets the bay, featuring dramatic views over The Rip. There is a cave below the lighthouse that is reputed to have been used by William Buckley during his time living with the Wathaurong people, the area's first people. Pt Lonsdale has a great surf beach past the Point, and inside the Bay, Lonsdale Bay beach has beautiful sheltered and clean swimming areas. The main street has some great eateries and shops.

There is a great choice of accommodation in Queenscliff and across the Bellarine Peninsula.

Within the township of Queenscliff itself there is the option of camping, grand hotels and B&B’s. The nearby towns of Pt Lonsdale, Portarlington, Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads offer plenty of accommodation choices and there are more camping ground spaces being made available this year with the opening of Royal Park, located on the Point Lonsdale foreshore.

Special Festival buses that operate throughout the event mean you can stay a short distance from the Festival, but easily get to and from your lodgings.

Contact Queenscliff Visitor Information Centre on 1300 884 843 or www.queenscliffe.vic.gov.au   For further information on Queenscliff and the Bellarine, visit www.geelongotway.org