Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay
4.5
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4.5
72 reviews
Excellent
41
Very good
27
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
1
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Swell Traveller
Melbourne, Australia3,679 contributions
May 2020
I have been here twice recently, once at sunset [it rained so I left] and the other in the morning. It is a stunning bay / beach. It has exceptional rock formations and cliffs, interesting walking paths and has works from the Bayside Artists Trail - see separate review. It is part of the suburb Black Rock and houses their Yacht Club, a pier, some restaurants, beach huts and the remains of the Cerberus, a historic shipwreck.
When I was there some models were doing a photo shoot along the rocks which were a great contrast to their clothes. Grab some fish and chips and eat along the water break near the pier, just like I saw some tourists do. It is such a sheltered inlet that it is popular with families with little children and the locals.
It is worth spending at least an hour walking around here and viewing all there is to see. Don't forget your camera!
When I was there some models were doing a photo shoot along the rocks which were a great contrast to their clothes. Grab some fish and chips and eat along the water break near the pier, just like I saw some tourists do. It is such a sheltered inlet that it is popular with families with little children and the locals.
It is worth spending at least an hour walking around here and viewing all there is to see. Don't forget your camera!
Written 6 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,657 contributions
Oct 2022
Half Moon Bay is a bay beach. It has nice sand and provides a sheltered environment for swimming. It's especially popular in summer. Half Moon Bay is a good dog beach, although hours are restricted. A popular feature is the HMAS Cerberus wreck, it's an adventure to swim out and explore.
Written 17 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
franco b
Chiasso, Switzerland224 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
Definitely the most beautiful beach in Melbourne. Easily accessible from the road that runs parallel to the Black Rock boardwalk. A beach where you can spend a day at the seaside comfortably and safely with bars and services not far from the sea. You can also find small corners, if not hidden, at least not very frequented.
On sunny weekends it is very busy
On sunny weekends it is very busy
Written 17 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victorianlad
Melbourne, Australia17,904 contributions
Dec 2018 • Solo
We caught Metro's Sandringham line train to the eponymous terminus and connected to a 600, 922 or 923 Transdev Melbourne bus that left five minutes later. The latter operate every 15 minutes on weekdays along Bluff Road, Black Rock: we alighted at the Middleton Street, Black Rock stop and walked 10 minutes (including the path down to the beach after crossing what can be busy Beach Road).
Return fare using a myki was $8.60 but in 2019 this will rise to $8.80 per adult for the daily multi-modal capped fare. Better than driving and paying for parking, or getting booked by a City of Bayside parking inspector with fines of up to A$155!
The beach was busy but not super crowded even though a temperature of 34 degrees was the forecast. We found a spot up near the cliffs and enjoyed the sand and sea. Most of this beach has a sandy bottom. There are interesting rock pools near the famous cliffs that more than 100 years ago were subjects for revered Melbourne artists.
At the other end of this 350 metre bay is a pier that among other attractions has Cerberus House restaurant/cafe. Fish and chips are available but we found shopping at Australian-owned Woolworths and IGA supermarkets to be more economical, so we brought our own food and drinks.
It was lovely to see plenty of Australian native vegetation adjoining the ramps down to the beach. Plants need to be tough to survive in what can be a very harsh coastal environment during summer. Introduced plants are not suitable!
This is a family friendly beach, unlike St Kilda and more recently Chelsea that have suffered from extremely bad behaviour by one group. Read the local media to discover more.
Return fare using a myki was $8.60 but in 2019 this will rise to $8.80 per adult for the daily multi-modal capped fare. Better than driving and paying for parking, or getting booked by a City of Bayside parking inspector with fines of up to A$155!
The beach was busy but not super crowded even though a temperature of 34 degrees was the forecast. We found a spot up near the cliffs and enjoyed the sand and sea. Most of this beach has a sandy bottom. There are interesting rock pools near the famous cliffs that more than 100 years ago were subjects for revered Melbourne artists.
At the other end of this 350 metre bay is a pier that among other attractions has Cerberus House restaurant/cafe. Fish and chips are available but we found shopping at Australian-owned Woolworths and IGA supermarkets to be more economical, so we brought our own food and drinks.
It was lovely to see plenty of Australian native vegetation adjoining the ramps down to the beach. Plants need to be tough to survive in what can be a very harsh coastal environment during summer. Introduced plants are not suitable!
This is a family friendly beach, unlike St Kilda and more recently Chelsea that have suffered from extremely bad behaviour by one group. Read the local media to discover more.
Written 27 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BenYorkie
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia1,305 contributions
Mar 2018 • Family
A long lovely sandy beach with clear shallow water.
Quite shelteered as well with a jetty at one end and asteeo bluf running att the back towards the road. Good parking at around 3 spots with steps down to the beach.
A lovely relaxing spot to enjoy the sun and the sand without being too far ot of Melbourne
Quite shelteered as well with a jetty at one end and asteeo bluf running att the back towards the road. Good parking at around 3 spots with steps down to the beach.
A lovely relaxing spot to enjoy the sun and the sand without being too far ot of Melbourne
Written 7 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa B
Melbourne, Australia147 contributions
Sept 2017
HMB beach is a great family spot.
Good beach, shallow water. Great for skim boarding, swimming.
The pier is lovely to walk out on but Please don't dive of the pier as the water is too shallow.
There is a yacht club, life saving club, fish and chip shop, pier and of course the old Cerberus which is a great piece of history.
Great bush track to walk here too and the views are fabulous.
Good beach, shallow water. Great for skim boarding, swimming.
The pier is lovely to walk out on but Please don't dive of the pier as the water is too shallow.
There is a yacht club, life saving club, fish and chip shop, pier and of course the old Cerberus which is a great piece of history.
Great bush track to walk here too and the views are fabulous.
Written 6 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jay Y
Victoria, Australia1 contribution
Dec 2015
I go to Half Moon Bay every year. The water is beautiful and the fish and chips from Ceberus Beach house are amazing too! The sand is always warm, water is lukewarm and you can always spot little fishies swimming around! Theres a small cute pier you can walk to and jump off from, many people bring their boats amd jetskis. The big rocky cliff is beautiful too and you can climb up it. Sunsets are amazing- takes around 1.5 hours from Melbourne CBD to get here. Bit of traffic on hot days on beach road - but totally worth it!! Parking on the biggest strip can be a squeeze but its easiest to park up on the smaller parking sections up on beach road and walk down the long path to the sand. 10/10 I love this beach!
Written 22 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Natalie1964
Melbourne3,477 contributions
June 2015 • Solo
Black Rock has a lovely coastline beach and I usually go to the life saving club area. I decided to venture further down but do be warned if parking in the car park "PAY FOR PARKING" as parking inspector was out on a Sunday and booked plenty of people. The area has the HMAS Cerberus which ran aground many years ago. It also has a pier which is undergoing restoration currently and I was not able to walk out there. The Yacht Club is located in this area and there is a cafe and few other things I noticed from a distance but did not explore further. There is a decent amount of parking and also the lookout is nice if you want to watch the world from above.
Written 14 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DEJAY
Melbourne, Australia428 contributions
Feb 2015 • Friends
This is a great spot beside the Black sailing club and the Cerberus restaurant with a small pier you can walk out on or maybe stroll on the beach itself.
The wreck of the Cerberus, once the Victorian navel ship lies in the bay and photos of it can be seen in the restaurant.
On a warm night this is the place to buy fish and chips and sit overlooking the water as the sun sets.
The wreck of the Cerberus, once the Victorian navel ship lies in the bay and photos of it can be seen in the restaurant.
On a warm night this is the place to buy fish and chips and sit overlooking the water as the sun sets.
Written 11 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kaye M
Melbourne, Australia22 contributions
July 2014 • Couples
Having not been to Half Moon Bay for many many years it is so sad to see how derelict the area has become. The iconic jetty and boat ramp have been condemed and it will only be a matter of time before the jetty falls completely down it is just sad that with all the obvious money in the area that this old work horse could not be saved and respected in its old age!
Written 13 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
luna r
Oakleigh, Australia
Hi, Just wondering if dogs are allowed at Half Moon Bay Beach?
Written 19 October 2015
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