[Rye and its history]
Rye’s well maintained foreshore has long attracted family holiday makers and, more recently, windsurfers who revel in its long stretch of shallow water and strong offshore breezes. Bayside cycling tracks through the ti-tree are family favourites.
Rye was originally called White Cliff. It is unknown where the name came from – possibly after the township of Rye in Englandn and it was a prime area for lime burning during the 1850s. The Pier was built in 1860 to transport the lime being produced from the 13-14 kilns operating at Rye. Limeburners were the first permanent settlers in the area during the 1840s and it remained the major industry of the Southern Peninsula for several decades. The lack of a pier for the paddle steamers meant that Rye was just beyond the reach of early tourists, but motor car ownership saw numbers grow from the 1950s, and they haven’t stopped coming since. It is now a traditional summer holiday location for Melburnians. During summer the carnival is in town and the safe swimming beaches are a hit with parents and children. Sandbars extend for 200 metres from the shore creating that safe swimming spot for kids. A lengthy shopping strip on Point Nepean Road adjacent to the beach with its major shops and now many cafes and bars make it a cosmopolitan location.
Rye has a concentration of golf courses close by including The Dunes, Moonah Links, The National, St Andrews but to name a few.
Rye is ideally and centrally located to the many attractions of the Southern Peninsula - just a few minutes to the boardwalks and splendid coastal scenery of the Mornington Peninsula National Park, from Cape Schanck to Point Nepean or Arthur’s Seat and the wine touring areas.
The Pier is a major feature and a magnet for visitors, set against a beautiful foreshore with bbq facilities, large rotunda and playground. A perfect holiday resort for young families with safe beaches and sand banks at low tide, Explore the Octopus's garden underwater marine trail underneath Rye Pier.
Rye also has fabulous ocean beaches and a wealth of accommodation options from comfortable motels, b&bs and cottages to 5 star resorts. In January each year Rye hosts the family favourite Rye Beach Carnival, the Rye Gift Foot Race.
Explore the lime kiln on the foreshore at the western end of township, play golf at the Dunes, ride the ocean beach with Gunnamatta Trail Rides or hire a boat and explore the Bay.
Rye is a place full of fun activities for everyone in every season.
Within minutes from Rye you will find the delights of Sorrento, Portsea, Cape Schanck, Gunnamatta Beach, Rosebud and the wineries in Red Hill. So even though Rye will keep you busy if you do want to wander further afield Rye is the perfect spot to explore all the Mornington Peninsula.
PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE TAKEN OF RYE BEACH 200 METRES FROM BLUE MOON COTTAGES - The Sandpiper, The Shell Croft and Shearwater, 500 metres from St Ives Cottage. Ocean Blue Retreat is located on Rye's back beach where you will see a more spectacular coastline and surfing beaches.
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