The Bellarine's best dining experience

About Merne At Lighthouse

Merne at Lighthouse offers contemporary, ‘shared’ style dining in a relaxed restaurant environment; overlooking the established ‘Lighthouse Oil’ olive grove and emerging ‘Oakdene’ vines; across the water to Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean.

Situated in the heart of the Bellarine Peninsula, Merne is central to Drysdale, Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Portarlington, St Leonards, Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale, Curlewis and Wallington; a 15-20 minute drive from Geelong and located just an hour outside of Melbourne.

The kitchen is headed by local Chef, Josh Smith.

Josh honed his skills at the acclaimed Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld, Gordon Ramsay’s ‘Maze’ in Southbank and was Sous Chef at Tulip Bar and Restaurant.  He brings a significant amount of experience to the kitchen, which shows in the incredible flavours and textures in the food he offers.

“I want it to be a relaxed experience for diners. I have tried to create an interesting menu that people can share and my hope is that they discover something new and exciting,” he says.

Front of House manager, local Ocean Grove resident and co-owner, Caleb Fleet, brings 25 years of experience within the Geelong region to the table; former food and beverage manager at historic Vue Grand in Queenscliff, he spent 8 years at Vue and 7 years at Pettavel Winery and Restaurant as front of house manager.

Merne at Lighthouse  looks forward to welcoming you to their restaurant. Lunch is served Thursday through to Monday from 12:00pm and Dinner reservations can be made on Friday and Saturday nights from 6pm.

To view the current shared dining menu.

To make a reservation, click here.

Or to enquire about hosting a function, wedding reception, ceremony or celebration, email [email protected].

For all other enquiries, phone (03) 5251 5541.

Guest Reviews

Best on the Bellarine Peninsula

We are very fortunate living on the Bellarine Peninsula-great beaches, surf, markets, wineries and food. It is the latter where Merne showcases the best of the Bellarine. 3 of us had lunch on Saturday and could not fault the fixed price menu (we chose the pork and barramundi for shared mains) both were superb. A good wine list and we were recommended the Spence 2016 pinot noir from the Moorabool valley-great choice. We loved it so much we have booked again in 2 weeks to show other friends from outside the area the best of the Bellarine.

John C –Tripadvisor

Beyond Brilliant Wedding Venue

We had our wedding here in February 2020 and this venue and the staff went way above and way beyond to ensure that our wedding was the best it could be. Jess & Caleb were incredible to work with and our wedding day went so smoothly and was absolutely perfect thanks to Merne and the fantastic staff. We will 100% return for dining and for future events and celebrations. Could not recommend this venue more highly or strongly whether it is for a function or a dining experience, this venue and its staff will exceed your every expectation.

asht1788 - Tripadvisor

A Bellarine Treasure

This is our third visit to this wonderful place, and once again the experience was fantastic. Only a few kilometres from the heart of Portarlington, off the Queenscliff road and hidden amongst an olive grove, the setting is low key and relaxed. The staff are pleasant, welcoming and well informed. Choose from two set degustation options, we had the four courses and as has been the case previously, enjoyed all aspects. Presentation, design and flavours were perfect. The wine menu supports the best of the Bellarine's vineyards as well as an exciting selection of craft beers.

68rustyjefferson – Tripadvisor

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