Correction (1 October 2026): an earlier version of this page was produced by a template. It listed twelve named venues, with street addresses, prices, seat counts and “insider tips”, that we could not stand behind, gave every one of them the postcode 3191 (that is Sandringham’s; Mentone’s is 3194), and quoted a distance and travel times with no source. It has been rewritten from scratch. Every place below was checked against its own current information and a second, independent source on 1 October 2026.
Mentone is a bayside suburb in Melbourne’s south-east, in the City of Kingston, with a Frankston line station, a shopping area that runs back from Balcombe Road, and a foreshore on Port Phillip Bay. This profile sticks to what can be checked from a desk: the council’s pages, Metro Trains and Transport Victoria, the 2021 Census, Victorian Places and each place’s own website.
Fast facts: postcode 3194; council: City of Kingston; 22 km south-east of central Melbourne, per Victorian Places; population 13,197 at the 2021 Census.
Origin of the name: Victorian Places says the area was first known as Balcombe, after the occupier of land between Balcombe Road and the Bay, and that the Mentone Township Estate laid out in the 1880s “was named after the British Prime Minister Gladstone’s favourite Italian Mediterranean resort”, and that the estate carries Italian street names such as Venice, Naples, Florence and Como. Wikipedia identifies the resort as Menton, a formerly Italian town now in France; “Mentone” is the Italian spelling.
Getting around
The shape of it: the station sits where Balcombe Road meets Como Parade, the shopping area runs back from Balcombe Road, and the foreshore is on Beach Road. Mentone also has shops with Nepean Highway addresses, and Victorian Places notes an early drive-in shopping centre, Thrift Park, built between Nepean Highway and Lower Dandenong Road in 1958.
Trains. Mentone Station is on Metro’s Frankston line, in myki Zone 2; Metro gives its location as Balcombe Rd / Como Pde, Mentone. The station has history: Victorian Places says that when the Caulfield to Frankston line opened in 1881 the stop was named Balcombe’s Road, and kept that name until 1884. The current station is new. Victoria’s Big Build announced in July 2020 that “the new Mentone Station” had opened two weeks ahead of schedule, as part of works that removed three level crossings on the Frankston line. Metro’s facilities list for the station includes a lift, accessible toilets, parking and accessible parking. Its station page also carries planned-works notices, so check it before you travel.
Buses. The Mentone Station/Como Pde stop is a bus hub. Transport Victoria’s departures board for the stop lists route 708 (towards Hampton and Carrum stations), routes 811 and 812 (towards Brighton and Dandenong), route 825 (towards Moorabbin and Southland) and route 903 (towards Altona and Mordialloc).
For: a station rebuilt in 2020, and five bus routes at the Mentone Station/Como Pde stop. Against: it is a Zone 2 station, and the timetable, not this page, decides how long the trip into the city takes.
Who lives here
At the 2021 Census, Mentone had 13,197 residents and a median age of 42. The median weekly rent was $392.
Housing is mixed. At the 2021 Census, 44.0 per cent of occupied private dwellings were separate houses, 37.2 per cent were semi-detached, row or terrace houses and townhouses, and 18.2 per cent were flats or apartments. Victorian Places puts it plainly: “About half of Mentone’s dwellings are row houses, flats and units.”
For: a real spread of housing types, not only detached houses on big blocks. Against: these are 2021 figures, five years old; check current listings before you budget.
Parks and places
Mentone Beach. The City of Kingston describes the Mentone foreshore as the northern starting point of a long curve of coast and says it contains “one of Melbourne’s most popular dog beaches”, the Bay Trail (a concrete path decorated with mosaics), a surf club with showers and toilets, a playground, car parks, picnic tables and seating. The beach is patrolled by the Mentone Life Saving Club, which the council dates to 1920, with its first dedicated clubhouse built in 1928. The council also notes the area’s art history: the cliffs at the northern end drew Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin of the Heidelberg School.
Dogs on the foreshore. Kingston runs two sets of foreshore rules: summer regulations from 1 November until 31 March and winter regulations from 1 April until 31 October, each published as a PDF on the council’s dog ownership page. Separately, the council says dogs must always be on a leash on bike tracks and footpaths, including the paths along the foreshore reserve.
Mentone Foreshore Playground. Next to the Mentone Life Saving Club on Beach Road, the council lists picnic tables, grass areas, a barbecue, seating overlooking the bay, and a drinking fountain with a dog bowl.
Mentone Activity Hub. A council community venue at 29 Venice Street, on the corner of Mentone Parade, used by local community groups for regular meetings and activities.
Mentone Public Library. At the rear of 36 Florence Street, this is not a council branch. By its own account it has served the community since 1925 “as an independent, volunteer-driven, membership-based lending library”. Its website now goes by the name Kingston Writers Centre @ Mentone Public Library, with author talks and venue hire, and its own posts from March 2026 announced a sale of the library’s books, keeping only those by Kingston authors and those about writing skills and publishing, as it takes on that new role.
For: a patrolled beach with a playground, barbecue and toilets in one strip. Against: Victorian Places notes that “Mentone’s open space is mainly along the foreshore”, so the green space is concentrated on the bay side.
Shopping and eating
Victorian Places describes a shopping area that “extends back from the Balcombe Road strip”. These four were checked against their own websites and a second source on 1 October 2026. They are a starting point, not a ranking.
Scicluna’s — 2-4 Como Parade West, Mentone VIC 3194
A fruit and vegetable merchant whose Mentone shop, by its own description, opened in 2003, is its largest retail store, and “includes a cafe and delicatessen”, with a florist on site. The store says it is opposite Mentone train station, with a free car park at the back. Its page lists 8am to 6pm opening, Monday to Sunday. (The grocers' directory A Better Choice gives the street in full as Como Parade West; Scicluna’s own site shortens it to Como Parade. Kingston’s structure plan for the centre shows both a Como Parade West and a Como Parade East, so use the West.)
For: produce, a deli and a cafe in one stop by the station. Against: it is a greengrocer and deli, not a full supermarket, so the weekly shop may still need a second stop.
Woolworths Mentone — 105-111 Balcombe Rd, Mentone VIC 3194
A supermarket on Balcombe Road. Woolworths’ own store locator lists 7am to 10pm every day of the week, with a BWS liquor store adjacent, an Australia Post parcel locker, pick-up and a seafood counter. The same locator lists a second Mentone store, Thrift Park, at Shop 1/171 Nepean Highway, on the highway side of the suburb.
For: long, seven-day hours on Balcombe Road, with a second store on the highway side. Against: it is a chain supermarket; for specialty produce and a deli, Scicluna’s, above, is the other stop.
Guzel Istanbul Restaurant — 102 Nepean Hwy, Mentone VIC 3194
A Turkish restaurant on the highway. Its own menu starts with dips, $7.50 for a small serve, from cacik (yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and mint) to humus and babakanush. Pide, the boat-shaped Turkish flatbread baked with a filling, is $15.00 for kiymali (minced meat, tomato, parsley and onion), and an Adana kebab (lamb mince, paprika and spices, grilled) is $30.00, served with rice and salad. Baklava is $5.50 for four pieces. Its site lists opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday.
For: a full menu with its prices published online. Against: it is closed on Mondays, and Sunday service starts at 2pm.
La Porchetta Mentone — 121-123 Mentone Pde, Mentone VIC 3194
The Mentone branch of the Italian restaurant chain, on Mentone Parade. Its own page says the menu “runs from freshly made pizzas and classic pasta to hearty mains, seafood, risottos”, and lists table bookings, online ordering for takeaway, and free wifi. The store page does not print prices, so none are given here.
For: pizza, pasta and table bookings on Mentone Parade, which its own page places near the shops. Against: it is a chain, and the store page carries no prices, so check them when you order.
Schools and services
Schools. Among the schools that give a Mentone street address on their own websites are Mentone Grammar (63 Venice Street), which runs from ELC to Year 12 and describes its model as coeducation; Mentone Girls’ Secondary College (175 Balcombe Road); and Kilbreda College (118 Mentone Parade). Check school zones and enrolment directly with each school.
Council. The City of Kingston’s postal address is PO Box 1000, Mentone, but its customer service counters are at 1230 Nepean Hwy, Cheltenham (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm) and, on Tuesdays, at 1 Chelsea Rd, Chelsea. The council has a Structure Plan for the Mentone Major Activity Centre. It is not a new plan: the document is dated July 2011 and subtitled “A 2030 Vision for Mentone”.
If you move here, know:
- The postcode is 3194, shared with Mentone East; the council is Kingston.
- The station, the shops and the bus stop are in one cluster; the open space is mostly on the foreshore.
- Dog rules on the beach change twice a year, on 1 November and 1 April.
Quick answers
What is the postcode for Mentone VIC?
- Australia Post lists Mentone, Victoria, and Mentone East under 3194.
Which council is Mentone in?
The City of Kingston. Its postal address is PO Box 1000, Mentone, and its main customer service counter is at 1230 Nepean Hwy, Cheltenham.
What train line is Mentone station on?
The Frankston line. Metro lists Mentone Station at Balcombe Rd / Como Pde, Mentone, in myki Zone 2.
Where is Mentone located?
On Port Phillip Bay, in Melbourne’s south-east. Victorian Places describes Mentone as a sea-side residential suburb, 22 km south-east of central Melbourne.
Is there parking at Mentone station?
Metro’s facilities list for Mentone Station includes parking and accessible parking, as well as a lift and accessible toilets.
What is the population of Mentone?
13,197 at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 42.
What are the dog rules at Mentone Beach?
Kingston publishes summer foreshore regulations (1 November to 31 March) and winter regulations (1 April to 31 October) on its dog ownership page. The council also says dogs must always be on a leash on bike tracks and footpaths, including the paths along the foreshore reserve.
Is Mentone Grammar co-ed?
Mentone Grammar runs from ELC to Year 12. Its own site says classes are coeducational from ELC to Year 4 and from Years 10 to 12, with single-gender classes in Years 5 to 9.
What suburbs are next to Mentone?
Cheltenham to the north, Parkdale to the east, Beaumaris to the west and Moorabbin Airport to the north-east, with Port Phillip Bay to the south.
How we checked
On 1 and 2 October 2026 we read each source’s own page with raw curl or Jina Reader and copied every fact, figure and price exactly as printed. Census figures are from the ABS 2021 Census QuickStats for Mentone (SAL21648). Parks, dog rules, the activity hub and the council’s addresses are from the City of Kingston’s own pages. The train line, zone and station location are from Metro Trains; bus routes are from Transport Victoria’s departures board for the Mentone Station/Como Pde stop. History, the name and the distance are from Victorian Places; the neighbouring suburbs and the identification of Menton are from Wikipedia. Each shop and restaurant was confirmed on its own website and at a second source on a different domain: the Woolworths store locator and Localmint, Scicluna’s and A Better Choice, Guzel Istanbul’s site, MapQuest and the ABN register, La Porchetta’s site and Localista. Menu prices are from Guzel Istanbul’s own website. We left out places we could not confirm on a current page of their own. The photos are illustrative, from Unsplash: they show the kind of place, not Mentone itself.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Population, age, rent and dwellings: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Mentone
- Postcode: Australia Post
- History, name, distance, Thrift Park and open space: Victorian Places, Mentone
- Neighbouring suburbs: Wikipedia, Mentone, Victoria
- Trains: Metro Trains, Frankston line and Mentone Station; new station: Victoria’s Big Build
- Buses: Transport Victoria, Mentone Station/Como Pde
- Council addresses: City of Kingston, Contact us
- Beach, playground, dogs, activity hub and structure plan: City of Kingston pages for Mentone Beach, Mentone Foreshore Playground, dog ownership, Mentone Activity Hub and the Mentone Structure Plan
- Mentone Public Library: mentonepubliclibrary.com
- Scicluna’s: store page and contact page; also A Better Choice
- Woolworths: store locator; also Localmint
- Guzel Istanbul Restaurant: istanbulrestaurant.com.au; also MapQuest and the ABN register
- La Porchetta Mentone: laporchetta.com.au/mentone; also Localista
- Schools: Mentone Grammar, Mentone Girls’ Secondary College, Kilbreda College
