Bittern is a coastal rural town in Victoria, Australia, 49 km southeast from Melbourne's central business district, as a part of the urban enclave on Western Port comprising Bittern, Hastings, Crib Point, Somerville, and Tyabb. Its local government area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. It is served by Bittern railway station on the Stony Point greater-metropolitan line and by the 782 bus route operated by Peninsula Bus Lines between Frankston and Flinders. Bittern is named after the shy wetland bird, the Australasian bittern, which reflects the suburb's location amongst significant areas of native bushland and dense coastal vegetation.