Originally known as Balnarring East, the town was renamed for a popular former Governor of Victoria who set up the local Lord Somers Camp.

The subdivision of Somers began in 1925, whilst the Boulevard Cafe & Post Office commenced business in 1927, the address then still being Balnarring East.

Somers lies on an area of land on the south-eastern point of the Mornington Peninsula, where to the south, it borders Western Port.

Where the base meets Somers at its coastline, beaches are closed and the land consists mainly of bushy coastal forests.

On most days many sailboats, mainly catamarans, can be seen in the waters of Western Port Bay participating in several races that are held during good sailing conditions, usually on weekends.

Walking is also popular in Somers as good quality sealed and unsealed pathways exist along roadsides and in parklands, where walkers enjoy native bush land, wildlife and views of Western Port.

At low tide these reefs can make navigation near the beach difficult for watercraft and are clearly marked with buoys.

In 2012, the wooden wall that had fixed that path of the Merricks Creek since 1974, was taken down, as it was deemed unsafe and not adequately performing its job anymore.

Starting in July 2012 and finishing in September 2012, a new rock wall was built, to fix the creek on a path straight into Westernport.

Erosion of the beaches around Somers, particularly around the Yacht Club has been a major concern for foreshore communities and residents of Parklands Avenue and The Promenade over the last few decades.

A commonly held view is that the man-made channelisation of Merricks Creek has upset the delicate equilibrium of the coastline.

As recently as May 2015, the beach west of Merricks Creek lost three metres of dunes in as little as three days, caused by gale-force winds, large swell and king tides.

The newly refurbished General Store and cafe has become very popular with both local residents and visitors as a pleasant meeting /social venue for a meal or coffee.

Somers is also home to The Somers Yacht Club which houses a Sea Rescue Facility, who contribute greatly to the safety of Western Port Bay through the use of rescue boats sent out to help capsized skippers and crew, or those in other forms of trouble, whilst the Yacht Club is open.