The suburbs stretch along the coastal fringe of Melbourne’s Port Phillip bay as far as the eye can see. Once an area dominated by holiday houses and temporary residents, the built up areas between Mornington and Portsea now attract more permanent dwellers, young families and retirees. The old weatherboard and fibro shacks, suitable only for summer, are slowly disappearing from the area.
For those who venture beyond this narrow suburban strip, around one kilometre or less deep at Rosebud and Rye, rich fertile countryside awaits, with vast market gardens, horse studs, vineyards and apple orchards scattered through the peninsula’s hinterland. This area has always been devoted to traditional farming and is one of the oldest market garden areas of Melbourne. When camping down that way, I prefer to bypass the well known duopoly of supermarkets ensconced in an ugly, crowded mall, and head straight to the farm gate outlets of two farms located along or near Boneo road. King’s vegetable farm is located in Browns road, Boneo and Hawkes vegetable farm, which specialises in waxy potatoes such as Nicola and Kipfler potatoes, can be found a little further along on the road towards Cape Schanck.
At King’s Farm, expect to see daily picked heirloom carrots and tomatoes, rocket and spinach, frilly leafed soft lettuce and kale, beetroot and brocoli, as well as a range of fresh herbs of every kind and free range eggs.
More farms are yet to be sampled, making hunting and gathering an enjoyable pastime. I am looking forward to sampling cheeses, honey and olives as well as more wonderful wines of the region. These finds, along with freshly harvested Mount Martha mussels from Prosser Seafoods in Rye, make the area far more interesting than first meets the eye. A daily shop out in the rural hinterland, followed by a quick meal prepared in a simple camp kitchen, then eaten by the bay- oh what bliss.
ALMOST ITALIAN 
The pictures are very beautiful and the narrative is well-done. A refreshing post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lori. Tomorrow the carrot recipe will follow….
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will be looking for it. I eat carrots in some version everyday!
LikeLike
Carrot cake and sticks, that’s the extent of my repertoire. Looking forward to your recipe, Francesca.
LikeLike
It looks a world away from what I have available. The carrots I bought yesterday hardly even look like the same vegetable. I’m sure they love selling their wares to someone who appreciates it so much. Enjoy!
LikeLike
Thanks Ardys, They do. These carrots are so alive- and the corn too!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What beautiful countryside! From your pictures, you can just see how rich that soil is, and how fresh the produce. Could use some of those carrots right now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing and letting me visit a place I’ve never been. It looks beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Boo hoo, Oh how I miss the beautiful produce in Victoria
LikeLike
Great post, I have travel and fresh produce envy!
LikeLike
Reading from our stop over point at Lake Tyers I could easily follow your trail… and take a very long time to make our way home. I have marked this also on our do-do-see-eat wish list
LikeLiked by 2 people
EllaDee – what’s your do do see eat list? I’m wondering if it’s like my Food Pilgrimage list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I meant to write to-do-see-eat list… coast/beach/rivers, local food: fresh, bakery pies, pubs, markets, stalls & shops, op & interesting/retro shops… and anything else we discover as we go along 🙂
LikeLike
I know I should like the carrots but I’ll pass. Instead, I’ll say that I love the photos of the crates stacked up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
With cabin fever affecting many in this part of the world, seeing farms and fresh produce is a welcome sight. Seeing all that green in the fields is a dream come true for many of us this time of year. Open air market shopping is still months away but it is approaching. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
LikeLike