Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eating Local
Over the last decade, the organic and local food movement has gone from strength to
strength in Victoria. Shopping at weekly markets and small grocers is a lifestyle choice
that's embraced by many, and the Slow Food movement has a strong presence state-wide -
news and events can be found at
www.slowfoodaustralia.com.au/tag/victoria
- as well as a
monthly market at the Abbotsford Convent on the fourth Saturday of each month.
Queen Victoria Market in the city centre, and its suburban counterparts in South Mel-
bourne and Prahran, are beloved by locals for their fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish,
and their groaning deli counters, not to mention a catch-up with friends. There's also a
weekly rota of inner-city farmers markets (see
www.mfm.com.au
) at Collingwood Chil-
dren's Farm, Veg Out in St Kilda, and South Melbourne's Gasworks, which bring local ar-
tisan producers and fresh, often organic, produce to town. They make for a pleasant
Saturday-morning coffee spot and food-related stroll.
A huge number of outer suburbs and regional towns also hold community markets,
selling local produce as well as crafts and secondhand goods; a comprehensive list can be
found at the Australian Farmers Market Association (
www.farmersmarkets.org.au
)
. The
monthly markets at Red Hill, on the Mornington Peninsula, and St Andrews
(
www.standrewsmarket.com.au
)
, around 40 minutes' drive north of Melbourne, are veter-
ans of the scene and incredibly popular. Both are held in atmospheric, bush-ringed settings
- the bellbird soundtrack is complimentary, no purchase required.
Food tourism is big news right throughout Victoria, with much of the action centred on
wine-growing districts such as the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas and the Yarra Val-
ley. The Goldfields-area spa towns of Kyneton, Trentham, Daylesford and Castlemaine,
and alpine Mansfield, are home to ever-increasing numbers of provedores and cafes offer-
ing local produce. The Milawa Gourmet Region - the first to be given such a title in Aus-
tralia - is unsurprisingly one of the state's richest; the foodie trail here also takes in the sur-
rounding towns of Oxley and Beechworth. Out along the Murray, Mildura is also a destina-
tion for its produce and restaurants.
