Local food and drink directory

 
Railway Garden
Township/suburb:
Princes Hill
Municipality:
City of Yarra
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is open to the public.

The Railway Garden comprises 10 large garden beds, 6 wicking beds, a citrus bed, a fruit tree area and an indigenous plants bed. Read their technical manual.

The garden was first established in 2020, the vision being of a collectively managed, open and inclusive garden and community meeting place where people gather to connect with one another, either through gardening activities or simply for the pleasure of being there. They strive to ensure a positive impact on the environment, for example, no pesticides, use organic gardening methods, recycle waste and nutrients where possible (eg through composting) and save seeds. Read their operational manual.

There are gardening groups on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. If you would potentially like to get involved in the garden, fill out an enrolment form and they will get in touch with you.

There are regular on site information sessions, workshops and courses on gardening practices.

Ratio Cocoa Roasters
Category:
Products:
Dark and milk single origin chocolate
Local outlets:
Own shop (Thursday and Friday, 2–10pm; Saturday, 10am–10pm; and Sunday 10am–5pm)
Axil Coffee Roasters, Hawthorn
CIBI, Collingwood
Kind & Godfree, Carlton
Mayday Coffee & Food, Richmond
Providence Melbourne, Surrey Hills
Talk Coffee, Northcote
Wild Things Food, Fitzroy North
Township/suburb:
Brunswick
Municipality:
Merri-Bek
Notes (in their own words):

Ratio Cocoa Roasters uses traditional chocolate making techniques and sources the World's best single origin cacao beans to bring you individually flavored small batch hand crafted chocolate bars. Their cacao beans are sorted to remove any flawed beans then roasted in an antique ball roaster before being cracked & winnowed to remove the husk or shell of the bean. The cacao bean is now in small pieces called cocoa nibs. Their dark chocolate range is a mixture of these cocoa nibs and raw cane sugar (and is therefore vegan). Their milk chocolate range has two additional ingredients: whole milk powder and cocoa butter. The chocolate ranges from 45% to 100% cacao. There are no preservatives or additives. The ingredients are placed in stone grinders for a minimum of 72 hours, during which time the coarse ingredients turn into a smooth liquid. They then block and age the chocolate for a minimum of 3 weeks before it is tempered, poured into moulds then hand wrapped.

They are also a cafe, selling hot chocolates, coffees and sweet treats. They are also the only dedicated chocolate gelato store in Melbourne, with 7 different chocolate gelato on offer (2 vegan). The cafe is open Thursday and Friday, 2–10pm; Saturday, 10am–10pm; and Sunday 10am–5pm.

They also do public tours of their factory on most Fridays and Sundays. $10. Book on EventBrite.

You can read more on the following websites: Artisan Selections, Broadsheet, Good Food, Melbourne Darling, Melbourne LYF, The City Lane, and Urban List.

Regent Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Reservoir
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is open to the public (Sundays only, midday-3pm).

The garden was established by local volunteers (the Friends of Regent Community Garden) during the Covid-19 pandemic and funded by grants from Council and local business. Volunteers transformed an underutilised grassed area into a communal food garden with productive fruit trees, onsite composting and a rain water tank.

The purpose of the garden is to create a welcoming shared space where the community can grow nutritious food, learn gardening skills, socialise and connect with neighbours. Everyone is welcome to come along any Sunday, midday-3pm - no previous gardening experience is necessary!

A food swap and garden-to-plate cook up is held at the garden on the 1st Sunday of every month, 2-3pm.

Regent Produce and Plant Swap (Reservoir)
Category:
When:
1st Sunday of the month, 2-3pm
Township/suburb:
Reservoir
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

The food swap is held at the Regent Community Garden and the garden is open at the same time.

Renown Street Community Orchard
Township/suburb:
Coburg North
Municipality:
Merri-Bek
Notes (in their own words):

This orchard is open to the public.

Renown Street Community Orchard was first established in 2018 and comprises numerous fruit trees plus some spots for annual veggies and plenty of herbs and flowers. Over the years, they have transformed the space from an unloved patch of weedy grass to a thriving, productive organic garden where a community of gardeners of diverse backgrounds and skill levels can learn and grow together.

The orchard sits on a parcel of Melbourne Water-owned land on Wurundjeri country, with the piped Merlynston Creek flowing underneath.

The orchard is open to the public and they are always looking for more people to join their orchard community, with the aim that lots of people will feel a sense of shared ownership of the orchard and feel comfortable to go along to do some gardening whenever they feel the desire. They have working bees from time to time, as publicised on their Facebook page.

Reservoir Food Swap
Category:
When:
3rd Saturday of the month, 10-11am
Township/suburb:
Reservoir
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

Organised by Transition Darebin.

Reservoir Neighbourhood House
Township/suburb:
Reservoir
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

Reservoir Neighbourhood House has a 'community pantry', which is simply an open cupboard fixed to the outside wall to which people can either donate, or freely take out, any non-perishable food. In practice, most of the food is bought from a local supermarket using a local, grant.

It appears that most of the food is taken within a few hours of being placed there. In response, although the Neighbourhood House staff buy most of the produce on a Monday morning, they spread out the timing of its placement in the pantry. Anyone can take anything that they want whenever they want and they don’t need to interact with the Neighbourhood House staff to do so.

Monday to Thursday, the Neighbourhood House is open for emergency food relief. On Monday nights and Thursday mornings, they give away free bread. Every other Tuesday, they have a delivery of fresh produce. On the 2nd Tuesday of every month, they have a free lunch.

Reservoir share table
When:
Open 24/7
Township/suburb:
Reservoir
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

This share table was started after reading about the Food is Free movement and initially comprised seedlings from CERES that were not quite good enough for them to sell at their nursery. This grew into bringing excess home and leaving them for others in the neighbourhood to rescue. More recently, a planter box has been added that others can take herbs from plus a box to share excess produce. The initiative has also fostered stronger connections between the neighbours.

Updates about availability are posted to the Reservoir Plant Exchange and Reservoir Good Karma Network Facebook groups.

Reynard Street Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Coburg
Municipality:
Merri-Bek
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is open to the public.

The garden was created in 2018 to increase access to to fresh nutritious foods and to provide an opportunity to educate children and adults about growing food. All beds and areas are open to the community to harvest at any time. It is a fun, interactive space where you can get your hands dirty learning horticulture skills or feel free to pick some herbs on your way home for dinner tonight!

The garden's management is overseen by the next door Reynard Street Neighbourhood House. It has been designed to be as accessible as possible with staff members from the house trained in disability access and inclusion.

There are three small compost bins for community members to drop off green waste. They also recycle waste from the Neighbourhood House's community lunches to create compost and feed our worm farms, which in turn fertilise the vegetable beds.

They welcome donations of plants and items but email them first.

There are working bees on the 2nd Saturday of each month, 9am-midday, with all new visitors and volunteers more than welcome. A food swap is held on the same day, 10.30am-12.30pm.

Richmond Community Garden Group
Township/suburb:
Richmond
Municipality:
City of Yarra
Notes (in their own words):

This group is membership-based.

The group's aim is to create more opportunities for gardening throughout Richmond, both for growing food and for bringing people together to share and learn from each other. Membership is $10pa.

The group leases an area in the Burnley Backyard community facility at 49 Tudor Street, Richmond. This comprises 25 individual plots for rent plus some shared communal beds. They have also established 3 planter boxes on the nature strip in Tudor Street so that passersby can pick a variety of herbs and teas.

There is currently a waiting list for the individual plots. Members without a plot can still join in tending and sharing in produce from the communal beds. Members can also access a composting system, a worm farm and a supply of coffee grounds.

Ringwood Community Food Swap
Category:
When:
3rd Sunday of the month, 10-11.30am
Township/suburb:
Ringwood
Municipality:
Maroondah
Notes (in their own words):
Rivers of Yarrambat
Category:
Local brands sold:
Coldstream Brewery
Cunliffe & Waters
Township/suburb:
Yarrambat
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

The Rivers of Yarrambat garden centre includes both a cafe and a farm shop.

The cafe is open for breakfast, lunch, morning and afternoon tea every day, 8.30am-4pm. Bookings are recommended.

The shop, which is co-located with the cafe, sells an extensive range of local products.

Rob Dolan Wines
Category:
Products:
Arneis, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz
Local outlets:
Cellar door - 7 days a week, 10am-5pm.
Dan Murphy's
Local brands sold:
Township/suburb:
Warrandyte South
Municipality:
Manningham
Notes (in their own words):

Rob Dolan Wines make a full range of wines including Arneis, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz. They use both their own grapes and grapes from other vineyards around Victoria. Their winery and cellar door is located in leafy Warrandyte South.

Their cellar door is open 7 days a week, 10am-5pm. Here, you can experience their wines with a table-side tasting by one of their wine specialists whilst overlooking the vineyard. Wine is available for purchase by the bottle with a range of local produce also available for grazing.

Rosanna Community Pantry
When:
Open 24/7
Township/suburb:
Rosanna
Municipality:
Banyule
Notes (in their own words):

This is one of 9 community pantries around Banyule and Nillumbik. These pantries contain non-perishable food which is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, require no appointments and are open to whoever needs food. Their philosophy is give what you can, take what you need, with people able to donate to the pantry as well.

Managed by Rosanna Fire Station Neighbourhood House on behalf of The Food Collective.

Rushall Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Fitzroy North
Municipality:
City of Yarra
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is allotment-based, with some communal areas.

The garden comprises around 50 allotments plus some communal areas and composting facilities. You can become a member for an annual fee of $10, which then entitles you to participate in their regular working bees, work in the communal areas and share produce, as well as to join the waiting list for a plot. Note, however, that there is currently a long waiting list for plots (around 6 years).

The garden was established around 2004. It is part of the North Fitzroy Community Gardens Group (NFCGG) who aim to enhance the sustainability of the Fitzroy North community by:

  • Respecting prior ownership of the land by Indigenous Australians.
  • Maintaining an attractive urban space where people can grow plants predominantly for food and which is accessible to the local community to enjoy.
  • Promoting sustainable organic gardening techniques.
  • Fostering the sharing and development of a diversity of gardening skills.
  • Managing the garden by consensus in an open, participatory and non-discriminatory manner.

In October 2023, Ann Stanley visited the garden. Read her writeup of the visit.

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