The Mornington Peninsula is Victoria’s food bowl. Jutting out into the blustery Bass Strait, the Peninsula offers up a plethora of breathtaking landscapes, and colourful regional communities. The Peninsula’s fertile soils have long attracted farmers to the area and although few commercial scale agricultural operations still exist in the area, an increasing number of small producers are choosing to setup farms that co-exist harmoniously with the natural environment. The result is a veritable horn of plenty just an hour outside the city and to celebrate the wonderful produce that comes from this region, we’ve found four of the best farm gate experiences to be had on the Mornington Peninsula.

Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm 244 Shands Rd, Main Ridge

Is there anything better than a ripe, red strawberry plucked and eaten straight off the bush? The Gallace family who have run Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm since 1964 certainly don’t think so and they’ve built a berry empire off this belief. Pay a visit to their charming farm to pick a punnet of strawberries or try their famous strawberry temptation at the onsite café.

Main Ridge Dairy 295 Main Creek Rd, Main Ridge

If you’re a fan of the creamy and tart taste of goats’ cheese, then Main Ridge Dairy will not disappoint. The farm has an onsite cheesery, so you can pat the kid goats, see the cheese being made, matured, and then taste or buy the final product from the store.

Pure Peninsula Honey 871 Derril Rd, Moorooduc

Starting from two feral beehives, Pure Peninsula Honey now plays a crucial role in the pollination or orchards, vegetables, and seed crops in both Victoria and New South Wales. Of course the bees also produce some of the very best honey and beeswax products in the Mornington Peninsula, so if you’ve never been to a honey tasting, this is the place to go.

Hart’s Farm 300 Tucks Road, Shoreham

With a grove of just 1300 Tuscan variety olive trees and a heritage apple and pear orchard, Hart’s Farm recalls a pastoral tradition from another time. Come down for the olive picking days in May and June, try some of the farm’s table olives, oil, and cider on Sunday afternoons, or simply come down to visit the farm animals and try some seasonally inspired dishes from The Commercial Kitchen.

Melbourne on the Move offers a number of tour options including a food and wine tour which includes a visit to Sunny Ridge, Main Ridge Dairy Farm, three wineries, a gourmet lunch and unlimited coffee aboard our café bus. Book online or get in touch with us by calling 1300 55 86 86.