Ah the earthy smell of manure, the soft cluck of nearby chickens, the gentle sound of hot milk hitting the side of a pail… not exactly what you would expect from inner city Melbourne! But that’s what you’ll find at the Collingwood Children’s Farm located on the banks of the Yarra River in the Convent grounds. The Abbotsford Convent stands on Wurundjeri land, beside the meandering Yarra River. The land has been in use since 1803 and from 1863 to 1975 a group of Nuns, the Sisters of the Good Shepard, occupied the grounds, providing accomodation, education and work for vulnerable women and girls. There were fruit and vegetable gardens, poultry and dairy farms and even a piggery. Income to buy things the convent couldn’t produce itself was generated through lace-making and laundry services. While that does sound pretty idyllic the reality is that the work was hard, hours long, food basic and buildings unheated. So your classic orphanage story really! Today the grounds still house a working farm, food gardens, cafes, bakeries, restaurants, a huge range healing yoga and arts programs and even contain a Steiner School! While the whole convent grounds are a sanctuary (a friend described it as “so comforting”) the Children’s Farm is just incredible and we came here everyday without fail.
The site is actually the longest continually farmed piece of land in Victoria! The farm is a not-for-profit working farm dedicated to bringing country experiences to city people, and what an incredible resource for kids growing up in the City! Kids can watch cows being milked by hand, pet guinea pigs or take a farm walk and feed all the animals by hand. There is also a little native orchard with possum boxes in the trees where if you’re lucky you can spot wild possums having a snooze! The whole grounds are planted with fruit trees and the atmosphere is so well done with a humble, rustic feel. Just watch the roaming chickens, they will snatch any and all food from your hand before you can say “that’s my sandwich!”.
The children’s farm is also attached to a beautiful community garden that has been running for over 40 years. The garden is trialling a new ‘plot-to-plate’ program where they grow potatoes to sell to the children’s farm cafe, the profits made from the sale go directly to Playing our Part, an organisation that works to help people facing homelessness by moving them out of temporary accommodation, shelters etc and into permanent housing. We were delighted to meet with Peter, the secretary treasurer from Playing our Part and a long standing member of the community gardens. He proudly showed us his personal plot, bursting with abundant produce and his pride and joy, Tigerella tomatoes. We left his plot loaded up with delicious fresh chillies and tomatoes for dinner! The garden holds working bees every Sunday; if you’re in Melbourne and looking to get your hands in the Earth, here’s a great cause. Playing our Part also raises funds through their cookbook “Recipes for Disaster” which is laden with delicious and nutritious eats and for sale through the Children’s Farm.
Have you heard about the new restaurant on the Moon? Great food but no atmosphere.
Lentils Blackboard
Another incredible initiative here at the convent is the restaurant Lentils as Anything. It serves 3 vegan meals a day of delicious mains, drinks and desserts, and the price is up to you. That’s right, all food here is by donation. The restaurant is run by volunteers and was created to provide a completely inclusive and accessible eating experience for all, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality and income. If you can’t afford to donate you are welcome to volunteer your time instead, washing some dishes or serving some coffee to other beautiful lentils. It’s places like this that give me hope. To see sparkling kids volunteering with their parents in the kitchen, serving backpackers, businessmen, drag divas, families, homeless people, women in burkas, men in high heels… anyone and everyone is greeted with a smile. And everyone here is so relaxed and happy, I could strike up a conversation with anyone, sit down beside anyone. Eating here for a week, I made more friends than I have in years! And I haven’t even started on the food yet! It’s delicious! Lunch is buffet with a mind boggling range of options and fresh healthy salads. Kombucha is on tap. Dinner is a table service affair with a different menu each night, designed to provide a proper eating out experience for those that might otherwise not be able to access it, and the volunteers really go all out waiting on you hand and foot. They are so generous, kind and friendly I cannot give them enough praises. I never once saw any customer being treated dismissively or flippantly as is so common in other restaurants where the wait staff are disheartened and weary. The donation station has been set up off to the side of the restaurant, with a self serve eftpos machine and a cash bucket, and has been purposely designed for privacy. No one knows how much you donate or is judging you for what you pay. I feel like this alone would inspire people to donate more generously. It sure had that effect on me, I couldn’t help it. I loved this place!
Food Oasis 