Perfect Place

The Mornington Peninsula is one of the richest food bowls in the state, producing a bounty of fruit, vegetables, meat, wine, eggs, and artisan products. It’s a landscape of gently undulating paddocks, lined with hedgerows and windbreaks—a fertile home to our multi-generational farmers and next-gen artisans alike. Its proximity to Melbourne gives it easy access to a large and growing market but also puts the region under pressure from urban sprawl and soaring land prices. 

Nestled between Port Phillip and Westernport, with Bass Strait lapping its southern shores, the Peninsula has a gentle maritime climate. With mild winters, generally gentle summers, and high rainfall fuelled by moisture-laden sea winds, the Mornington Peninsula continues to attract farmers from all walks of life. Covering 24,000 hectares, the Mornington Peninsula’s farmland covers a diverse range of microclimates and soil types. 

The Peninsula’s Hinterland, for example, is an elevated ridge of deep red clay soil centred around the villages of Red Hill and Main Ridge. It has been home to stone fruit, pear, and apple orchards for over 100 years. In the last 50 years, a proliferation of vineyards has vied for space on this incredibly fertile land. 

In our free-draining sandy loam soil, market gardeners have proven success growing vegetables. One third of Victoria’s lettuce production, a quarter of the state’s herbs, and around 15% of a variety of horticultural crops, including strawberries and broccoli, are grown on the Mornington Peninsula. Farmers have the added bonus of access to recycled water in some areas, bringing water security in times of drought and increasingly unpredictable rainfall. 

The Mornington Peninsula’s mild climate has proven itself ideal for raising cattle, sheep, and poultry, while olives thrive. In recent decades, avocados have found a fertile home in the rich, deep soil of the hinterland. 

It’s this fortunate combination of soils, climate, access to water, and proximity to Melbourne that makes the Mornington Peninsula such a beautifully productive food bowl.