With long aboriginal history in Cape Schanck, this estate is rooted in Cape Schanck’s landscape since 1866 when a homestead was designed on the property by Edward La Trobe Bateman who designed Heronswood in Dromana. Beautifully capturing that era of gothic revival style, the homestead was built out of local limestone.
Owned by the Morris Family since 1999 this 444 hectares property is used for grazing of cattle and sheep, a mixed fruit orchard, market garden and an (upcoming) 40-seat restaurant that will serve farm to table meals, led by Chef Simone Watts.
About one-quarter of the property remains as native vegetation, while they are continuing revegetate the landscape to protect the fragile ecosystem from coastal erosion and a long history of colonial grazing management.
Chef Simone Watts has big plans for Barragunda’s restaurant. Her connection to mother nature and passion for sustainable seasonal produce are her guiding light. With regenerative agriculture philosophy and approach to farming in mind, Simone alongside the Morris Family, believes that as farmers, they are the custodians of the land and hold the responsibility to use agriculture as a way to restore the landscape rather than trying to control it, continuously learning and observing the land.
While plans are slowly coming along, Simone is nurturing the land and producing organically grown produce for us Peninsula peeps and we are very excited about it. As her beautiful produce are grown seasonally, to get your hands on some you will just have to come in the shop cos what is there today, may not be tomorrow…
