If you guys are planning a trip to the Twelve Apostles you will definitely know that the only establishment or town nearby would be Port Campbell. This also makes a great place nearby to rest, grab a decent meal and go around doing your business. Practically the only town where there would be shops and restaurants and also help if you ever need it. Pretty, sandy, pier and sea gulls, there you have it, Port Campbell fits the typical coastal town that you have ever imagine. The slow pace of life, where the locals wake up when the birds start chipping and head home when the sun goes down, spending their day working nearby or running a little small business in town. When it is the weekends or holidays, they would most likely be with their family, cooking a meal at home, taking a stroll by the coast and playing with the kids running on the beach. Say about that work life balance, something that we lack so much here. Most of the shops and restaurants here are along the stretch facing the pier and the beach. The locals are also proud and engaging, promotion and sharing stories from this small little town that they love so much. Along this stretch, parking are widely available and you probably won’t need to pay for it, just make sure you don’t hinders others and block the traffic. Even the parking lots have great impeccable views of the vast ocean.
Don’t get your expectation too high as there are only a handful and most of them are family run small cafes and business. So expect no fills, no caviar or truffles but wholehearted cuisine and warm service. To imagine, there is only a populous of about 599 people. You would most likely see each other day in day out, everyone is close knitted, a community where everyone knows each other. Like a little town house, the cafe isn’t huge with only a couple of tables inside, decorated in warm colours and wooden decoration, the first thing that it gives you is that vibes that make you fell welcomed. Do not expect polished savoy butler service style, but warm service, warm vibes that is shown from the owner/waitress/cashier/cook/barister. Yes, from what I can tell Forage On The Foreshore is a family owned cafe and the whole family provides all the hands and leg, from the cook to the server, even the kid was running around the cafe. The place is well maintained and clean. The interior is cosy and comfortable to stay in, they even have this small corner where some of the cafe homemade products are on sale. The people here were super friendly too, definitely exchanging courtesies while walking by.
After a much needed toilet break, gladly the place is super clean too! haha We ordered a couple dishes to share and fill our tummy slightly before continuing on to see some more attractions. Above is a picture of the menus of the cafe. This place is open from 9am to 5pm and a great place to visit if you are looking for somewhere in Port Campbell. Since we were feeling peckish, we ordered a Prawn Stir Fry and were also recommended a daily special which was Smoked Chicken and Mushrooms Linguine Carbonara. What was funny was the fact that we also bump into a fellow Singaporean family in the cafe also! Seemingly I have been meeting Singaporean in Melbourne and also very easily realised that the people are follow country mates. It is funny how we stand out!
The pasta was delicious! Creamy and tasty, the smoked chicken and mushrooms really complement so well together with the creamy sauce, furthermore the shaved Parmesan cheese added another level of texture and having the tasty bites between the bites of pasta. I like it that they cooked it to al dente too! Together with the egg yolk that you mix together. Voila! The pasta cost 23AUD! Although delicious, but it is pricey! Besides the portion is also quite small.
The other dish was Prawn Stir fry with cashew, ginger, chilli and seasonal vegetables. Although quite weird that we ordered such an Asian dish right, but it actually turn out to be super delicious, maybe we are thinking and missing home already! The prawns and vegetables were really fresh and crunchy. I love the dish very much as it was really light and refreshing together with the crunchy nuts inside. I like it that they use garlic to flavour the dish then slightly season it with salt and pepper only. This dish cost 25AUD.
It was actually quite expected for expensive prices given that there is only a limited number of shops in the area, after all they had monopolise the business around. Although expensive and slight more that what I would pay for, gladly, the food was really good. They make use of the fresh ingredients in the area and cook it simply. Together with great environment, it felt really cosy and relaxing. What bad was really only the price and also the limited choices and options.
With the houses and shops facing the sea, the amazing views of the entire Southern Pacific Ocean and the pier and Port Campbell accompanying it, seagulls flying over your heads, it’s a tat hard to be felling vex and stressful here. What a perfect place to retire and work out a little small business with your half. What do you guys think of Port Campbell? I definitely recommend you to visit here for a short break.
Seeing The World In Steps 