Eat: Barragunda Dining, Cape Schanck
Barragunda’s menu this week will not be the same as last week’s, and that is the whole point. Simone Watts builds every sitting around what the 1000-acre Cape Schanck estate has produced in the days immediately before service. Spring means the kitchen garden is accelerating fast - expect asparagus, broad beans, and new-season brassicas to anchor the first few courses. Lamb from the property is still on the table but the accompaniments have shifted from root-heavy winter plates to something sharper and greener.
The room faces east over paddocks. In September the light at a Saturday lunch sitting is exactly right - long and pale and not yet harsh. Book the full menu rather than attempting to edit it; the arc only makes sense complete.
Book four weeks ahead minimum via barragundadining.com.au. Allow three hours. RACV Cape Schanck Resort, 430 Cape Schanck Road, Cape Schanck.
Pair it with a stay at One Spa at RACV Cape Schanck Resort and make the weekend of it.
Walk: Bushrangers Bay to Cape Schanck Clifftop Circuit, Fingal
The clifftop track between Bushrangers Bay and Cape Schanck Lighthouse is walkable year-round, but right now the coastal scrub is doing something specific. Coastal guinea flower is open along the exposed headland sections, and the paperbark stands behind the dunes have new leaf. Wax-lips orchids have been spotted in the heath just east of the Bushrangers Bay descent in the past week.
The two-to-two-and-a-half-hour return circuit drops to a secluded bay, climbs back to the exposed clifftop, and arrives at the 1859 lighthouse with one of the cleaner Bass Strait views on the Peninsula. Go mid-morning before the onshore wind picks up. The boardwalk section near the lighthouse is slippery after rain - wear shoes with actual grip.
No booking, no entry fee for the walk itself. Park at Bushrangers Bay car park, Cape Schanck Road, Fingal. Allow at least two and a half hours including the bay stop.
Lunch at Barragunda Dining afterward makes this a logical full day on the cape.
Discovery: National Works on Paper 2026, Mornington
The National Works on Paper is one of the few acquisitive art prizes in Australia that genuinely earns attention, and the 2026 edition at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery is now four weeks into its eleven-week run. Works on paper is a category that rewards slow looking - the scale is human, the medium immediate, and without the gallery’s usual acquisition budget framing the show, you read the individual work more clearly.
This year’s shortlist skews toward artists working with printmaking processes alongside drawing and collage. The gallery has hung the exhibition across its two main rooms, with the acquisitive prize works separated from the open entries. Go on a weekday if you can - the Dunns Road building is quieter Tuesday through Thursday, and the natural light in the main gallery is better before 2pm.
Free entry. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am–4pm. Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Civic Reserve, Dunns Road, Mornington. Exhibition closes 22 November 2026.
Walk down to Mornington Harbour afterward - it takes twelve minutes and the jacarandas on the Esplanade are starting to bud.
This week at a glance
Barragunda Dining - 430 Cape Schanck Road, Cape Schanck. Book four weeks ahead minimum at barragundadining.com.au. Lunch and dinner, check the website for current sittings.
Bushrangers Bay to Cape Schanck Clifftop Circuit - Start at Bushrangers Bay car park, Cape Schanck Road, Fingal. No booking. Allow 2–2.5 hours return. Free.
National Works on Paper 2026 - Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Civic Reserve, Dunns Road, Mornington. Tue–Sun 11am–4pm. Free. Closes 22 November 2026.
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Questions readers actually ask
FAQ
How far ahead do I need to book Barragunda Dining?
Barragunda asks for at least four weeks notice, often more on weekends. Book via their website at barragundadining.com.au or call the RACV Cape Schanck Resort directly. Allow a full afternoon - the meal is not designed to be rushed.
What is the best starting point for the Bushrangers Bay to Cape Schanck walk?
Park at Bushrangers Bay car park off Cape Schanck Road, Fingal. The return clifftop circuit to Cape Schanck Lighthouse takes around two to two and a half hours at an easy pace. No booking required. Wear shoes with grip - the boardwalk sections can be slippery after overnight rain.
When does National Works on Paper 2026 close, and is entry free?
The exhibition runs until 22 November 2026 at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Civic Reserve, Dunns Road, Mornington. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am–4pm. Entry is free.
