Yesterday, mercifully, the rain stayed away and the sky cleared, bringing joy to the kingdom of Canberra and its people. Elegantly (or not so elegantly) windswept, I navigated my way through the treacherous speed bumps of ANU campus, finally footing it down the laneway past Močan and Green Grout to arrive at my destination: The Forage.

My Sweet Alice

The Forage is not so much about mushroom picking as about a gathering of Canberra’s foodies, coffee connoisseurs and sweet treat bakers in celebration of all things tastebud-tingling and finger-licking delicious. In the late afternoon sun, hipsters brushed shoulders with grannies and grandkids, sampling African red hot chocolates from My Sweet Alice’s caravan and samosas and roti rolls from Dihini’s two lovely Sri Lankan women out of the back of their little van.

Lounging around, enjoying The Forage

Accompanied by the husky voice of Stephen Price and his acoustic guitar, my forage began with a delicious chocolate hot cross bun with hints of cinnamon and ginger from Sweet Bones Bakery and a frothy, piping hot cappuccino from Močan to keep the cold away.

With the smell of mulled wine and orange rind from Bing Bang wafting under my nose, a little booth called ‘The Muesli Bar’ caught my eye. This was the true discovery of my forage: a young, growing business whose sole purpose is to satisfy all those whose idea of a party is ‘midnight muesli’ – what else can get you grooving if not a bowl full of oaty-fruity-nutty goodness?

My customised muesli being prepared!

Assisted by a chatty gentleman behind the stall, I was soon carefully placing my treasure into my backpack: my own custom made muesli. This morning, I will be enjoying a magnificent bowl of coconut, cranberries, dates, psyllium husks, pumpkin seeds, toasted almonds and walnuts tossed with delicious oats.

Lu’mon’s amazing macarons!

On the cheekier side of things, I grabbed a purple, honeycomb-flavoured macaron from Lu’mon macarons and indulged my love of people-watching for a brief moment, sitting on a hay bale under a tree decorated with glass jars filled with yellow flowers and fairy lights.

Močan and Green Grout’s Bahn Mi – to die for!

From my vantage point, I watched the Močan team whip up delicious Bánh Mì for the hungry masses and The Fix’s cold pressed juice sell just as quick as the hot cross buns from Sweet Bones. Reinvigorated by my coffee and sweet treats, I commenced the long and arduous walk to investigate the Hustle&Scout Twilight Markets, which were well and truly underway in the Nishi building across the road.

Entering Nishi, I stepped out of the wind and into the hustle, where hundreds of people perused stalls showcasing Canberra’s finest vintage clothing, jewellery, books, home wares and other nick-nacks. Accompanied by the live soundtrack of the music of Brother Be, I ran my hands through racks of pre-loved dresses and skirts, lingered at the beautiful pieces arranged at the Wink Jewellery stand and watched makeup artists and hair stylists transform the Fashfest models into ethereal food-cum-fashion artworks.

Live music set the tone for the bustling markets.

Scouting my way through a kaleidoscope of colours, flavours, smells, fabrics and jewellery, squeezing past sisters and fashionistas and occasionally bumping people with my backpack, I happily lost myself in the vibrant circus, accidentally stepping on someone’s toes in my giddy disorientation.

Hustle&Scout was buzzing from the time the doors opened.

The emergence of such an exciting food, fashion and design scene in Canberra makes me want to jump with joy and click my heels together à la Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz at the same time – ‘There’s no place like New Acton, there’s no place like New Acton’. The crowds that flocked to The Forage and to Hustle&Scout are a testament to what a little innovation and a little courage can achieve. That is, the blossoming of a whole new face of Canberra: a face that is hipster, a face that is eco friendly, and a face that is constantly changing. And, indeed, the crystallisation of a new community of people who want to breathe in the atmosphere, and who don’t mind having their toes trodden on, for that matter.

the essentials

What: The Forage
When: 3pm to 8pm Saturday 5 July
Where: New Acton Precinct
Web: theforage.com.au