Located at not-for-profit community farm, Common Ground Project, at Freshwater Creek near the start of the Great Ocean Road, La Cantina is the farmhouse Italian restaurant of husband-and-wife duo Glenn Laurie and Lolo Hanser.

Now back to that pasta. The homemade linguine is served al dente, jostling with Discovery Bay pipis, just the right amount of dried chilli, pangrattato (breadcrumbs) providing an exhilarating crunch and a delicate sauce of tomato, garlic, basil and white wine modestly underpinning it all. 

Meanwhile, a decadent mix of olive sauce, lentils and radicchio pairs perfectly with a tender wood-grilled flat iron steak. A festoon of light bulbs spans the outdoor seating area to help lure visitors off the highway and up a dirt track to the eco-conscious farm, which opened in 2021. 

Couples sip wine side by side on tables orientated to soak in those views of forever-stretching fields, while it’s more of an intimate affair inside the rustic, tall-ceiling farmhouse that seats about 50 people. Come for a road trip, stay for the linguine – and everything else that makes La Cantina special. 

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