Cooee Cafe sits on the border of Capel Sound and Rosebud on Thamer Street, run by Yamatji/Noongar woman Sharon Brindley and her daughter Shayla, making it the only Indigenous-owned cafe on the Mornington Peninsula. Its name comes from the Dharug word for "come here," a fitting welcome for a cafe built around sharing culture through food. Sharon grew up on the Peninsula but spent much of her childhood with her grandmother learning to live off the land, and that knowledge shows through the menu's blend of classic Australian cafe staples with native ingredients. Alongside bacon and egg rolls, burgers and focaccias sit dishes with an Indigenous edge, including a kangaroo burger and a lemon myrtle slice, giving regulars a way to try native flavours without a formal degustation setting. Upstairs, a mezzanine gallery displays Indigenous artwork and stocks a range of native jams, relishes, teas, herbs and spices, turning a coffee stop into a chance to browse and buy as well. The cafe also offers free wifi and quieter corners suited to working or studying, alongside its regular breakfast and lunch trade and catering for events. Open through the week for breakfast, lunch and takeaway, Cooee Cafe suits Peninsula locals after a genuine cafe favourite with an added layer of culture, as well as visitors curious to try native Australian ingredients in an approachable, everyday setting.
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