A culinary oasis is opening in the Marrickville industrial estate, where the former site of a wholesale meat supplier has been transformed into an aquaponics farm and campfire kitchen.

Beyond the chain-link fence, there are edible leafy greens snaking up recycled shipping containers, buckets of blooming oyster mushrooms, and ponds with floating trays of cucumbers and tomatoes growing as part of closed-loop farm Field & Fin.

And at the centre of it is Campfire, a hand-built brick-fire kitchen where head chef Grant Mcgregor transforms the fresh produce (plus sustainable meat and seafood from partnering farms in Port Macquarie and the Southern Highlands) into family-style feasts.

The project is the realisation of a long-held dream of conservationist and landscaper Daryl ‘Daz’ Byrne to bring the bush to the city, creating a place where people can gather, graze and learn about sustainable urban agriculture.

“The whole idea is this will become a place where people can wander in, share some good quality food over a campfire and listen to music,” Byrne tells Good Food.

The idea was inspired by Byrne’s experiences in Papua New Guinea, where he partnered with traditional landowners to found a 20-kilometre marine sanctuary called Mwanewa, centred around a collection of remote islands in the Milne Bay province.

“Around 20 years ago I spent five months paddling around Australia to PNG in a kayak, and I just fell in love,” Byrne says.

“It changed everything about who I was and what I wanted to do.”

As a self-described “bushie” who spent much of his life living outdoors, Byrne developed a deep appreciation for life on the Coral Sea islands, where he caught, grew, foraged and cooked his food over fire. But when COVID hit, border closures prompted him to refocus on the inner west.

“I’ve always been hands-in-the-dirt, my whole life, and when you’re in places like [the sanctuary] in PNG you have to be,” he says.

“Now, I’ve brought that to Sydney.”

In the initial stages of his urban farming project, Byrne is developing an aquaponics system using live barramundi to fertilise and grow restaurant-grade produce (including native foods and microgreens). Once established, they will become available for wholesale and retail purchase.

Campfire will first open as a pop-up restaurant for dinner two to three times per week from around late September. Visitors will be able to see the farm by candlelight – plus multistorey murals by Timorese graffiti artist Tony Amaly, and projections of Mwanewa – and sample McGregor’s menu of charcoal-grilled chickens, pickled farm produce and old-school damper. Private catered dinners with interactive menu planning will also be available.

But the ultimate vision is far grander. The Inner West council has approved Byrne’s development application for a 200-seat restaurant and bar, fully encased within a working greenhouse on the property. This is a space where movie nights, weddings and educational workshops will be held, with a portion of profits going back to the wildlife sanctuary.

“We’re hellbent on creating an inclusive space that models sustainable agricultural solutions and works with the community to encourage composting and growing their own food,” says Marna Eringa, a freelance creative and friend of Byrne, who is also working on the project.

“I think urban farms could become the new microbreweries.

“The demand is there, we just need to encourage more people to get on board.”

Tickets to the pop-up dinners and produce boxes will become available for presale on the Field & Fin website this weekend.