Sarah Kelly - SKYE. VIC

Sarah Kelly is a sixth-generation dairy girl working Melbourne's last remaining commercial dairy-right in the heart of Skye, Victoria 

A Life on the Land

At 4:30am, while most of Melbourne is sleeping, Sarah is already in the dairy milking 280 Holsteins on the only farm left inside greater Melbourne's urban boundary. Just 35km from the CBD, her family's 100 hectares stand as a rare green island surrounded by warehouses, traffic and a new housing estate.

Sixth-Generation, and third-generation farming on this very block - Sarah found her way back home after a difficult divorce. She cut a house into three pieces, trucked it onto the farm right beside Mum and Dad and let the cows and the rhythm of the dairy do the healing. One woman shed and a twice daily routine. No interruptions, just Sarah and her herd stitching life back together. 

Today she's one of the inustry's rising stars Chair of the Young Dairy Network, scholarship winner and a social-media voice reaching thousands. She's flown to Wisconsin and New Zealand chasing better grass and stronger cows, bringing every lesson home to trial under Melbourne's skyline. 

Evenings finish with her sacred solo walk- locking the herd in as the city lights flicker on the horizon- before settling in with a square of dark chocolate, waiting for when her girls are asleep. 

Sara's message to every Gippsland farmer turning these pages:

“Youve got this, Reach out, say the words, keep going. The dairy and its people will hold you up”

Sarah's Caramel Slice recipe: 

Base:
1 cup plain flour
1 cup coconut, shredded
1/2 cup brown sugar
125g Gippsland Jersery Butter, melted

Caramel:
1 tin of condensed milk
125g Gippsland Jersery butter
2tbsp golden syrup

Topping: 
200g Dark chocolate
1tbsp neutral Oil 

Method: 

1. Mix the base ingredients together, press into a lined square pan and bake at 180.C for 15 minutes.
2. Add the caramel ingredients into a saucepan and cook on the stove for 10 minutes on low heat, mix until it thickens, then pour onto the base
3. bake for 5-6 minutes until you see some bubbles on top of the caramel
4. Take it out of the oven, cool slightly. Melt the dark chocolate and oil together, then pour over your caramel layer.
5. Set it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, slice and enjoy!