I live in the land of good coffee. Australia's known for it. Having a good brewed coffee was the first thing I did landing back in Melbourne. That sip of a well made oat latte was heaven.

Somehow, a combination of factors have led to a solid cafe culture with really high quality coffee. After WW2, we had a lot of migrants, particuarly from Italy and Greecce, bringing their own rich coffee culture with them. This because the bedrock of the Aussie coffee scene that's exploded to what it is today. These days barista training raises the quality - cafe staff known what temperature to have the milk, how to make good crema, the importance of cleaning the equipment. The bar is raised still further by small batch coffee roasters searching for the best beans and the tastiest roast. In the town I live in there are no less than three good roasters that roast in house. There's also a demand for excellence - a poorly made bitter generic coffee will just not do, and sends any Aussie overseas into a litany of complaint and wistful dreaming of the quality of coffee down under.

'Going for a coffee' is what 'going for a pint' is in the UK. It's part of our social life. Just got out of the surf? Head for a coffee. Catching up with mates? Go for a coffee. Popping into the nursery on a Saturday? Head for a coffee. Want to treat yourself? Head for a coffee.

It's very difficult to pick a favourite amongst all places you can buy coffee on the coast. We often head to the Boathouse on the Great Ocean Road as it's halfway between two towns so a good place to meet people, plus you can buy plants in the nursery next to it. There's a place overlooking the ocean in two places in Torquay - one called the Salty Dog which is a meeting place for the many dog walkers that parade their groodles up and down the beach. Each one has a different vibe or feel. I couldn't be a regular at any of them as it's so dependent on where I am and who I'm with.

The other thing that stops me being a regular is I wonder how we're all caught up in the need for caffeine and willing to open our wallets every single day for a coffee, let alone a take away coffee with the extra onus of disposing of the plastic lids. One coffee a day for the entire year will set you back $2,190 dollars. For this reason alone I'd never be a regular at a coffee shop. I'd only ever visit time to time - if I'm invited by a friend, or we've decided to treat ourselves.

On top of that, I just can't do that much caffeine. It's a weekend thing, or an 'I haven't slept and need all the help I can get' thing.