The Duchess of Sussex may have some unusual cravings for the remainder of her pregnancy after sampling Australian bush tucker and native superfoods while checking out Melbourne’s foodie scene.

Finger limes, quandong native peach, riberries, pepper leaf and wild boar were on the menu when Prince Harry and Meghan stopped in for a bite on Thursday, at social enterprise restaurant Charcoal Lane in the hipster suburb of Fitzroy.

The restaurant trains Indigenous youngsters as chefs and hospitality workers – many of whom have struggled with homelessness and displacement from their traditional culture.

Program manager Troy Crellin said some of the employees were in disbelief over the royal encounter because they never thought they would achieve anything.

“It’s something they will cherish forever,” he told the Guardian.

Meghan and Prince Harry smell traditional native Australian ingredients during a visit to Mission Australia’s restaurant, Charcoal Lane. Photograph: Phil Noble/AP

Crellin said the couple were adventurous eaters and had given the taste test the thumbs up.

A whirlwind trip to Melbourne wouldn’t be complete without a tram ride – so the royal couple jumped aboard one bound for South Melbourne Beach with Albert Park Primary School pupils.

Police patrol boats kept watch out in the bay and helicopters buzzed over head. Despite the overcast skies, the rain stayed away and a perfectly timed burst of sunshine poked out between the clouds.

The pair met local volunteers and school children who pick up rubbish to keep Melbourne’s beaches clean.

Beach Patrol vice president Ross Headifen said Harry had spoken about his own experience picking up plastic along beaches with his father Charles when he was little.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex chat with local schoolchildren on board a Melbourne tram. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

“The concept of a romantic walk along the beach, particularly as a newly wed couple is [under threat], when you’ve got straws, coke bottles everywhere,” Headifen said.

Nine-year-old Zoe Cartlidge raised her concerns about micro-plastics with the pair, telling them “the fish eat the plastics and we eat the fish, which is dangerous.

Earlier, Harry and Meghan greeted well-wishers in the botanic gardens on the way to a reception at the official residence of Victoria’s governor, Linda Dessau.

Inside, while teetering in a pair of navy stilettos, Meghan tried her hand at Australian rules football, handballing a Sherrin as she mingled with women’s league players at government house.

Thousands had lined the driveway to catch a glimpse of the pair and Prince Harry and Meghan split up to shake hands on both sides.

Ten-year-old Courtney Pistone had camped out since 2am to claim a prime spot and gave the expectant mother a giant teddy bear and a bouquet of flowers.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, handballs an Australian Rules football while watching a demonstration of sporting activities organised by the This Girl Can campaign. Photograph: Pool/Getty Images

She napped on a blow up mattress under an umbrella during an early morning shower.

“In science we’re learning about mould, and this is much more exciting than mould,” she said.

Shelly McLean held a homemade sign stating she had wagged school in 1983 to see Prince Charles and wife Diana on a visit to Melbourne.

“Back then you had to wait a week to get your photos developed,” said McLean, who was decked out in a costume featuring the Union Jack flags and a top hat emblazoned with a picture of the pair.

Year 12 student Sophie Clarke skipped her maths class to see the royal couple despite having an exam in two weeks. “I’m sorry I’m not in maths class Mrs Olive but I met Meghan and Harry,” her sign said.