Australia's major state capitals are surrounded by highly productive food bowls, which are an important source of fresh foods for their growing populations. These food producing biomes are a rich resource for investigating key themes related to Biomes and food security, one of two Year 9 units of study in the Australian Curriculum: Geography. This paper draws on case studies of Melbourne and Sydney to explore challenges to food production in Australia's city food bowls. These challenges include population growth, urban sprawl, water scarcity and the impacts of climate change. We explore the implications of these challenges for the food security of Australia's urban populations, and we highlight the potential for emerging research findings about the significance of these food producing biomes to engage students with key themes of the Year 9 Biomes and food security unit.