The good Aussie road trip has grown up. No longer is it all about greasy deep-fried chicken wings, drive-through production-line hamburgers and bright orange fizzy drinks.
These days when you drive the Hume Highway between Melbourne and Sydney, and the Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane, you can find healthy, gourmet or organic food stops every few hours along the way. But they’re not as easy to spot as the golden arches.
Here is our guide to good food stops between Melbourne and Brisbane that will only take you on a micro-detour from the barrelling highway.
Wangaratta: Cafe Derailleur (Melbourne to Wangaratta ~ 3 hours)
Café Derailleur in Norton Street, Wangaratta is a quirky find on the ground floor of a bead and bauble shop in the old Railway Café building.
Organic fair-trade coffees are the star attraction: choose from the house blend Ethiopian Oromio or the espresso blend from an Indian grown bean. The menu has abundance of “house made”: bagels, sourdough, toasted muesli, gnocchi, smoked chicken and iced tea with muddled lime.
Jugiong: Long Pantry Cafe (Wangaratta to Jugiong ~ 3 hours; Jugiong to Sydney ~ 3.5 hours)
The focus at the Long Track Pantry is on local and seasonal produce. The eggs are proudly free range, the pies and cakes resolutely homemade. Most dishes have a side serving of the signature slow roasted tomatoes, bought from Dino’s Fruit and Vegetable shop next door and made with local olive oil, salt and pepper.
Open for breakfast and lunch, you can sit outside beneath the grape-vine framed awnings and watch life in this picturesque town go by (autumn is highly recommended for wildfire leaf colour), or dine inside the pantry among rows of handmade preserves and local wines and soak up the kitchen’s hearty aromas.
Nabiac: Greenhouse Cottage Cafe (Sydney to Nabiac ~ 3.25 hours)
Once you leave the highway, you can’t miss the Greenhouse Cottage with its bright green coat of fresh paint. There’s a generous range of offerings for the health conscious: delicious freshly squeezed juices – the ‘Get Up and Go’ with apple, orange, pineapple and ginger is great road trip fuel – Merlo organic coffee, vibrant salads – don’t miss the Thai beef salad with crunchy noodes - and some well-thought out vegetarian options, with the roasted butternut pumpkin salad a good pick. As well as less virtuous choices of beautifully made beef burgers, a pasta of the day, and a cake display full of yummy treats.
You can enjoy your meals on the cottage’s covered balcony or inside, with its warm atmosphere of polished wooden floors, an old fireplace and stained glass window. Have a browse through the artworks and locally made produce on sale to stretch your legs.
Port Macquarie: Ricardoes Tomatoes and Strawberries (Nabiac to Port Macquarie ~ 1.25 hours)
Ricardoes Tomatoes has the benefit of not only offering a delicious fresh food stop, but you can also enjoy the added benefit of taking a stroll through the green houses among rows of hydroponically grown strawberries and tomatoes. You will be handed a pair of scissors to wield as you can fill your bag with produce for the road.
As well as the farm gate sales, there’s the Big Red Café, which has a rustic laid-back feel, set in a large well-lit corrugated iron tin shed. Anything made from its own tomatoes and strawberries sits top of the list: don’t miss the chocolate dipping sauce in the delicatessen for your strawberries.
Maclean: On the Bite (Port Macquarie to Maclean ~ 3.75 hours)
The owners of On The Bite Rob McDowell and Fiona Farlow bring together his love of coffee and her love of food. As well as its regular blend of Coffee Supreme, every couple of weeks they introduce a new single origin or single farm sourced coffee: with the origins ranging from as near and far as a farm in Honduras to Byron Bay’s Marvell Street. The food is eclectic, with a touch of Middle Eastern and Asian influence, all prepared in-house. The wooden panels and brass piping feature wall make you feel as though you’ve landed in a groovy laneway bar in Melbourne.
Newrybar: Harvest Cafe (Maclean to Newrybar ~ 1.5 hours; Newrybar to Brisbane ~ 2 hours)
Harvest Cafe is a fine-dining restaurant that’s usually on the must-visit list of any foodie holidaying in nearby Byron Bay. It has an atmosphere of luxurious meets laid-back, with its crisp covered tables dotting the balcony that overlooks the treetops. In winter, you can sprawl on the couches in front of the fire in this 1900s cottage and enjoy the aromas and banter from the open kitchen.
The cocktail list is abundant as are the fine wines on offer. The menu is incredible, including dishes such as ginger tuna sashimi, twelve hour braised lamb shoulder and local house-made charcuterie. The price is at the high end, so if you’re seeking a more fast and affordable pit stop, head to Harvest Bakery, right next door, serving light food and coffees, and why not take a warm loaf for the road.
