Seven Cafes to Seek Out When You're Road Tripping Down to NSW's Shoalhaven
If you like a good out-of-town cafe, the south coast is brimming with them — from healthy harbourside brunch spots to small specialty coffee bars.
Seven Cafes to Seek Out When You're Road Tripping Down to NSW's Shoalhaven
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If you like a good out-of-town cafe, the south coast is brimming with them — from healthy harbourside brunch spots to small specialty coffee bars.
Over the past few years, the south coast's Shoalhaven region has gone through a bit of culinary revolution. Long the source of some of Australia's best oysters, it's now also home to a bunch of top-notch cafes, restaurants and eateries. And many of them come with views — from sweeping oceanscapes to rolling farmlands. In summer 2019/2020, however, the region was hit by devastating bushfires — with many local businesses taking a hit. So, grab some mates and head on a road trip this summer with hungry stomachs, an empty boot and money to spend.
From coastal getaways to outback adventures, Australia is home to a wealth of places to explore. Every trip away offers the chance to not only reconnect and recharge, but also to support the communities that have been affected by bushfires. Your visit plays an important role in Australia's recovery, which is why we've partnered with Tourism Australia to help you plan your next Holiday Here This Year.
Some of the places mentioned below may still be closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Please check websites before making any plans.
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As the name suggests, Treehouse Cafe feels like a secret hideaway. You’ll find it in a former country cottage with timber floors and high ceilings, and just behind Ulladulla’s legendary Funland, an old-school arcade packed with dodgems, pinball games and air hockey machines. The menu’s all about generous, good-hearted fare, made with veggies from local farmers and ethically sourced meats. If you’re there for brekkie, try the masala eggs: masala scrambled eggs, rocket, coriander, jalapeños and shallots on a toasted house-made bagel.
Come lunchtime, you’re in for an internationally inspired feast. There’s the Mexi bowl, crowded with spiced beans, corn, jalapeños and sour cream on corn chips. Or stay closer to home with the Treehouse classic burger, with pickles, caramelised onion and chipotle mayo. The coffee comes from Young’s Art of Espresso, where organic beans are bought directly from independent farmers. If you want to skip coffee, choose from a smoothie, warmed golden almond milk (spiced with turmeric, ginger and cinnamon) and a bunch of Bodhi organic teas.
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Turn inland at Milton and you’ll enter a world of rolling paddocks and winding streams — just one section of the little-explored south coast hinterland. After a few minutes, look out for an old, high-ceilinged building surrounded by veggie gardens and peppered with free-range chickens. Welcome to Milk Haus. This idyllic escape is all about organic, sustainable, ethical food production.
Book a table between 9–11.30am for brekkie. If you’re up for a hearty feast, the silky ribboned eggs with coriander chilli sauce, refried beans and cheese on corn tortillas are hard to beat. From midday–2pm, lunch kicks in. The monthly changing menu includes the likes of panko-crumbed chicken schnitzel with hand-cut chips and green leaf saag with yogurt based haloumi.
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Native is quite possibly the healthiest cafe on the south coast — and also one of the tastiest. Perched on Ulladulla’s pretty harbour, this eatery serves up dishes loaded with superfoods and veggies grown by neighbours. If you’re an early riser, you’re in luck. Brekkie begins at 6.30am, which means it comes with incredible coastal sunrises. Spice up your morning with fried eggs, corn, chilli, guacamole, turtle beans, coriander and house-made flatbread.
Like a sleep in? You can also count on being looked after. Brekkie runs till 2.30pm, plus there’s an additional menu. For a major health boost, tuck into the Red Salad, a mountain of mushies, radicchio, broccolini, freekeh, quinoa, pumpkin hummus and pomegranate dressing. Carnivores can swap the mushies for braised lamb. The coffee is Will & Co’s Eight-O-Eight house blend, plus there are Mayde organic teas, turmeric lattes and a ‘rosetta’ latte: local milk infused with beetroot, hibiscus, ginger and maca.
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Before setting up Hampden Deli, owners Nick Gardner and Stevie-Lee Bounader spent years in fine dining restaurants. Head chef Nick trained at Nelson Bay’s Zest, before working at some of Sydney’s best restaurants, including Quay and Tetsuya’s, where he was sous chef. So when you slip into this cosy deli, cage and cooking school in Kangaroo Valley for brekkie, take high expectations with you. The tight daily menu — which offers just two or three dishes at one time — features classics transformed into gourmet delights. There’s no menu as such, but recent gems have included a bacon and egg roll with brown sugar bacon, local eggs, cabbage, fermented chilli and, surprisingly, Kettle chips.
Cruising by at lunchtime? You might be presented with a grazing board loaded with meats, cheeses, breads, croutons and house-made pickles, accompanied by a glass of local wine. It offers takeaway, too — the counter is crowded with sangas, salads, quiches and some very impressive pastries that are made in-house each morning.
Image: Tammie Seidel, Take Five Photography
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Get ready for a serious lift because Hyper Hyper Coffee delivers on its name. In an unassuming shed in north Nowra, barista Pip de Pulford roasts and serves coffee as it’s been done in Italy since the 1950s: dark, rich and strong. His weapon? A 1959 Probat G22 roaster, which was hand-built in Germany of rock solid cast iron.
Rather than playing with a stream of ever-changing beans, Hyper Hyper sticks to tried-and-tested classics. There’s the Blend 6, an old-school European style coffee, and the Cut Snake, made up of 100-percent Arabica beans. If you’re a connoisseur of black brews — short or long — it’s the one for you. In keeping with its simple yet powerful approach is Hyper Hyper’s surroundings. The decor consists of milk crates, boulders and, for shade, umbrellas. If you’re keen to drink and walk, grab a takeaway and stroll north to Harry Sawkins Park.
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Step into the 1950s in The Dairy Bar. Hidden down a laneway off Berry’s main drag, this old-school milk bar is the new offshoot of The Treat Factory, which has been doling out sweet goodness for years. Grab a seat on the shady verandah overlooking Irish-green farmlands and dig in. Every dairy dish on the menu comes from local milk, sourced from farming cooperative South Coast Dairy. That includes the gelato, which is made daily. Try tried-and-trusted classics, like vanilla, Belgian chocolate and pistachio — or go for something more adventurous, like lemon cheesecake.
There’s also a bunch of OTT sundaes if you want to kick things up a notch. The s’more is a tower of vanilla and chocolate gelato, layered with Graham Cracker crumbs, chocolate pâté and a piping hot s’more (that’s a Graham cracker sandwich, packed with chocolate and marshmallows). Meanwhile, the Apple Pie is a mountain of stewed and fresh apple, vanilla gelato, cinnamon almonds, waffle crumbs, caramel sauce and cream.
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Chances, you’ll smell Maverick before you see it. Tucked away behind a car dealer and Ulladulla Macca’s, this isn’t just a cafe, but a microroastery, too. Owner and obsessive barista Andrew Gibson worked his way around Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe before setting up shop on the south coast. He knows his beans inside-out, including where to source those that are both ethical and tasty.
Sink into a couch in the light-filled industrial space and order your brew of choice — be it a house blend or one of the ever-changing single origins, like the Blue Bianca from Indonesia, which has notes of grapefruit and tobacco. And, in case you’re travelling with your best mate, puppaccinos are also on the menu. Feeling a bit peckish after your drive? Take your pick of sweet treats — from vegan donuts and hand-crafted chocolates to fresh pastries.
Whether you’re planning to travel for a couple of nights or a couple of weeks, Holiday Here This Year and you’ll be supporting Australian businesses while you explore the best of our country’s diverse landscapes and attractions.
Top image: The Treehouse Cafe
