We found this place on a coffee pitstop during our recent trip to Australia... we were travelling to the Twelve Apostles from Geelong and just taking a bit of a scenic route. As any long distance driver knows, it is important to take regular breaks to stretch your feet, change shifts and just get the brain working and alert again!

This is an entry for the Beverages with Friends contest at Tasteem, although... after so many days of travelling in a car, this could have been just a Beverages entry!

The Space

Although it isn't too far from Geelong/Melbourne.. the Store is one of your classic tin roofed outback general supply stores. With a little bit of a twist, in that it does really cater to a bit of a more "affluent" tourist who is having a bit of a weekend getaway from Melbourne and looking to wander around on the Great Ocean Road and that particular area. So, not quite the red outback survival crowd!

So, with that in mind... there quite a lot of interesting local produce for sale in the general store (along with your usual fare of household staples). There is no supermarket in this little dot of a town...

There is also a quiet tea-room area and an outdoor area. It is incredibly quaint looking... a bit of a harkening back to a much slower age! All of it is beautifully and tastefully done in old wood and reused furniture. There is no sense of "trendiness" here!

Whilst I was here, with the kids screaming around and various family members taking a rest stop... there was a small but regular stream of regular customers... it was really a small town feel, as it appeared that everyone knew each other quite well!

The Menu

There was actually quite a nice looking array of lunches, light snacks and cakes on offer. In most normal circumstances, we would have stopped off and had lunch (everything did look pretty decent!)... however, we were on the way to what was known as the best fish and chips in the area... so I didn't want to spoil my appetite!

Oh man... I'm such a sucker for great meat pies... and these looked so so so good! It's a sort of thing that you just don't get in The Netherlands... meat pies.... mmmmm ... well, I have to look forward to fish and chips!

... oooooohhhhhhh... the torture! The cakes and pastries also looked so good! Maybe just one with my coffee?... but no, I was told that that wouldn't fly... no spoiling my lunch... after all, we were only about an hour out from the fish and chips shop!

The Food

So, I had settled for a single cappucino (along with my wife and mother who also had the same). We did a takeaway as we wanted to sit outside in the Sun... even in the winter, it was a chance to soak up the loving rays of the Australian Sun... it's a much different experience to the European variant!

Also, just to sit outside and soak in the different colours (especially the greens...) of our home landscape...

Now, back to the coffee... in the middle of nowhere... you aren't expecting to have a good coffee... however, in Australia, the coffee (and cafe/food) culture has really spread far and wide... and these days, it can be hard to find a place that doesn't serve good food/coffee... although, I do find that the Australian cappucinos and flat whites tend to be a touch too much on the milky side of things.

So, with that in mind, this was a great coffee! Definitely recharged the batteries for the trip onwards! I was just dissapointed that I couldn't stay longer and have more to eat and drink!

Spoiler: when we reached the best fish and chips shop... it was closed for the day...

The Experience

As a pitstop on the highway... this place is really a great place to stop and recharge your driving attention. You will need to do it anyway, and you do have the option of going further to a main town or to find a petrol station roadstop along the road. However, few places are going to have this combination of cute quaintness (along with some peaceful atmosphere...) and really decent food!

The staff were friendly, and it was really nice to hear the friendly chatter of customers and staff who obviously knew each other quite well. It's the sort of thing that just doens't exist in larger towns and cities... and it just makes this such a nice place to stop off for a quick coffee recharge!

As, a little side note: The owners are selling this store/cafe.... it's a pretty interesting life... being the general store/cafe owner for a little town... but likely one that isn't really that lucrative as a business venture!

Opening Times

Monday 7:30am–6pm
Tuesday 7:30am–6pm
Wednesday 7:30am–6pm
Thursday 7:30am–6pm
Friday 7:30am–6pm
Saturday 7:30am–6pm
Sunday 7:30am–6pm

Contact Details

Address: 1419 Birregurra-Deans Marsh Rd, Deans Marsh VIC 3235, Australia
Phone: +61 3 5236 3305

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