Meat Pie Tour North Coast Australia

I’ve been a fan of meat pies ever since I was a youngin. My first job out of high school was on Bobbin Head Road at the local bakery baking pies. With 20% meat content mixed with gelotine and gravy sauce, there anything more suculent than an Aussie pie. Read on for a few places I stopped by on the way up the North Coast of NSW to Byron Bay.

First stop is the small town of Coolongolook to Andy’s Cherry Pie Cafe. I have no idea who Andy is but his pie is tasty, not only the meat variety but the double treat with its self proclaimed *World Famous” cherry pie. Andy has hit this combination for six.

Next stop is Shelly Beach Shop in Port Macquarie. The selfie is actually of Lighthouse Beach next door which has nothing to do with the shop. I added the photo as I look good is all. This is where I used to go after primary school and gorge myself on tasty meat pies. It adjoins Sea Acres Rainforest park and well with a visit if into koala spotting.

Another pie shop in Port Macquarie is the Ridgey Didge just below the cinema. Ridgey Didge is slang for amazing (I’ve includes the appropriate hand signal) and their pies are “sick as”, I adore them. Also helpful is the location over the road from the best boozer in town so if hanging for a feed between beers just duck over for a pie.

Timbertown isn’t a pie shop but a fun park where timber worker’s cut timber. Timbertown in Wauchope (pronounced Wachapay) have scintillating pies which were my fave when I was growing gromit. A neat trick is to take the lid off the pie, eat the meat and then fill the pie with tomato sauce. Double the value and simply delightful.

This is Freddos Pies in Fredrikton just north of Kempsey. The pies are famous and regarded as the best in NSW, they are pretty dam amazing, the bakery has a large variety pie, beef, chunky beef, grounded beef, curry beef, and chicken amongst others.

This is the BP in Nambucca Heads, they sell Mrs Mac’s pies, which are total generic rubbish, I’d rather eat a sausage roll. Don’t go to petrol stations to buy pies, just get petrol, ciggy and move on.

This is the Big Banana in the town of Coffs Harbour and just like the town the pies are shithouse. Shithouse is Aussie for bad, the sooner a freeway tunnel goes under Coffs Harbour the faster cashed up bogans like myself can drive our Commodores (Australia made car) to Byron Bay. The milkshake is alright, the toilet smells of palm trees.

This is Babilono’s in Ballina, you know you have arrived in Ballina if you can see a big prawn (shrimp for my American readers) located out the front of Bunnings hardware store. Nothing reminds me of a meat pie more than a big prawn…. well maybe not but the pies are grouse and I was rapt with my curry pie.

Safely made it to Byon and the Hot Bread Bakery. These pies are bloody sensational which adds to the privelaged yuppie meets hippy vibe of the town Nothing says environmentally friendly more than a tasty pastry meat within side, amazeballs. After finishing my pie I went and had a few beers, cheers Chris Hemsworth.

Well that’s the Pie trail up north, sure there has been a few kilos added along with occasional meat sweats but the endeavour has been worthwhile. It’s been a gastronomic delight, the cuisine has been SUperb, also the accompanying beer. Be sure to check out the Pie Trail.