Gundagai Bakery

Gundagai Bakery is a proper old-school country bakery in Gundagai, New South Wales, believed to be the oldest working bakery in Australia. It's run by baker John Catling, and it's a regular stop for anyone driving through on the way between Sydney and Melbourne.

Pies are the main event. There's a good spread of flavours, including cheese and bacon, curry, and steak and kidney, and the cheese and bacon gets singled out as a favourite. You'll hear the pastry is baked fresh, though the popular flavours do sell out later in the day, so earlier is safer if you have your heart set on something. They also make Little John's Pies. Sausage rolls, salad rolls and a good cream bun round out what people keep mentioning, and one traveller called the caramel doughnut old-school perfection.

The bread is fresh from the oven. We've heard the mixed sandwich packs, made from the bread baked on site, are a smart buy for the road and go quickly. People describe the value as good, and the staff as friendly and quick even when a coach passenger only has a few minutes to spare.

Honest word: not everything lands for everyone. Opinion on the plain meat pie is mixed, one local found the gravy heavy, and another wasn't impressed with the vegetable rolls. The coffee draws a shrug, so treat this as a place for the baked goods first. In school holidays and on busy road-trip weekends it fills up, so a little patience goes a long way.

Beyond the counter, they take birthday cake orders, and takeaway is the way most people do it. There's free street parking, and they take cards and mobile payments. Check the hours before you head in, as weekends differ slightly from weekdays.

If you're after a hot pie and a loaf of fresh bread in Gundagai, this is the bakery locals and passing travellers point you to.