Lowood Bakery

Lowood Bakery is the sort of busy country-town bakery where the cabinet is full and the counter moves quickly. Locals mention fresh-from-the-oven stock and staff who look after you, and the range covers the usual bakery fare: pies, sausage rolls, bacon and egg rolls, and meat and salad rolls. It's a bakery in Lowood, Queensland, that people return to regularly.

Pies are what it's known for. The apple pie gets particular praise, with crunchy pastry and properly cooked fruit, and one local who tries the apple pie at every bakery rated it excellent. The savoury range runs wider than most, including some less common varieties, and there are Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches too. One local who knows Vietnamese-style bakery pies says this is worth trying, though not everyone loves every pie, and we've heard the odd comment that a cabinet roll can lose its crispness if it has sat a while. Getting there earlier in the day is the easy fix.

On the sweet side, the vanilla custard slice is a regular mention, along with cream jam donuts, chocolate eclairs, carrot cake and cupcakes. One mum has bought a whole batch of cupcakes for her daughter's birthday more than once. Coffee and breakfast are on offer, and takeaway is the main way most people use the place.

Prices are talked about as good value, and the staff are described as quick, smiling and easy to deal with. One regular got chatting with the owner and came away calling her a refreshing person, which says plenty about the welcome.

It also suits anyone passing through. Cyclists on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail often stop here to refuel, bikes are easy to park, and there's a little seating out the front. Clock Park across the road has plenty of picnic-style seating if you'd rather eat there. Expect a few birds hoping for crumbs.

There's a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, free street parking, and cards and mobile payments are accepted. The bakery opens early most days and keeps shorter hours on weekends, so check the hours before you head in.