Editor’s note: we’ve updated this list to reflect the closing of Birdsville Bakery.
Pies. We supposedly eat 270 million of them each year here in the land down under. They’re your best friend at a footy game, something to tick off the bucket list in an iconic country town, or your best (and sometimes only) option when fronted with an early morning start. With fillings like mushroom, chicken, crocodile, camel, or just plain old beef smothered in tomato sauce to choose from, you’d be damned to find another country with the pie diversity that we have in Australia!
And lucky for us they exist – pies are a quick and easy choice for our crew and tend to be their top pick of “cuisine” when on the road, especially in the outback!
So with that, we introduce Jed – our cameraman and resident pie connoisseur. He’s covered all the states, every outback bakery you can think of, and has basically been on a never-ending quest to find the best pie there is out there. With his choice of filling being steak, cheese and bacon, he means business. So we asked Jed to narrow down his top 10 pies he’s come across during his travels.
1. Blackbutt Bakery, Blackbutt QLD
Roberta Anson, and her partner Jim, are the masterminds behind Blackbutt Bakery. They’re some of the nicest people you will ever meet. So when Roberta isn’t out front chatting to the locals, you’ll otherwise find her down the back cooking up a storm. She’ll even do twenty-hour days and go to bed at three o’clock, then get back up at six, completely wired to cook. So far she’s whipped up dim sim pies, the big mac, crocodile, alpaca and more… anything Roberta can put in a pie, she will put in a pie! Get there and try one for yourself… or check out the video below.
Overall score: 10/10
2. Otto’s Bakery, Hahndorf SA
People normally go to Adelaide Hills for the wine and cheese, but Jed goes for the pies (and not the AFL type). He says Otto’s is a lovely escape from the hustle and bustle of Adelaide, so much that he drives straight past the vineyards for a different type of cheese – instead a cheese, steak and bacon pie, plus their famous caramel slice!
Overall score: 9/10
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGEZ9yUCFal/
3. Nguyen’s Bakery, York WA
With fillings like chicken satay, zucchini and beef pizza – Nguyen’s is one of the few left to make all pies and desserts onsite daily. Despite being an hour out of Perth, Jed and the crew ate there most days while filming in Western Australia. And he says if it wasn’t a 44-hour commute to work, he’d move to York just for the pies.
Overall score: 10/10
4. Old Fernvale Bakery, Fernvale QLD
You can’t call yourself a pie connoisseur without having tried some of the most outrageous pies there are on the market. Old Fernvale Bakery is home to 100 different varieties of pies, including the triple cheeseburger pie… they even say if you were to be blindfolded, it would be hard to tell the difference between it being an actual pie or a sneaky cheeseburger meal – the good type, of course.
Overall score: 9/10
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVQb3kphWbj/
5. Swagman’s Pie Sensations, Nambour QLD
Swagman’s is the first stop as you enter the gateway to the Sunny Coast Hinterland. Jed says if his mum knew how to cook and decided to open a bakery, this would be it! Think homemade-style pies and the friendly faces that go with it.
Overall score: 9/10
6. Arthur Clive’s Family Bakehouse, Aratula QLD
It’s on the way out of Brisbane, and a good place to get out, stretch your legs and smash a pie before a road trip. Arthur Clive’s was recommended to Jed by other colleagues, so he’s keeping the work tradition alive by stopping by when travelling on the Cunningham Highway. Plus, the coffee is REALLY good.
Overall score: 8/10
Even this little bloke gives it two thumbs up!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSRu5MqjliJ/
7. Gin Gin Bakery, Gin Gin QLD
It’s on the way to Bundy, and the pies are spot-on. And is it just coincidence that if you were to leave Brisbane after breakfast, you would be in Gin Gin by lunch for a pie? We think not. We also think that any sign of a good bakery is one with a queue out the door!
Overall score: 9/10
8. Ed’s Beach Bakery, Rainbow Beach QLD
It’s one of the first stops as you drive into Rainbow Beach and opens at 4 a.m. – tick and tick. And while Jed’s normally a steak, cheese and bacon kind of guy, at Ed’s it’s the corn beef and cheese sauce pie that seals the deal for him. He doesn’t even mind the six-hour round trip from Brisbane just to land himself one.
Overall score: 10/10
9. Proserpine Pies & Pastries, Proserpine QLD
It’s common for people to visit the Whitsundays for their pristine beaches, right? But for folk like Jed, he says the cheese and bacon pie from Proserpine Pies & Pastries should be hailed as the eighth wonder of the world… aka The Great Barrier Beef.
Overall score: 10/10
10. Yatala Pies, Yatala QLD
Despite the lineup, you’re always bound to be quickly served at Yatala… and it’s fair to say they’ve earned their status, having been a landmark in the area for more than 130 years! From their humble beginnings as a small pie shop, this beast now churns out over 3,500 pies a day… and for us, that seals the lid.
