Country bakeries are as Victorian as bad weather and ragging on Sydney. There’s something in our DNA: we’re just suckers for a roadside stop and a quality pie, sausage roll or a vanilla slice the size of our head.
To be honest it’s harder to find a bad country bakery than a good one, here you go, Melbourne, these are the best country bakeries in Victoria for 2023:
- Daylesford, Macedon & Hepburn
- High Country
- Mornington Peninsula
- Geelong & Bellarine
- Otways
- Yarra Valley
- Gippsland
Daylesford, Macedon & Hepburn
Les Nôtres
RIDDLES CREEK
Located in Riddles Creek, just a stone’s throw from Mount Macedon and hanging rock, Les Nôtres is a Parisian-style boulangerie with a heavy focus on local and organic produce which they infuse into perfectly crafted croissants, Canelé, chocolate custard eclairs and more. It's not your typical country town shop, but it's one of the best country bakeries in Victoria.
Lancefield Bakery
LANCEFIELD
Nestled in the quaint town of Lancefield, just outside Macedon, Lancefield Bakery boasts a remarkable 140-year-old wood-fired Scotch oven that infuses its baked good with almost a century and a half of flavour. Get your hands on their renowned sausage rolls, hefty in proportion but beautifully soft pastry and tender filling, or the vanilla slices which are worth the pilgrimage in themselves.
Red Beard
TRENTHAM
It's been touted that Red Beard is the 'best bakery in the world”. It's a very bold sentiment but regardless of title, visiting Red Beard is a quintessential Victorian activity. Out of the storied oven comes the sourdough bread which is famous throughout the region utilises a bespoke wild yeast culture alongside the extensive daily output of home-baked biscuits, cakes, slices, jams and chutneys.
Country Cob
KYNETON
One of the most distinguished and awarded bakeries, Country Cob by brothers Ryan and Chan Khun has taken gold at more bakery and pie competitions than we can list. The most regional outpost in Kyneton has all the accolades on the wall and the display cabinets here are filled it the end with award-winning creations, from the Thai curry beef, the caramelised pork and pepper, and even the lobster and garlic prawn number.
Malmsbury Bakery & Gallery
MALMSBURY
Malmsbury Bakery should be a mandatory stop along the Calder Fwy. For over the charming Victorian-era shop has churned out some of the very best baked goods in the state. They're famous for their weighty family-size pies, filled to the crust with decadent house-made apricot jam filling which has been made utilising local produce and fruits. The steak and curry pie is another go-to as is the formidable pastry cannon (sausage roll).
Victoria's High Country
Beechworth Bakery
BEECHWORTH
You’ll find Beechworth Bakeries everywhere from Bendigo to Yackandandah and Healesville, but no prizes for guessing where to find the original. They’ve been serving pies in the old gold town for a very long time, and it’s fair to say they have the dialled in the craft. The pies are typically what draw the crowds from the classic Beechworth Steak, the Ned Ned Kelly (steak, topped with bacon, cheese and a whole egg) or a Chicken & Leek.
Heiner’s Bakery
MYRTLEFORD
It's everything you want from a Victorian country bakery, the pies at Heiner's are hot off the press and the display cabinet is a kaleidoscope of colour from pink coconut-dusted lamingtons, single-serve jam tarts to iced doughnuts. Going strong since 1905, not much has changed here the passion for the art form of baking still rings true, and no matter what you land on you'll remember it for time to come.
The Provender Country Bakehouse
YEA
The pies at The Provender in Yea are worth the accolades they've received, but we’re coming back for something a little sweeter: the blood-plum slice. The lesser-seen delicacy at this best Victorian country bakery is a house speciality and the slight zesty sourness of the plums bounces in perfect harmony with the buttery biscuit bottom.
Dunkeld Old Bakery
DUNKELD
Just as it says on the tin Dunkeld Old Bakery has been around for quite some time, since 1887 to be precise. Most travellers will head straight to the Royal Mail Hotel and miss this place—it’s actually in a little cottage down Martin Street, off the main road. There's a reason this is on the best country bakeries in Victoria list, from time-honoured muffins, and gourmet pies to artisan pastries like the pain au chocolat.
Mornington Peninsula
Millers Bread Kitchen/Cantina
DROMANA, MORNINGTON
Helmed by a tight-knit family unit, the bakery and cafe destination swung open their door at their converted mechanic's garage space back in 2019. The plethora of baked goods is staggering from their incredibly visually aesthetic potato and rosemary-topped foccacia to slabs of pizza, their sourdough made from freshly milled flour from Tuerong Farm and the outstanding croissants, cinnamon scrolls and cakes that line the cabinets.
Johnny Ripe
MAIN RIDGE
Johnny Ripe is the farm-to-cafe bakery in Main Ridge that happens to come equipped with its very own apple orchard. The result is apple pies that come dusted with granular sugar, and pastry so decadent and buttery they melt in your mouth. The croissants are enormous, as are their signature cronuts, brownie and the family-sized pies are a life-saver to stash in the fridge or freezer for a fuss-free dinner. One of the best country bakeries, just an hour's drive from town.
Donato
MOUNT MARTHA
Located just an hour's drive from town on the coastal region of the Mornington Peninsula, Donato is serving up incredibly hefty vanilla slices. The bustling cafe and bakery in Mount Martha has been quietly making a name for its perfectly golden-flaked pastry rets with well-set vanilla custard sandwiched between, it's then finished off with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Peninsula Pantry
RYE
Okay so you're going to sense a bit of a pattern here, but Peninsula Pantry does a seriously mean vanilla slice. Tucked away off the main strip, it's the perfect spot to grab your morning coffee, read the paper, and polish off a snot block. Their eclairs are nothing to sneeze at either or help yourself to something more savoury.
Geelong & Surrounds
Ket Baker
WALLINGTON
Open since 2016, this pastry oasis in the sleepy town of Wallington has been lauded as the best croissants on the entire Western coast. Ket Baker is a chic little operation churning out artisan baked goods, from French classics to sourdough and focaccia bread as well as more contemporary takes such as Nutella-stuffed croissants, Lemon Chausson which is stuffed with lemon curd and their lesser-known Creme Koek (cream-filled pastry topped with chocolate icing).
Rolling Pin
QUEENSCLIFF, OCEAN GROVE, LEOPOLD
At Rolling Pin, there’s often a queue out the door, and every bloody person is waiting in line for pies. Hot pies, big packs of cold pies to chuck in the freezer, family beef pies for dinner or a quick grab-and-go curry pie for the drive back to Geelong. They've won a plethora of awards as well which proudly line the walls, cementing their spot on the best Victorian country bakery list.
Inverleigh Bakehouse
INVERLEIGH
The Inverleigh Bakehouse is a necessary pitstop if you’re driving south towards Winchelsea, or cutting east back toward Geelong. You’ll find Inverleigh Bakehouse inside a converted 1868 homestead on the High Street. There’s a cute cottage-style garden out back and a frankly alarming range of doughnuts, sweet treats, Danishes, slices, cakes, pastries and sugary things inside.
Portarlington Bakehouse
PORTARLINGTON
Wood-fired baking since 1880, That’s what you’re getting at the Portarlington Bakery. The original 150-year-old oven still gets the job done, churning out hot almond croissants and crusty loaves on the daily. Pick up a bacon and egg roll, an icing-topped cinnamon scroll and a slice of strawberry cheesecake, then head down and enjoy them by the waterfront.
Otways
Hulms Bakery
COLAC
Hulms is a no-fuss cult bakery way out in Colac—a favourite with day-trippers and locals. The favourites here are the Ned Kelly Pie, the Neenish tarts and an outstanding egg n' bacon sanga. The staff behind the counter are responsible for 99% of the charm here with locals rolling in with standing orders and fresh banter a plenty.
Anglesea Bakery
ANGLESEA
Anglesea Bakery on the main strip (a few doors down from JUMS). There’s the obligatory ham and salad rolls on the left, a big drinks fridge on the right, and upfront is your country-standard mix of pies, sausage rolls, smiley face cookies and assorted pastry goodness. You can’t go too far wrong with the plain beef pie: rich gravy, flaky pastry and a squirt of tomato sauce on top. All the energy you need to push on along the Great Ocean Road.
Apollo Bay Bakery
APOLLO BAY
Another diamond on the Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay Bakery draws a pretty big crowd every weekend. The house specialty here is the scallop pie: a delicate pastry stuffed with scallops, roe and sauce. You always get 4-5 scallops per pie, and they come in two flavours: mornay and curry leek Their regular pies are likewise impeccable, and there’s also a massive range of old-school baked treats.
Yarra Valley
Marysville Country Bakery
MARYSVILLE
Marysville Country Bakery is what all country bakeries should look like.
The curry pie is the pick of the bunch here, but it does tend to sell out quickly. Don’t be too disappointed if you’re left with fresh-made salad rolls, crispy sausage rolls or a sweet apricot Danish. Pull up a chair in the little garden out front with a coffee and soak it all in.
Gippsland
Yarragon Country Style Bakery
YARRAGON
At the entrance to West Gippsland the Yarragon Country Style Bakery is a stop known by many. The tidily-spaced shop right on the corner is loaded with all the classic country bakery comforts you could ask for and all still for staggeringly good prices. The sausage rolls and meat pies are simple but classic, the apple turnovers have been perfected and the doughnuts are supreme.
Paul The Pieman
INVERLOCH
Your classic country pie shack and it hasn’t changed much since 1986, Paul The Pieman has become a bit of an institution in Inverloch. They’ve got 25+ pie varieties, including lamb & rosemary and beef & burgundy. They rank consistently high in the annual Great Aussie Meat Pie Competition, previously picking up 4 gold medals and 3 silver medals.
Pandesal Bakery
MEENIYAN
More of your modern-day country bakery, Pandesal is leading the charge for the new guard. They bake all their artisanal bread using a slow fermentation process that can take up to 36 hours, the sourdoughs are their specialty but don't pass up their home-baked muffins or sausage rolls—a fruity pork, apple and fennel mix rolled inside the flaky golden pastry.
Sharp's Bakery
BIRCHIP
Another vanilla slice maestro, this one took out the top prize in 2022 for 'The Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph 2022'. This isn't even the first time this snot block has seen the glory, it's also won the accolade four times before. You'll find Sharp's on Cumming Avenue in Birchip, people drive for miles to try the vanilla slice here—but you can also get giant cream & jam doughnuts, golden pies, veggie-stuffed pasties and classic country salad rolls.
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