MAITLAND PIE NIGHT
WHERE? BAKERS COTTAGE, CHELMSFORD DR, EAST MAITLAND/ METFORD, NSW WHEN? FIRST SATURDAY EVENING OF THE MONTH
Around Newcastle and the NSW Hunter area, the regular pie shop run to the Bakers Cottage at East Maitland gives car nuts plenty to do on a Saturday night: Stand around perving on cool cars, having a chat and grabbing a feed. Like many other similar cruises around Australia, it’s held on the first Saturday of the month. And like many others, there’s no agenda here – simply roll up, park your car and wander around with a smile. Being one of my local haunts, I’ve rolled one of my VWs out of the shed a few times and been met on my arrival each time by a gaggle of beauties; everything from a lovely locally-built replica Broadspeed Mini to a bunch of GT Falcons and early Holden Monaros, classic time-warp Aussie family stuff, hot rods, MGs and other pommy stuff and a great slice of Aussie history: the very first Tickford TS50 sedan ever built.
The local Highway Patrol lads are regulars here, too. I’ve only ever seen them smiling … That, plus the fact that much of Newcastle’s street machine, hot rod and classic car elite turns up means I’ve never seen anything dumb; not even a P-plater mang-manging his motor.
Bakers Cottage serves gourmet pies and of course it does a brisk trade – get in early! In the warmer months, this casual get-together is the ideal starting point for a car club cruise: the post-card quality destination of Port Stephens is an hour away and the region’s terrific rural/ bush and coastal roads and top-shelf beaches are a terrific backdrop for a balmy summer evening car club run, especially if you have a classic drop-top.