Eat and drink
There’s always something new at the Bond Store (bondstore. net.au), a restaurant, brewery and distillery inside a restored 19th-century warehouse in Wallaroo, on the peninsula’s north-west coast. Twelve taps dispense golden lagers and fruitforward ales, while a gleaming copper still in the moody cocktail bar downstairs turns out spirits, such as the bright sherbet-like quandong and blood orange gin. There’s more action in the kitchen, where the chef makes good use of local seafood and an on-site veggie patch to turn out tapas-style share plates with an Asian twist and proteins seared on the parilla grill.
Swing past the beachfront café North Beach Kitchen (northbeachkitchen.com.au) for a casual bite. Blue swimmer crab from nearby Port Broughton stars on the menu – the chilli crab scramble is a standout before lunch (there are excellent vegetarian options, too) – while afternoons mean burgers and baguettes stuffed with crab, crisp lettuce and Kewpie mayo. Your caffeine and sugar hits come courtesy of the espresso machine and ice-cream freezer and in the warmer months you can watch the waves from the shipping container bar with a gin-based cocktail or glass of Clare Valley wine.
Every road trip worthy of the name requires snacks from a good country bakehouse and if the line of customers out front doesn’t tip you off, the wall of awards inside Minlaton Bakery
(32 Main Street, Minlaton; 08 8853 2108) should convince you that this is the place to stop in central Yorkes. Everything is
baked on site, from sourdough loaves to colourful cupcakes and enormous cream-filled pastries, but it’s the pies that bring roadtrippers and locals in year after year. Chunky pepper steak wrapped in flaky pastry is a sure-fire winner, while temporary offerings such as peri peri chicken or spinach and roasted capsicum topped with golden swirls of pumpkin and carrot mash will suit the experimental.
Despite a population of only 1000, Minlaton is touted as the “barley capital of the world” so it makes sense that it should have its own brewery. But you’ll find much more than just local grain at Watsacowie Brewing
Company (watsacowie.com. au), where the jarrah bar is fronted with sheep grates and sits under a chandelier fashioned from a salvaged windmill. Pull up a seat next to farmers slaking their thirst with easy-drinking ales and decide whether to join them or geek out over a Scandinavian nitro stout or tart melon-flavoured gose. Then you can ask the obvious question, “So what is a cowie?” (It’s an Indigenous word for water that features in many local place names.)
The charming blue-andwhite caravan known as
Wilfred The Van (Black Point Drive, Black Point; 0427 162 459) promises “brews + vibes” and delivers on both counts. Popping up only metres from the sea near the tiny town of Black Point on the peninsula’s eastern side, the mobile café does a brisk trade pouring creamy coffees and lightly flavoured kombucha to go with vegan treats, including raw slices and bliss balls.