‘You can’t just do a quick wee, you’ll be there for an hour’: Australian readers’ favourite highway pit stops | Australia holidays

Guardian Australia readers prove the journey is just as important as the destination. They share roadside eateries, welcoming country pubs, lovely rural towns and “epic” playgrounds in their picks of the best places to stop on a road trip.

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory

Canberra to Merimbula: Pipers lookout, South East Forest national park

“The view is beautiful. The trees are awe-inspiring. The air is clean. It’s refreshing and relaxing,” Gary writes about a beauty spot between Nimmitabel and Bemboka on the Snowy Mountains Highway. You’ll also find toilets, a picnic area and a 500-metre boardwalk leading to two more viewpoints.

Sydney to Melbourne: Long Track Pantry, Riverside Drive, Jugiong

A whopping nine readers and one staff member recommend this culinary pit stop when driving the Hume Highway. “I always stop for morning tea or lunch when I drive from Melbourne to Sydney,” Christopher writes. “When I was a child, it was the general store for the village. My aunts and uncles would do their shopping there.” The owners, Huw and Juliet Robb, produce their own jams, marmalades, chutneys and sauces. A reader, Kerry, stops in to “have lunch under the vine-covered verandah, then stock up on relishes, chutneys, jams and marmalades”. Adam rates its pleasant sheltered outdoor dining areas, along with “prompt service and generous portions”.

Sydney and Canberra to Melbourne: the Niagara cafe, Sheridan Street, Gundagai

A few readers mentioned this longstanding Gundagai cafe. “New owners have renovated and restored the Niagara, bringing back the vaulted ceiling destroyed in a fire (then covered over for decades),” Andrew writes. “I have been stopping here for Australia’s best chocolate milkshake for more than 30 years.” Anthony has been visiting for even longer: “For over 50 years I’ve made The Niagara a food and coffee stop. Travelling with friends on BMW motorcycles between NSW and Victoria in the late 1970s, we would always stop for a big cafe meal and coffee.”

Northern Territory

Darwin to Alice Springs: Bitter Springs, Martin Road, Mataranka

A Parkinson likes to wash off the long drive at this natural thermal pool: “My favourite is always Bitter Springs. It’s the perfect place for a float and bonus: there are two petrol…