Why we road trip: Barnetts Bakery, Crescent Head
The History of Barnetts Bakery in Crescent Head
Barnetts Bakery opened its doors in Crescent Head twenty-six years ago and has since become a treasured local icon. However, the Barnetts baking story began many years earlier on Australia’s southern coast.
“After we got married, my husband Frank and I worked for Frank’s dad in his bakery in Yankalilla, South Australia for eighteen months,” Rae says. “Then we bought our first bakery in Bordertown, South Australia when our eldest son Mark was only six-months-old."
Rae recounts the years of owning and selling businesses throughout different parts of Australia and how the family finally settled in Crescent Head. Once there, she says, they knew they’d found somewhere special.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic [in Crescent Head]. We love living here and we’ve enjoyed every minute. We just love it here.”
How has business been affected over the last few years?
Like many regional towns in Australia, residents and local businesses have had to contend with the impacts of numerous natural disasters and multiple lockdowns.
Adam Barnett tells us that Crescent Head and the wider Macleay Valley Coast have seen pretty much everything these last couple of years, however the communities have pulled through stronger each time.
“We’ve had drought in the area, really bad bushfires and we had a flood not so long ago. We were stuck in Crescent Head for maybe a little bit over a week,” Adam explains.
“Obviously then, with COVID and the two lockdowns, we were affected really badly. But the local trade is still good; we still have the tradesmen, the council and all the local residents, which is really good.”
How are things today?
Adam, who took over the business from his parents, tells us that while things have certainly been tough, the community spirit remains strong.
“The community is really good at banding together. All the businesses get together and we make sure everyone's covered with stock, things like meat for the butcher or flour for our bakery,” he adds.
How can we help?
Being a coastal town, Crescent Head relies heavily on the holidays and tourism that comes with it. So when lockdowns began amidst bushfires, droughts and then floods, it took a big toll. The return of tourism will be key to recovery.
“It definitely makes a difference. We are a tourist destination – a tourist town. We rely on the tourists being here,” Adam tells us.
“We’d just really like to see all the tourists back again, enjoying Crescent Head. We have the best of both worlds here with the beach and then the short trip up the mountain into the hinterland.
"With waterfalls and lookouts it’s a great place to visit."
What do the locals recommend?
When it comes to baked goods from Barnetts, there are a few standouts on the menu, Adam tells us:
"Our beef, cheese and bacon pie and our vanilla slice are very popular. Our sourdough is as well. It’s been going for about twenty years with the same starter."
In fact, other than the pies and sweet treats, there’s one more thing that Crescent Head is truly famous for Adam tells us.
“You can pretty much surf anywhere, we have the open beach breaks and a world renowned surf break on the point,” he says.
