For all those that have taken the famous road down to Dunsborough will know that there are not many cafes along the way that you can stop at, unless you divert off the main road in search of one. Of course, this type of trip can be very mundane, and a coffee break does help recharge the batteries a bit.
I could not but notice the amount of signs that said: "Coffee Break 5 minutes"! That is a bit like taking a kid into a Chocolate store and saying that you can look but you are not allowed any. Those signs are complete torture.
As I was pressed for time, I could not afford to divert off the main highway in search of a café, or some place that would offer coffee. I did, however, have to fill up on fuel and made the worst mistake in ordering a coffee from one of the self-service machines. If that was coffee then I could quite easily be a monkey's aunty! It was positively the worst coffee I have ever had and vowed never to stop there again.
A little sign for a great experience.
The Old Cheddar Cheese Company can be found just a few kilometres outside of Busselton. The best part was that I did not have to divert off the beaten track. It was two quick left turns, and I was parking outside within minutes.
Clean and well presented
While the GPS had instructed that this trip would only take 2.5 hours, by the time I had reached the Old Cheddar Cheese Company it was already 2.5 hours. I don't think my GPS calculated the time spent in Perth traffic that morning.
Geronimo Stilton would make this his final stop!
The café was pleasantly presented with cheese laid out to taste. I am sure that if I was Geronimo Stilton, that this would be my final destination, however coffee was the first order while I began looking at the extensive range of cheeses that they had.
A menu of food awaits!
As I had missed breakfast (and coffee) I was pretty hungry. I did not pack a picnic lunch, so the lunch menu was greeted with a few questions and a final choice of nachos (my favourite). I was beginning to like this place – coffee, cheese and nachos.
Golden Awards from around the country - I think I hit the Jackpot!
While waiting for my coffee and nachos I began to walk around looking at the awards this little place received. I was surprised that they had won gold awards around the country for their products. 'Wow,' I thought to myself 'I really hit the jackpot this time.'
You know a place has a reputation for great cheese when they have this award!
The coffee arrived promptly. I took a sip to find that it was quite hot. However, luckily Janine, the staff member, popped a little milk in to cool it down and apologised for making it too hot. She said that so many people stopped in and asked her for extra hot coffee that it soon became a habit.
Nachos and Cheese - a perfect combination!
The nachos soon followed and it was exactly what I had hoped for. I am not a big meat fan and was happy to settle for vegetarian nachos that had all the winning flavours. As I was a little of a cheese fan, Janine popped a little more cheese on the top for me. I think I found heaven.
A satisfied yet sad farewell but will return again!
Of course I could not leave without stocking up on some of their award winning cheese. If it took 2.5 hours to get to this point, I was thinking that the rest of the trip may just take a little longer. So I thought it was best to learn from a mistake and stock up with some food which I could snack on if I needed to.
If you are able to wait, I would recommend that you endure the distance to visit the Old Cheddar Cheese Company. This is a the perfect country stop which will give you that coffee break you need and offer you an opportunity to buy some awarded winning cheese while having a bite to eat.