Here we are at the Moo Moo Roadhouse in Mooball, forsaking the local beer garden to report on the place and its coffee. I drink espressos, as does my lunch companion Rob, so neither of us can wax lyrical about the aroma, flavour or refinement of the coffee. So I consulted an app which provided almost one hundred positive descriptions about the taste and efficacy of Moo Moo’s brew. That’s about 75 comments more than the entire population of Mooball which rules out vote rigging skulduggery by the proprietors Steve and Debbie Butterini.

All day breakfasts are big on the menu; as are a great variety of burgers. A couple of burgers, chips, soft drinks and Rob’s coffee set us back less than 40 bucks. Very tasty and great value. The Moo Moo is ranked number one of three restaurants in Mooball, eclipsing the Victory Hotel by a substantial margin; though the latter does serve beer. The General Store and Post Office isn’t really in the hunt with hot pies, sausage rolls and sangers.

Not that many years past, when cresting the hill on the Pacific Highway just north of Bangalow, the magnificent vista opened out over the Northern Rivers; Julien Rocks and Cape Byron Lighthouse to the right; the hinterland surrounding Mount Warning to the left and ahead, the rolling hills dotted with dairy cattle and fields of sugar cane.

Now there’s a neon lit tunnel through the ridge above Bangalow and a fast, boring motorway all the way to the congestion of the M1 when you reach Queensland. But the Pacific Highway survives as the Brunswick Valley Way which morphs into the Tweed Valley Way. After crossing the Brunswick the Old Pacific roughly follows the defunct Murwillumbah Rail Line over the Burringbar Ranges before reaching the Tweed River. What remains of Mooball, the aforementioned Moo Moo Roadhouse, Victory Hotel and Post Office/General Store is the only town extant on this magnificent 90-minute ride. But the villages of Burringbar, Billinudgel and Stokers Siding are all adjacent to the throughway.

From Mooball you can also ride out to the Tweed Coastline. Or, from Murwillumbah you can follow Tim Munro’s AMCN Rides recommendation, By Currumbin, and ride through the hinterland looking over the glitter of the Gold Coast. There’s also another road to the west of Burringbar I’ve yet to explore. And the Moo Moo Roadhouse is at the centre of it all.

What we Rate?

The ever changing memorabilia in the eclectic museum and plenty of seating inside and out will ensure you take another caffeine hit before resuming your ride.

Spotted

Well, a three-metre tall Marlboro Yamaha GP replica is actually hard <i>not<i> to spot and has been the cafe’s signature landmark for years. It signals that there’s a bit more than a vast array of good food in generous portions and fuel, too, for the Moo Moo Roadhouse also has a really interesting collection of motoring memorabilia that is well worth a look. While they don’t sell beer, there is a sunny outdoor eating area with beaut views, a perfect place to how down on one of their delicious burgers or homemade pies.

AT A GLANCE

Moo Moo Roadhouse

Tweed Valley Way

Mooball, NSW

(02) 6677 0057

moomooroadhouse@bigpond.com

Opening hours

Mon-Fri            6am-6pm

Sat-Sun           7am-5:30pm