The Ten Mile Eatery, Holbrook, NSW
A proper off-Hume Highway meal - followed by a submarine in a country park
Why pull over
Some highway stops are purely functional: fuel/e-charge, loo, coffee, back in the car.
The Ten Mile Eatery in Holbrook is the sort that can change the rhythm of the day. Slip off the Hume into Holbrook and, instead of eating something uninviting wrapped in plastic beside a petrol bowser, you can sit down in a handsome, high-ceilinged former mechanics’ workshop, drink a proper coffee and have a leisurely breakfast or lunch that feels like an actual meal.
Where it is
Holbrook is roughly halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, around 4.5 hours from Sydney and four hours from Melbourne, depending on traffic and stops. It was the last town to be bypassed when the duplicated Hume Highway was completed in 2015.
The table
The Ten Mile Eatery, named after the creek nearby, occupies a former garage and mechanic's workshop on Holbrook's main street. The original concrete floor and old-building bones are still there, but the room is light, relaxed and much more polished than you might expect from a quick road stop.
The menu changes with the seasons, which is a good reason not to be too prescriptive about what to order. My approach would be to choose whatever is making the best use of local produce that day, rather than defaulting automatically to the quickest thing. The kitchen has a strong regional bent, the coffee is taken seriously, and there are local wines and beers for anyone who is not getting straight back behind the wheel.
On my most recent visit, our group had beautifully presented salads, including vegan options and versions with smoked salmon. They were a considerable improvement on the forlorn fried fare of most highway roadhouses. The staff I encountered were knowledgeable, friendly and happy to talk through the menu.
There’s also a gift shop with local merchandise, recipe books, produce and condiments that are well worth a browse.
The submarine (obviously)
Holbrook's other rather hard-to-miss attraction: the submarine HMAS Otway sitting in a park, hundreds of kilometres from the sea. Even by Australian country-town standards, a submarine beside the main street is an excellent piece of roadside theatre. And it’s not even an official ‘big thing’.
A quick wander around Germanton Park is enough to see the above-water section of the former Royal Australian Navy submarine and stretch your legs. With more time, go into the Holbrook Submarine Museum to understand why the town has such a strong submarine connection, including the story of First World War submariner Norman Holbrook VC, after whom the town was renamed.
Good to know
The Ten Mile Eatery is only a 5-minute detour from the Hume Highway, but do check its opening days before committing your stomach to the plan because regional venues do not necessarily operate seven days. Book ahead if you are travelling at a busy seasonal time or on a public holiday. The submarine museum keeps different weekend hours by season, so check those too.
The Holbrook Bakery also attracts sizeable queues out the door, particularly at busy times. For a relaxed sit-down stop, however, Ten Mile is my pick.
Road & Table verdict
The Ten Mile Eatery is exactly what Worth Pulling Over For should mean: good food, an easy break from the highway and something memorable to look at before you keep driving. A coffee, a seasonal lunch and a submarine is considerably better than another generic servo stop.