Life’s a Good Pie

Truckin Around Oz

30 June

Looking for a good pie on the Bruce Hwy approaching Cardwell, Qld.

Truckin Around Oz

Thousands of truckies from all around Australia have bought a pie with peas (and maybe tomato sauce) from Bob Jesse’s Cardwell van.

For the past 30 years Bob has served up his pastry delights or in slang terms, “Dogs Eye with Dead Horse”, to drivers from far and wide.

48-year-old Bob sells his wares from a yellow vehicle beside the Bruce Highway at seaside Cardwell which is 50km north of Ingham and 90kms from Innisfail. Bob loves to have a yarn to his many customers and has some wonderful stories to tell.

Bob Jesse with one of his ‘Truckies Favourite’ pies

He has been forced to move locations numerous times after tropical cyclones and for other reasons. “The strangest thing that happened to me was when I was parked across the road from some houses and one of the occupants made a complaint that fumes from trucks which stopped there aggravated an asthma condition. That was when I was parked near the old cement public toilets which were demolished,” he said.

In early 2011 when Cyclone Yasi damaged the foreshore and the Bruce Highway - which is also the main street through Cardwell - he had to move again.

Back in those days up to a hundred trucks a day would pull up because there was lots of parking. However since I’ve had to move the bigger trucks can’t park here, although lots of light rigs do. Some truckies though, will park up the road a bit and walk back to enjoy a pie. I’ve served pies or sausage rolls to truckies from every State including Tasmania, the ACT and NT.”

Bob makes his pies on a property at Meunga Creek, north of Cardwell and is certain the business will stay in the family for the next 100 years.

Bob also warns people who want to have a swim, about dangers of sharks, crocs and marine stingers in the briny. “People want to swim here all the time,” he said.

Many of our truckie mates stop off a buy a pie or pastie from numerous vans around Australia. If you have a favourite one let us know by email at kermie@truckinwithkermie.com

And Tasmanian truckies can get a discount from the popular Banjo’s Bakery at Campbelltown which is beside the Midlands Highway down in Tasmania.