If you find yourself driving north out of Adelaide, sticking to the main road and heading anywhere that doesn’t involve wine – you’ll probably end up driving through Port Wakefield. Admittedly, we didn’t spend much time in Port Wakefield, or deviate from the dual lane highway that dissects this little town, and I imagine not many people do. Port Wakefield might have an important historic past to South Australia, but its current purpose seems to be to provide petrol, toilets and bakery goods to those travelling through.
The bakery itself can be easily missed.
Port WakefieldView on Map
Kipling Bakery sits between two petrol stations, so any attempts at ambiance are lost. From a different era, it looks like it belongs in an old country town, on a cobblestone path, rather than adjacent to a highway. The building is red, the veranda wide and lined with tables. The pigeons are obtrusive and numerous.
The first time we tried Kipling Bakery we mistimed our journey, arriving after the lunchtime rush. By the time we had pulled in the donuts were gone, as were most of the pies. Settling for a greasy kransky, that still gives me reflux, I wasn’t inclined to head back in any rush.
The second visit was several months later. This time, en route to camping in the Flinders Ranges, we pulled over pre-lunch rush to grab a donut for the blog. Even at 11AM on a weekday there was a queue of travellers out the door and we were lucky to snag a donut and pie.
