TASTE Bell

WANDOAN

DULACCA MILES

CONDAMINE

TARA CHINCHILLA JANDOWAE BUNYA MOUNTAINS BELL

DALBY

BRISBANE → 235km 2hr 46mins

Bell is a picturesque township

Originally the area around what is now known as Bell was known as Cattle Creek, Jimbour Station. In the 1870s, the area was opened for closer settlement and Angus and Christina McPhee from Scotland became the first European settlers nearest to what would become the village of Bell.

nestled in the foothills of the Bunya Mountains and surrounded by panoramic views of rolling farmland. Just a 30 minute drive from the Bunya Mountains National Park, Bell is an ideal spot to take a break and look around.

Not to be missed is the Bell Bunya Centre Gallery and the bright and impressive artwork from the Old and New Testament in the local Catholic Church, and the landscaped Biblical Garden next door. This rare garden is filled with plants and trees mentioned in the bible – from olive trees to date palms and pistachio nuts – and is adorned with art made from recycled materials, including many mosaics.

Bell is on the Bunya Highway and lies between the agricultural areas of the Western Downs and the South Burnett, with rolling hills of quilt-like patterned farmland. The area’s main industry is the

HISTORY: farming of cattle, grain, sheep, and pigs.

WHERE TO FIND BELL PRODUCE

PIPS ‘N’ CHERRIES, GORDON’S MEATS AND RUSTY’S SPICE MARKET Pips ‘n’ Cherries is a vintage styled café set at the old Bell Freemason’s Hall and are famous for their Devonshire Tea. The cafe’s menu also features meat sourced from the local butcher in Bell, Gordon’s Meats. Gordon’s Meats specialise in beef, pork, and sausages all year round and the butcher has been smoking their own small goods and producing paddock to plate meats from local farms for over 50 years. Their beef comes from local farmers in Bell’s surrounds, and the butcher’s owners raise their own lambs. Their meats are processed in their own abattoir and sold in their butcher shop or delivered to suppliers. Gordon’s Meats rib fillet and smoky bacon is what makes the steak sandwich special a standout on the Pips ‘n’ Cherries menu. A Pips breakfast features the butcher’s pork sausages and bacon served alongside delicious homestyle beans which includes homestyle chucks of smoky ham.

Pips ‘n’ Cherries 15 Ensor Street, Bell 07 4663 1184 pipsncherries.com.au @pipsncherries

Gordon’s Meats Ensor Street, Bell 07 4663 1226

Rusty’s Spice Market 35 Dennis Street, Bell 0406 473 601 rustyspice.com

@rustysspicemarket Rusty’s Spice Market in Bell supplies the café with freshly ground spices and mustards. As well as supplying to local cafes and restaurants, Rusty’s Spice Market sell a range of pantry lines perfect for whipping up a homecooked meal as well as an impressive arrangement of curries, spices, sauces, fermented mustards, condiments, and even ghee from their shop in the old Bell butcher shop. The spice market also stocks an impressively wide range of local handmade products such as jams, soaps, honey, olives, chutneys, and other products that are sourced regionally and seasonally. These spices are used in the special sauces, rubs, and pastes featured on Pips ‘n’ Cherries’ menu, or you can purchase them directly from the café as well.

Condiments such as mayonnaise are made from local pasteurised eggs, and relishes and jams for the café menu are made in the café’s very own kitchen.

The café also sells a specialty range of preserves, like spiced fig and ginger jam, which is produced using fruit directly from a farm at the foot of the Bunya Mountains, and the grapes used in their grape jam are home-grown by one of the cafes owners.

Pips are known for their famous tomato relish, with the ripe tomatoes used having been handpicked for the café. The café has wonderful staff who are keen gardeners and keep up great supply of fresh herbs from their very own gardens, as well as some being grown at the café itself.

Locals are also happy to supply their own fresh produce for the café to use, and with real country charm, it is not unusual to find a basket of lemons, cucumbers, pumpkins, or peaches on the café doorstep! In exchange for this produce, sought-after jars of relish or jam are homemade.

Another homemade attribute for the café is lemon syrup for their famous homemade lemonade. Passionfruit from their own vine make amazing melting moments too. The menu certainly reflects what is local and what is in season, and these delights should not be missed.