Bringing iconic Aussie sweets to a Northern New South Wales laneway, Public Supply is attracting unprecedented crowds every morning.
For three weeks straight, a cubbyhole cafe has seen round-the-block queues from 7am each morning. The objects of everyone’s affection? Fluffy glazed baked goods and a double shot espresso garnished with Coco Pops.
Welcome to Public Supply, a hole-in-the-wall of a residential apartment block in Tweed Heads, right opposite the Tweed River. It opened at the end of August 2025, and I visit on a mid-September Sunday, hoping early-day processions have dissolved into less-hectic trickles. Peering over from a sandy beach across the road, I see a crowd growing by the second and realise I’m out of luck. Public Supply cements the Tweed Heads, a once-sleepy Northern NSW coastal town located right on the border of Queensland, as a certified foodie magnet.
You’ll find Public Supply in a totally unassuming laneway
Public Supply is the brainchild of two couples, Ross Whitlock and Alysha Buckingham, and Kurt Foggo and Kallie Hunter. The foursome envisioned serious grab-and-go potential after observing several cult foodie operations in the area, including a cowboy-themed cold brew bar (Sun Devil Drinks Co.), which draws queues around the corner, and a Detroit-inspired deep-dish pizza slinger (Franc Jrs), a hot dinner ticket just two blocks over.
Foldable chairs and milk crates offer patrons a place to sit and enjoy their order. (image: Supplied)
The unassuming cafe in Tweed Heads has become an overnight success. (Image: Supplied)
Crunchy Nut-topped coffee is another viral sensation on the menu at Public Supply. (Image: Supplied)
Built in a former Japanese eatery, the design is crafty in its simplistic fit-out. One long metal countertop with a silver La Marzocco coffee machine stacks trayfuls of scrolls at one end and drinks down the other. There’s no formal seating, but benches built into the apartment block’s laneway are snapped up by customers and the team puts out folding chairs and glass-topped milk crates to create make-shift tables. Ross and Kurt run the show, leaning on a local commercial kitchen to help whip up the daily dough, before the duo gets to cutting, baking (in the two onsite ovens behind the counter), and lavishly smothering their scrolls in various glazes.
It’s tight in there, but I spot six completely frazzle-free staffers, including Ross and Kurt, on the tools during my visit. Their well-oiled machine — which churns out about 48 scrolls per oven, per bake — undoubtedly contributes to this viral success. Kallie tells me they’re selling a minimum of 300 scrolls per day and a single Friday saw roughly 500 scrolls sold. Incredible.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
The must-try items on the menu at Public Supply
The Coco Pops mocha is a hit with patrons. (Image: Supplied)
The Coco Pop Mocha is my favourite item on the menu, even compared to the pudgy-perfect, lens-magnet scrolls. A large white, branded mug is filled with Coco Pops-infused milk before a double shot of espresso, crafted from house-blend beans, is added, then finished off with a generous heaping of Coco Pops. It’s entirely photogenic, just like a chocolate milkshake, only crunchy, while still offering the caffeine hit I’m craving. Even more impressive, the coffee is balanced, the taste lingering even as the Coco Pops soften. The genius of it all makes me wonder why I haven’t tried this at home. It’s priced at $11, which is reasonable for a serving of cereal and strong coffee.
The Biscoff scroll (left) and Pistachio scroll (right) are made fresh onsite daily. (Image: Supplied)
The other non-negotiable is one of their TikTok-famous cinnamon scrolls. I struggled to choose between all six varieties: the Naked Cinny ($10) sans gooey cream cheese topping, the Original Glaze ($11) with vanilla-infused cream cheese, the Pistachio ($11) with pistachio glaze and pistachio dough infusion, the Biscoff Crumble ($11) with Biscoff cream cheese and Biscoff dough infusion, the Choccy Bueno ($11) which tastes like a Kinder Surprise, and the Vegemite & Cheese Scroll ($11). Wherever you land, the dough is pillowy (as though you’re taking from the middle of a bake tray and never from the edges), the portion size is giant, and if you’re holding a glazed one, the topping is abundantly spread. BYO wet wipes because this is a glorious, messy indulgence — you can’t avoid getting sticky.
A variety of inventive Matcha options are on the menu too. (Image: Supplied)
The other trending menu items are the two matcha drinks: the Matcha Blanc ($8) with orange-infused matcha topped with cold matcha cream foam, and the Matcha Cloud ($8) with coconut water and cold matcha cream foam. I’m not a matcha devotee myself, but Kallie tells me the Matcha Cloud is a daily fan favourite.
Additionally, there are two kid-exclusive menu items: the Fairy Bread for $4, which uses the same Original Glaze cream cheese topping, and a Cereal Cup for $5, where you can choose between Coco Pops or Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with milk.
Weekly travel news, experiences insider tips, offers, and more.
How Public Supply became a viral sensation
Forget plain lattes, when your morning brew at Public Supply comes with Crunchy Nut and Coco Pops on top, you know you’ve found the spot.
Kallie tells me that on opening day, Public Supply sold out of cinnamon scrolls in 45 minutes. The following day, double the amount sold out again. On the day I visit, they’re two hours away from a midday close and figures are sitting at 461 sold. Utterly bananas.
After seeing it myself, it’s clear this cafe went viral on entirely organic terms. Ross, who created the menu and brings more than a decade of hospitality experience to the helm, genuinely loves scrolls (though more savoury than sweet) and he’s baking things he and his mates simply love to eat themselves. Serving customers with real smiles and all the patience, Public Supply is unpretentious and a true product of its relaxed riverside surroundings. The outstanding sweet novelty factor is, quite literally, the icing on the cake of this slam dunk operation.
Details
If you’re driving to Public Supply from the Gold Coast, take the Gold Coast Highway past the Gold Coast Airport to Coolangatta Rd and follow the signs to Tweed Heads. It’s about eight minutes from the airport. If you’re road tripping from Byron Bay or Coffs Harbour, drive up the M1 past the border before taking the Kennedy Dr exit. Tap Wharf Rd into Maps to reach Public Supply in just a few minutes.
Address: Shop 10/29 Wharf Rd, Tweed Heads
Opening hours: 7am to 12pm, daily, but you’ll only score scrolls from Wednesday to Sunday.
Want to see more stories from Australian Traveller in your Google search results?
Tick the box next to "Australian Traveller". That's it.
Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
The Southern Highlands earns its title as Australia’s top country town in the cooler months, and it’s worth every minute of the 90-minute drive from Sydney.
Many Sydneysiders head to the Southern Highlands in spring for the tulips. It’s one of the most stunning spring carnivals in Australia. But the ones in the know come to Bowral in winter.
The first thing you notice at this time of year is the quality of the light. It catches the tangled limbs of the gums and tints the fields, farms and forests a pretty shade of Granny Smith green. And then, a world-class art museum, an impressive network of walking trails, great shops, cosy restaurants and bars and luxury accommodation take centre stage, making Bowral a place you want to linger as the mercury drops.
Just 90 minutes south of Sydney, a Bowral winter getaway is the coolcation city folk desperately need. Here are eight reasons to pack a good coat and head for the Southern Highlands.
1. Check in
Check in to the gorgeous Ardour Milton Park Bowral. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Ardour Milton Park Bowral rises like a hologram in the hazy green light as you turn onto Horderns Road. A $10 million refurbishment of the grand 1910 estate was completed in early 2026, and the beautifully restored hotel now includes 44 guest rooms washed in sage green, cobalt blue and dusty blush. The dining room at Horderns Restaurant continues with a botanical theme – earthy banquettes, floral touches throughout – and a menu that moves with the seasons.
After enjoying slow-braised Cowra lamb and a second glass of red, move to the Polo Bar, which has a fireplace and views across the estate gardens. Build a grazing board from the dedicated Charcuterie Room and take it outside while the light lasts. If the sky clouds over, use this as your cue to enjoy a next-level spa experience at Èliva.
2. Hunt for treasure
Find vintage treasures in Dirty Janes. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Winter is the perfect season to lose an afternoon inside Dirty Janes Bowral. Over 1600 square metres of covered space houses 90 individual sellers of everything from mid-century furniture to industrial lighting, antique silverware, vintage clothing and objects whose previous lives you can only imagine. Enjoy a bit of off-the-cuff banter with your fellow fossickers in between searching for that must-have military jacket or vintage silk scarf.
Around the corner, find the Instagram-famous front door of FoundAntiques, though the real finds are deeper inside. Bring cash, wear comfortable shoes and leave some room in the boot.
3. Slow down in a beautiful gallery
Learn about an Aussie legend at The Bradman Museum. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Ngununggula – meaning ’belonging’ in the language of the Gundungurra First Nations people – is the region’s first dedicated regional gallery, housed inside the sustainably transformed old dairy building at historic Retford Park. The onsite White Cottage Gallery and restored grounds of the former Fairfax estate reward a slow wander. Find a spot to sit in the courtyard filled with rivulets of winter light and enjoy the plaintive call of a currawong carrying across the heritage-listed grounds. It’s one of the best things to do in Bowral.
Add Bowral Honey Farm for a hands-on harvest experience, then continue into town to the Milk Factory Gallery to admire eclectic works by local artists in a converted industrial space. The Bradman Museum also knocks it out of the park. Australia’s largest dedicated cricket museum sits beside the heritage-listed Bradman Oval, where a young Sir Donald Bradman first picked up a bat.
4. A taste of France
Enjoy a taste of France at Lucette.
For a taste of France without the airfare, husband-and-wife team Julien and Romy Besnard – of long-loved Franquette Crêperie – have opened Lucette, a French cafe-bistro with Paris-born chef Guillaume Dubois at the helm. Dubois brings serious pedigree from Michelin-starred kitchens in France and Sydney’s former two-hatted Monopole, and it shows. Start your day with pastries for breakfast and bookend it with boeuf bourguignon for dinner. The chocolate mousse, freckled with Guerande Salt, is the kind of dish that will make you feel smug about the decision to drive south. Join the Sydneysiders dressed in charcoal coats, boots and black tights who’ve already worked this out; the whole scene is worthy of splicing it into an Instagram reel.
Francophiles should also be across Julien’s Bowral Brasserie – led by Frenchman Julien Viel, who also found his way to the Southern Highlands and stayed.
5. Indulge in a tipple
Spend time amongst the local vines. (Credit: Destination NSW)
The drive to Centennial Vineyards passes through a beautiful woodland idyll, the countryside a fuzz of green all around. Inside the Barrel Room, a tasting flight of cool-climate pinot noir, chardonnay and reserve shiraz viognier flaunts how well the Southern Highlands does winter.
This is a region that takes its cool-climate wines seriously, and the pinot noir is one of the stars – a gentle, easy-drinking style with red cherry aromas. Follow your tutored cellar door tasting with another glass of wine in the Terrace Bar, which overlooks the vineyard and manicured grounds.
6. Blend your own gin
Pop into Millsheds Distillery & Bar. (Credit: Mattia Panunzio)
Millsheds Distillery & Bar is somewhat of a local secret. The award-winning small-batch operation produces gin, vodka and liqueurs using Australian botanicals and has picked up silver medals at both the London Spirits Competition and International Wine & Spirit Competition. Beyond the tasting paddle, the hands-on blending masterclass – where you design and leave with two bottles of your own custom gin – is the experience to book, while the terrace bar that wraps around the courtyard is a fine place to settle in afterwards.
7. Go for a walk at dawn
Switch your phone off sleep mode and set your alarm to early. Mt Gibraltar rises to 864 metres just east of Bowral’s main street and offers the best views in town. You will pass a raggle-taggle bunch of hikers on the way up to the summit, all making the same quiet pilgrimage into the crisp high-altitude air. On a clear morning, the bony ridges of the ranges come into sharp relief against the light. The return loop takes roughly 90 minutes. A flat white in Bowral tastes considerably better after completing one of the scenic walking trails.
8. Cosy up by the fireplace
Get cosy in the Berida Hotel’s whiskey bar.
A cosy bar is the perfect complement to winter in Bowral, and there are a few worth committing to. Aspinalls Whisky Bar & Lounge at the Berida Hotel is built for long, languorous evenings. Take a seat beside the fireplace laden with gnarled logs and work your way through a few whiskies and bar bites like Rangers Valley beef tartare, or salt cod and potato croquettes.
At Hickory’s within Peppers Craigieburn, well-dressed waiters in denim and leather move quietly between tables, and the cosy fireplace in the adjoining guest lounge attracts an Escape to the Country crowd.
