Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Megan Doherty

Rusty's Li'l Roadhouse: the little food van that could

The food van outside Braidwood. Picture: John Longhurst.

It may seem like a lonely location, but it's one that actually makes a lot of sense.

"Bang in the middle of nowhere and right between Canberra and Batemans Bay," is how Braidwood High teacher John Longhurst describes the position of a food van that proved to be a hit over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

John, who travels from Batemans Bay to his job in Braidwood, alerted us to the story of Joe Martin, former concreter and Jervis Bay local, who followed his dream and set up the food van on the Kings Highway east of Braidwood three months ago.

Joe, 49, serves hot food and coffee, his specially barbecued meats, from the van, called Rusty's Li'l Roadhouse.

His locally-sourced and slow-cooked pork shoulders and beef is proving a hit, from truckies to tourists.

Joe started the van at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was tough to begin with but the Queen's Birthday long weekend, the first time Canberrans could travel to the coast since travel restrictions were eased, made it all worthwhile. He was flat out, going through more than 40kg of meat.

But, he's living the dream.

"I've just always wanted to have a go at a food van and it's my mate's block of land, so it's worked out," Joe said.

Joe's big gun is a 200gm meat patty with a secret recipe BBQ sauce. Include beetroot?

"It'd be un-Australian not to," Joe said.

The van is open Tuesday to Saturday (6am-5pm weekdays, 6am-4pm Saturdays).

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.