At a time when many regional food venues are quietly disappearing off the map, one Limestone Coast bakery is proving there’s another way forward.
When Craig’s Bakehouse Cafe opened in Naracoorte a year ago, it didn’t try to follow the familiar style of a traditional country bakery, nor did it position itself as just another cafe. Instead, it set out to combine the best of both worlds, reimagining what a regional bakehouse could look and feel like in 2025.
Located in an iconic Naracoorte bakery site dating back to the early 1930s, Craig’s has a charm to it. The space is modern, light-filled and considered, with contemporary design that moves it away from what you might think of as a typical country bakery. This has all been done intentionally to challenge assumptions about what regional food spaces can be.
Owner Craig McCallum’s vision was never rooted in nostalgia. Instead, he wanted to create a bakehouse cafe that reflects how people live, work and connect today, while still honouring the craft of baking. “We wanted Craig’s to feel current and welcoming. A place that reflects how people actually live, work and connect today — not a nostalgic version of the past.”
Over the past year, early mornings at Craig’s have seen local business owners meet before the workday begins. Community groups come together over coffee, working through ideas and challenges. Travellers on the Adelaide to Melbourne route pause mid-journey, and international coach tours now include Craig’s as a must-stop for a modern Australian bakehouse experience. Locals return again and again, not just for the food, but for the familiarity and warmth of a place where they feel recognised.
“Craig’s was never meant to be just a bakery or just a cafe. It’s a bakehouse cafe, where baking, coffee, food and conversation all happen together,” said Craig. “In regional towns, spaces like this matter. People need somewhere neutral and welcoming — a place to sit, talk, decompress and connect. Craig’s has become that anchor point.”
Food remains central to everything Craig’s does. The bakehouse produces a wide range of sourdoughs, pastries, pies, cakes and modern cafe food, with extensive on-site baking supported by premium South Australian producers.
Among the newer breakfast offerings is Craig’s warm French-style scrambled eggs, served on thick toasted in-house baked sourdough with berries, mint and a delicate homemade lavender cream – a quietly indulgent dish inspired by Craig’s long-standing love of French Provence home cooking.
In its first year, Craig’s has poured tens of thousands of coffees, baked thousands of loaves, taken home a blue ribbon at the Naracoorte Show for its fruit loaf sourdough, and built a loyal following that stretches well beyond the Limestone Coast. Even Julia, the bakery’s sourdough starter, has become something of a local identity.
Like many regional hospitality businesses, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Rising costs, staffing pressures and broader regional realities continue to test the team. Yet Craig believes those pressures only highlight how important spaces like this are to regional towns.
“When towns lose gathering spaces, they lose something much bigger than a business. They lose connection. And once that’s gone, it’s incredibly hard to rebuild.”
As Craig’s Bakehouse Cafe reaches its first anniversary, the focus is on what comes next. Refining the menu, growing wholesale and catering, continuing to build relationships with South Australian producers and evolving as a contemporary regional destination.
Craig’s Bakehouse & Cafe
Where: 120 Smith St, Naracoorte SA 5271
When: Weekdays, 8:30am to 3pm (closed Thursdays), Weekends, 9:30am to 2pm
For more information, click here.
