Description
Fabulous tea room on the Great Ocean Road in what used to be the stables for the lighthouse keeper at Split Point near Aireys Inlet. Loose leaf tea and home-baked cakes, a rare treat.
The review of this tea room in Aireys Inlet is designed to fit in with our tour of vintage buildings in Victoria and this tea room was great for a post tour cuppa after a visit to the nearby lighthouse. There’s no book planned for now but a new website for Vintage Victoria will be up and running soon. So for now take a look at our earlier books…
Crossing Paths, Crossing Borders
This 2016 publication recounts our journey from Yorkshire to Australia via 25 countries. It includes an annex with our 100 top tips for coffee or tea on the road, including this venue.
Menu
It’s not often you get a loose-leaf brew this good in Australia, but the big red pot they served us at the Willow Tea House did just the job on a cold windy day out along the Great Ocean Road. The tea is from Victorian based suppliers Tea Leaves. The first time I’d come across this brand but I’d look for it again as the quality was excellent.
The cakes in this tea room are delicious, too. All made in-house by the couple who run the place. He makes the scones (really soft texture and melting in your mouth with the jam and cream), while she makes the other cakes like the Victoria Sponge I tried, which was generous in its size but light, even with a wedge of fresh cream through the middle. Top stuff here. And seats both outside and in, with even some of the outside tables nicely sheltered from those onshore winds…
Address
7 Federal Street, Aireys Inlet, VIC 3231, Australia
Contact details
Tel: +61 (3) 5289 6830
Web address
Willows Tea House Aireys Inlet on Facebook (lots of reviews and check-ins but no updates to speak of)
Opening Hours
9.00am – 4,00pm Daily
Getting there
The tea house occupies the old stables building of the Split Point lighthouse. It’s right by the lighthouse obviously and a few hundred metres from the Great Ocean Road itself. There are a few buses each day from Geelong to Apollo Bay, but only one at the weekends so time it right if you are on public transport.
