A local fixture since 1988, Goodies Cafe in Mossman Queensland is an unassuming but great place to stop for a healthy affordable lunch. Catering mostly to the morning and afternoon crowds, the cafe is closed on Sundays, and opens at 5:30 am every other day… with a closing time of 4:30 for every day except for Saturday, when it closes at 1pm.

Americans beware, MOST cafe’s in Australia keep just these sorts of hours… I have no idea why. In fact, finding a coffee place that’s open in the evenings can be something of a challenge in small towns. Also, there seems to be a belief that bread must have butter on it, even if you’re putting something else like humus or tahini on it… so be prepared to tell them, “no butter” if you don’t want it.

Also, when Australian cafe’s say pie, they don’t mean apple or cherry… they been Australian pies, which are more like our pot pie’s or the Cornish pasty… only meant to be eaten with your hands

That said, I was actually a bit impressed with this place.

They offer a really flexible, healthy menu,

where you can choose from their offerings,

or design your own wraps and sandwiches from available ingredients.

As a result, no matter what your dietary needs, odds are you can probably get a really tasty fresh meal from here.

I ordered a chicken sandwich on whole grain bread with sprouts, beetroot, cucumber and tahini…. unfortunately … and I didn’t realize this till after when my friend told me, Australians automatically put butter… so my bread had butter on it.

My travel buddy, the vegetarian… ordered an avocado/cheese toast and smoothie, and we were both VERY happy with our meals.