Coffee? It’s a popular topic among Australians and we have our Greek and Italian migrants to thank for that.

In Forster, Nineteen 59 is the cafe I’d send a visitor to first, named after the year the Forster Tuncurry bridge went up. It’s earned its spot fast since opening in 2020 for breakfast, lunch, freshly baked cakes and a view over Wallis Lake with that same bridge making the wait for a table feel less like a wait. They pour Allpress Espresso.

For something a little more local in the cup, Tartt Cafe and Wing Man Espresso both serve Little Street Roasters, about as home grown as coffee gets around here. Wingman comes with bonus beach and ocean views.

Although my caffeine preferences are honed towards the classics (double shot flat white or just a simple piccolo thanks), you may well marvel at the style and ingenuity of our local baristas.

A standout is the latest addition to the range at Tartt: cold brew with house lemon syrup, topped with a cloud of lemon cold foam and a little fresh lemon zest. If you like your coffee with just the right amont of bright creamy zing… this is it!

Bostin Brew Co does Seven Miles and Beach Bums Cafe pours Doppio Or Nothing, three solid options if you’re working your way along Main Beach one coffee at a time.

The Sicilian and Cafe Toscano both serve Amanti if you want a proper sit down with your espresso or piccolo, and Paradise Marina is worth knowing about if you’re near the boats, they pour Amoré.

And if you need something sweet to immediately go with your coffee hit, Palms Artisan Bakery offers a small but irresistable selection of treats that can’t be ignored… good to know!

Over that bridge in Tuncurry, The Deck serves Holy Goat and comes with its own reason to linger, a proper waterside coffee rather than a rushed one.

For an all-day experience, Rockpool Beach Café serves upArtisticoffee and great food in an unbeatable location overlooking Tuncurry’s famous safe swimming location. It’s a longtime favourite of residents and visitors and it’s not hard to see why.

And my latest favourite is tucked away in a quiet location at the end of Tuncurry Hub Arcade off Manning Street (the Woolies end), where House Of Highness Cafe serves Supreme coffee… and it is indeed as the name says! This is like a sunny relaxed version of those Melbourne laneway cafes: small, exclusive and worth seeking out.

Where’s your favourite? Have we missed one?

Heading west? Gloucester’s coffee scene has come a long way too.