If you’re planning a weekend trip down south, make sure to pit stop at the charming new Pear and Pine. Tucked away in Ashbourne on the Fleurieu, a humble farm shed has been reborn as a cosy ten-seater cafe and community hangout with a big country heart.
It’s the passion project of Jo O’Toole, a self-professed people person who spends weekdays working in the social sector and – as of last week – weekends pouring coffee, baking cookies and bringing neighbours together.
“I opened the cafe because there wasn’t really anywhere nearby to stop for a coffee and a chat,” Jo says. “I wanted a meeting place, somewhere the community could come together.”
Pear and Pine nods to the property’s past. Once a pear farm dotted with towering pines, the site now frames long paddock views and a massive three-hundred-year-old tree through a huge picture window. “Everyone comments on how exquisite the tree is,” she says.
Most of the fit-out has been salvaged or repurposed from the property itself in an effort Jo describes as a “total labour of love,” and a couple of years in the making.
“I’ve dabbled in commercial cookery and catering, but it’s not my formal background,” she says. “What I do have is a huge passion for people and for this community.”
On the counter you’ll find house-baked cookies (keep an eye out for the current crowd-favourite, a Dubai pistachio number, and a rotating cookie of the month), as well as sandwiches, croissants, and hot savouries sourced from Adelaide icons. “Our pies are from Skala, local to Adelaide and absolutely delicious,” Jo says. Coffee is also local from popular Adelaide roaster, Elementary.
Opened just a week ago, the response has been instant and – no surprise – overwhelmingly positive.
“People have been popping in with their kids, grabbing a biscuit or a croissant, and staying for a chat for ages,” Jo says. “It’s exactly what I hoped for.”
The vision for Pear and Pine extends beyond a coffee and chat. Jo’s planning workshops, artist displays and seasonal gatherings that showcase local makers.
“I want it to be a real community space,” she says. “That’s what I’m most excited about. Places where you actually talk to people are so important.”
Set on a scenic, winding route popular with weekend drivers, cyclists and riders, Pear and Pine is perfectly placed as a pit stop between the Hills and the south coast.
“On a busy day there can be up to 2,000 cars going past,” Jo says. “If we can give people a reason to stop, stretch the legs, have a coffee, say hi to someone new – that’s a win for everyone.”
Pear and Pine is open on weekends for now, with more community-minded events to come. “It’s about doing something positive for the people around us,” Jo says. “That’s the whole point.” A project from the heart and a perfect excuse for a spring road trip, say no more.
What: Pear and Pine
Where: 1555 Bull Creek Road, Ashbourne
When: Saturdays & Sundays, 9am-2pm
For more information, click here.
