Read also: Highlands author's debut thriller will have you on the edge of your seat

'It's incumbent to wear a mask'; Police tasked to monitor Covid compliance

Clearly, he never went to a bakery and walked away with no pie in the peak of Pie Time.

Like many others, my husband and I ventured out for a delicious, flaky, meat-filled pastry during Pie Time on the June long weekend. Only instead, my husband and I found ourselves visiting six different shops in the quest for a pie.

Our first stop was along Bong Bong Street, but the queues for two separate shops quickly meant that a new destination was in order, and Berrima was on the top of my list.

Little did I realise that Berrima would mark the start of our pie quest when the first shop we visited ran out of pies. The disappointment was palatable.

We then walked to the next pie stop, marked by an orange Destination Southern Highlands banner. My husband soon walked out of there too, disappointed that all the plain meat pies were gone.

We then found ourselves on the outskirts of Robertson, but a queue that had not moved for five minutes meant that a new pie stop was in order as our stomachs rumbled. We headed back into town.

I probably should've noted the time because when it came to our fourth pie stop, the cafe was closed. Our pie hopes seemingly dashed.

We decided to make our way home when inspiration hit; a fifth pie stop. Our hearts broke when we arrived mere minutes after closing time. Another pie missed.

It seemed we were never going to get our pie. Hunger had turned to hanger.

Thankfully, my last hope for a pie was still alive, and 10 minutes later we arrived at our final pie destination. Ironically it was the first place I suggested we stop at on the way into town.

The warm, flaky, meat-filled pastry was a treat to my tastebuds. Hanger soon dissipated, replaced with the joy of finally eating a meat pie after a long tiresome journey. My husband went back for seconds. I grabbed a cherry pie for dessert.

It seemed other people had also taken a leaf out of our book as they too slowly entered the premises, worried that it would soon shut. The owners were lovely and never complained, they just ensured we checked in with the QR code.

Alas, our great pie quest came to an end. While it took us six different bakeries and a trip around the Highlands, it was positive to see people putting money back into the Highlands economy and support small businesses after a series of fires, floods and Covid.

Destination Southern Highlands' Steve Rosa previously told the Southern Highland News that Pie Time "drives additional visitation".

"We've seen about a 40 per cent increase," he said.

"In the first year we measured that 100,000 pies were produced and sold, that increased to 200,000 the next year and 300,000 the third year.

"Unfortunately during Covid, we had to put it on hold but we're hoping that this year, the fifth year, we can crack the half a million pies produced and sold in June."

Izabella Lane from Destination Southern Highlands said that it was too early to know the exact number of pies sold in June.

"I can confirm that the visitor numbers to the area over the June long weekend were on par with 2020 which was just after people were let out of lockdown last year," she said.

"So we hope that this would mean the pies were flying off the shelves."

Read also: Man dies after fall at Belmore Falls

Under 60s who want AstraZeneca vaccine encouraged to go to GP

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: