The Mill House is a popular spot for locals in Queanbeyan. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Built in 1883 as the manager’s residence for the Byrne flour mill, the imposingly robust building located on Queanbeyan’s Collett Street survived the collapse of the region’s milling industry and still sits prominently side by side with the original mill structure.
In an unusual role reversal, the original manager’s residence now operates as a commercial business, The Mill House Cafe, and the original mill building is now a private family home, albeit with its own retrofitted commercial features like walk-in fridges and a commercial kitchen from its time as a restaurant.
Grabbing a meal within the solid and historic walls of the former residence is a chance to see inside the only surviving 19th-century mill complex in the Canberra-Queanbeyan district; the nature of the rarity saw both buildings added to the State Heritage Register in 1999.
The 1883 Mill House residence is heritage listed. Photo: Tenele Conway.
It was that history with its English bond brickwork, decorative Gothic bargeboards and cantilevered balcony that attracted April and Muhannad Hbaika to the building, taking on the existing cafe business in 2019.
“We were hesitant to own our own business again, but this one was the exception,” April tells Region.
“It’s just such a beautiful building, and it has a lovely vibe and such a long history. When we moved in, we really felt at peace. We don’t live upstairs anymore, and I really miss it.”
Taking on the business six weeks before the 2019 fires shrouded the region in smoke, a disaster which was swiftly followed by the pandemic, April and Muhannad fell back on their previous experiences as business owners to get through tough times, and April shares that winters in their Batemans Bay fish and chip shop had made them a steely duo ready to take on the challenges.
April and Muhannad Hbaika run the Mill House Cafe in Queanbeyan. Photo: Tenele Conway.
The pair are now well and truly settled into the rhythm of their business, one that bustles with locals coming and going for coffee, an extensive breakfast and lunch menu of cafe classics, an abundant cabinet of sweets all made by Muhannad and exceptional woodfired pizzas cooked in the backyard and dished up to delighted diners.
The prime dining spaces are split between the downstairs front rooms of the former residence and the courtyard garden in the rear.
“We are really the only place in Queanbeyan that has the outdoor area in this sort of garden setting,” explains April.
“When the leaves are on the trees in summer, it’s like a private oasis.”
Having now moved from the upstairs rooms and into their own place, April splits her time between the cafe and family projects like her teenage son’s T-shirt design business, and she proudly credits Muhannad for the passion he has for the cafe and for cooking delicious food.
Muhaanad makes the pizzas from scratch and they are woodfired in the backyard. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Born in Syria, Muhannad has been honing his cooking skills in Australia for decades. April laughs that he watches hours of cooking on YouTube and she once found him practising his latte art at 3 am.
Muhannad learnt the secrets of woodfired pizzas during his time working with the talented team at Manuka’s former Italian restaurant Trecento, and his skill with the dough is evident in the pizzas. The crust is perfectly chewy and delightfully puffed, and the bases are thin and topped with restraint, letting quality ingredients speak for themselves.
Although deftly restrained with the toppings, Muhannad isn’t restrained with the variety on offer, and the pizza menu has 16 choices.
There are classics like your margherita, which has fresh mozzarella, parmesan, marinara sauce (not to be confused with seafood marinara), fresh basil and olive oil.
The diavola has a wonderful salami that is the hero of the dish.
Vegans are taken care of with two choices: the vegan veggie, which is topped with marinara sauce, spinach, artichoke, sundried tomato, onion, garlic, basil and oil; or the vegan eggplant, with marinara sauce, garlic, eggplant, onion, parsley, capsicum and olive oil.
Or you can go all-in with supreme, BBQ meat lovers and veggie supreme.
The Nepalese Momo’s are made in-house. Photo: Martin Conway.
The Mill House Cafe is not only about the pizzas, and its full menu is packed full of housemade dishes and specials, including brekky classics, curries, wraps, salads and desserts.
I’m quite partial to the homemade Nepalese momo’s, which are generously stuffed with a tasty chicken filling and served with a Nepalese dipping sauce with a nice zing and mild spice.
With so little of Queanbeyan’s heritage remaining, it’s so important that buildings like this earn a living, and April and Muhannad are giving the building that purpose, which, without, even with heritage protections, they can become a victim to time and changing tastes.
The Mill House Cafe is located at 57 Collett Street, Queanbeyan and is open six days a week from Tuesday until Sunday with extended hours on Friday evenings for an additional pizza service.
