Strategically located along a busy route for trucks of all sizes, this family owned roadhouse is a popular stop, attracting around 100 trucks each day.
The Detention River Roadhouse is located beside the Bass Highway in northern Tasmania, between Burnie and Smithton.
Numerous truckies told me they liked stopping there because the staff are friendly, the food is good and reasonably priced, and there is parking near it and across the road.
So I stopped off there unannounced at around noon recently and in about 45 minutes, more than 20 trucks stopped off.
Most drivers purchased food from the extensive menu board or takeaways, coffee or soft drinks.
The staff were busy and I spoke to one of the managers named Ashlee Shaw who said that more than 100 trucks a day on average stopped there.
I asked her what was amongst the favourite food ordered by drivers.
“Many like our homemade pies and also sausages and they keep coming back. We know most of them. Some who travel one way along the highway drop in and also come in on their return journey,” she said.
Numerous drivers travelling to and from the Port Latta mining facility, about 6km away, also stop at Detention River.
It opens from 4am when many early bird truckies are on the route and closes at 6pm.