The sweet life: Alice loves to travel

Posted on 19 July, 2014

Alice loves to travel, especially around Canberra; she stops every now and then to serve coffee and cakes, but what Alice really offers is an experience unique to Canberra.

Alice is a caravan, and My Sweet Alice is her official title…and she is a café, a café on wheels with style.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2E22tz94Hj4/U8h4HwsbbfI/AAAAAAAAGPs/yA7uT6uwrDU/s144-c-o/MySweetAlice-1-5.jpeg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/MySweetAlice#6037207375215816178″ caption=”Alice isn’t your typical cafe…she’s a real charmer.” type=”image” alt=”MySweetAlice-1-5.jpeg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

Delightfully decorated in vintage style, op-shop chic this travelling café often nestles herself by Blundell’s Cottage on the lake on weekends if she’s not already booked for an event. She offers weekenders and passers-by alike, lovingly hand-made cakes and muffins and locally sourced tea and coffee.

Owner, Erin Swinsburg, started the café out of love for baking when on maternity leave with her second son.

“It kind of started from wanting to sell cakes, and when you have cake you have coffee with it,” she says.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-y1PT7wt5Cyc/U8h4EQDLg8I/AAAAAAAAGPY/gOqe3C7iP2c/s144-c-o/MySweetAlice-1-2.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/MySweetAlice#6037207314913264578″ caption=”Erin Swinsburg – owner of My Sweet Alice” type=”image” alt=”MySweetAlice-1-2.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

My Sweet Alice mainly opens her 50s inspired wooden doors on weekends and for special events, allowing Erin to spend more time with her children. All her baking is done on Thursdays and Fridays, so that – come the weekend –  everything from brownies and friands to a variety of cupcakes and muffins are ready for sale, and the don’t last long!

“We run out at about midday on Sundays, but I’m going to start making more so hopefully we will have enough for the whole day,” Erin says.

Originally working in an anatomy lab at the University of Canberra, Erin swapped her lab coat for something closer to her style.

“We decided we wanted something that was a bit more fun and a bit different because you can’t really take an ordinary coffee van to a wedding.”

Erin, and her husband Steve, got the business up and running within four months of first ordering Alice. Since late last year Alice has featured in weddings, bridal showers, The National Folk Festival and other parties and events.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fYUl4NyD_W4/U8h4EC_pSWI/AAAAAAAAGPc/Fcw6UspF2rE/s144-c-o/MySweetAlice-1-1.jpeg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/MySweetAlice#6037207311408777570″ caption=”Erin and Steve Swinsburg with their family” type=”image” alt=”MySweetAlice-1-1.jpeg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

Alice, whilst not originally born in the 50s, was hand-made in Queensland and is mostly comprised of plywood. So, how did she get her name?

“Naming the caravan was a long process. We went with Alice because we were hoping that people would remember tea parties from Alice in Wonderland.” explains Erin.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-s2ljRSK94g0/U8h4Fmz2WtI/AAAAAAAAGPk/eUunEzWl9Bk/s144-c-o/MySweetAlice-1-3.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/MySweetAlice#6037207338202847954″ caption=”Alice draws a crowd whenver she pops up” type=”image” alt=”MySweetAlice-1-3.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

Alice has something for everyone: for children; there are games set up outside the caravan, and she holds a certain charm for men and women alike.

“The ladies always say ‘oh, it’s so pretty’ and the men go up and knock on it (the caravan) and say ‘ahh, what sort of timber is it?’”

Sounds pretty sweet to me…

the essentials

What: My Sweet Alice
When: 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday (if she’s not booked for an event – check the Facebook page)
Where: Outside Blundell’s Cottage on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin
Web: www.mysweetalice.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mysweetalice