Coffee, kites and cakes are on the menu at the new Great Escape café at The Hub on Sylvan Drive in Moore Park Beach.
The café has only just opened its doors, with set-up works continuing, and a grand opening is scheduled for later this year.
Owner Trudie Simpson said she's hoping to create a relaxed style beach café which offers coffee, cakes and even kites.
“Every community needs a meeting place and since setting up it’s been amazing how many people have been waiting for something like this,” she said.
“It’s about time we had a café down here again and something for people to have a space to sit, eat and have coffee close to the beach.”
The aptly called Great Escape Café is just as its name describes. Being only metres from the beach, it's a perfect location to enjoy a coffee.
It’s that beachfront atmosphere and the laid-back lifestyle of Moore Park Beach that prompted Trudie and partner Ian to move to the region. When COVID affected their current business they decided to open a own café.
“We were involved in catering at markets and events and fairs and of course with COVID all our work was cancelled,” Trudie said.
“We’d been to this place a few years ago and at the time we were living here full time and we came to the restaurant and my husband Ian said I’d love to have a restaurant, anyway we moved back just recently and this place was available.”
“I feel quite blessed that we’ve landed here.”
Let's go fly a kite
While coffees and cakes are a staple part of the menu, there are also a range of cork-made trinkets and families will enjoy the opportunity to buy a kite, which they can then take to the beach.
“We’re still in the process of getting the kitchen up to scratch and we’re not restaurateurs, but we’ll have some snacks, coffee, ice-creams and then we want to do some gifts and kites,” Trudie said.
“The kites are to encourage people to bring their families out, have a nice day at the beach and for something to do.
“There’s a great range of community here, but we’re also really keen to encourage families to come out and use the beach and maybe if they’re lucky they might see turtle tracks at this time of year.”
Writing on Facebook today, The Great Escape said: “Hello everyone and thank you to those people who have already been in for coffee and cake. Also a big thank you for all the lovely comments on FB. We opened yesterday to serve you with our great coffee and awesome cakes, but our official opening is still a few weeks away. We are currently waiting for the delivery of tables and equipment so please be patient as it will get better. Looking forward to meeting lots of you at our great escape!”
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