Three days in Tasmania was enough to move for Marakoopa Cafe owners

At the time she had one daughter, Freya, then nine months old. Her second child, Tom, was three months along. Her husband, Lars, had family in Tasmania, but even he was not overly familiar with the place. 

But there was an image from the three-day trip that had stuck in Sarah’s mind.

It was a young girl riding a tricycle in the street alone. 

“In England you don’t let your kids out of your sight, but my [Tasmanian] brother-in-law was like ‘what’s the problem?’” 

“I wanted that for my children. And now our children have grown up with animals, and getting veggies out of the garden - and we don’t have good mobile reception so they’re not constantly on their phones,” she laughed. 

In England, Sarah worked as an optometrist, and Lars managed a golf course. 

But they were missing an old-fashioned, quieter pace of life, that had been present when Sarah was a child growing up in rural England. 

Eventually, she broke.

“We had a car that only had two doors and a boot,” she said.

“And we were in the UK looking at getting another car, and I just sat there in the showroom and the guy was being really annoying, and I thought, I don’t even want to buy a new car! I want to go to Tasmania! And it was kind of like, what? 

“We moved with two suitcases and a port-a-cot.”

It wasn’t long after their move that Marakoopa Cafe was established. 

The Coopers have poured blood, sweat and tears into turning the “not ideal” property, not quite what had been advertised online, into a beautiful family home. All that work meant they were spending a lot of time outside, working in the garden. 

After about the 50th carload of tourists pulled up to ask them where they could get something to eat, they decided to just create that cafe themselves. 

During the tourist high season they have no shortage of customers, heading to the Marakoopa Caves. 

They have also expanded to include music events, including the Country Music Jamboree on February 16, and film screenings featuring comfy armchairs, Tasmanian wines, and popcorn. 

The seemingly-rash decision to up and move to a far-flung island has worked out pretty well for the Coopers. 

“If you are committed to an idea, you can make anything work,” she said. 

“Life will deal you hurdles to overcome whether you make a change or not. 

“Our children are thriving, and our business is allowing us to meet the most amazing people from all walks of life.”

Keep up to date with events at the Marakoopa Cafe at marakoopacafe.com, or by subscribing to their mailing list. 

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