In 1983 while honeymooning on Tamborine Mountain newlyweds Phil and Ania Sowter fell in love with a block of land and paid for it with their credit card.
“Our dreams came true,” Ania recalled of buying the land on Main Western Road that offered magical views to the mountains and romantic sunsets.
Moving from Adelaide they dreamed of opening a little Polish café which ended up growing organically to become The Polish Place, a world-famous, iconic destination with a restaurant and eventually five cottages.
“We were the first Polish restaurant in Australia outside of the Polish clubs. It was risky but we could be proud of the Polish cuisine and culture,” Ania explained.
In 1990 the three cottages they built became the first cottages on the mountain and only the third accommodation venue.
“It was a pioneering move,” Ania said.
Later they opened the restaurant cooking traditional Polish cuisine using many of Ania’s own recipes.
“The most popular meal was whole duck with apples and cherries and second was a pork hock and of course pierogi, I have done more than a million of them,” she laughed.
The divine cakes were based on Ania’s mum’s recipes.
The restaurant won many prestigious awards and drew people from around the world – many making the trip to the mountain just to go The Polish Place.
“It was a very happy and popular place, which is just what we wanted,” she shared.
On New Year’s Eve 2016 they were awoken by a fire which broke out in the kitchen when one of the fridges failed by the time they dashed outside and turned around their bedroom was engulfed in flames.
The family house, restaurant and gallery were completely destroyed.
“We were shattered. It was heartbreaking. Losing our precious photos and family heirlooms from Poland and our dog. We were lucky we didn’t lose our lives,” she shared.
As well as losing the best amber collection in Australia, they lost the equivalent of the Order of Australia medals which were bestowed on the couple by the Polish Government for their promotion of Polish culture outside of Poland in 2006.
The news of the fire spread around the world. The Polish ambassador returned from his holiday to come and support them, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sent a video message expressing his condolences and 75,000 people sent messages of support.
“We were overwhelmed with the support we were given. We were not left alone and were encouraged to rebuild, which took three years,” Ania said.
As retirement beckoned, they announced the closure of the restaurant on September 3rd, 2023 – exactly 40 years to the day after opening.
Again, people travelled from around the country to enjoy one last meal and savour their favourite dishes.
One customer, who had been coming from the beginning, flew from Dubai just to enjoy their duck for the last time.
“We developed interesting friendships with the customers, some becoming close friends,” Ania said.
Many celebrities also passed through their doors; however, they continue to remain tight lipped on just who.
Now they are looking forward to a new chapter in their life enjoying time with their grandchildren and time for themselves living in Melbourne with daughter Belinda Bozykowski.
“It was time for us to go. We knew it would have to happen eventually. Getting older you have desires to do other things, and we just followed our instincts,” Ania shared.
“We will miss the view,” Phil chimed in, Ania added “the one thing I will miss is my birds.”
