02/10/2026
With everything happening to small businesses across Australia right now, it feels more important than ever to remind people who they’re actually supporting when they choose local.
So, we thought we’d reintroduce ourselves.
I’m Fabian and this is my wonderful wife Halie.
And in May 2019, we opened The Banksia Tree.
Before this place existed, we’d both spent years working in hospitality around the world. Cafes, pubs, restaurants, hotels, mountain chalets, beachside venues. We worked across West London, Europe, Canada and stints in the USA, and we felt the places that stayed with us were always the small local ones highlighting unique produce and offerings specific to that community.
That’s what we wanted to build here in Port Adelaide. We chose breakfast because Halie has always said, “Breakfast is the best because it can literally be anything.” Whether it’s sweet, savoury, spicy, with meat, seafood, or vegetarian.
For the first seven months, I worked every single day. Halie was still working full-time at Lululemon, and every day she wasn’t there, she was here. We lived mostly off her wage. When the business finally got to a point where we could take enough out to cover some groceries, it felt like a genuine milestone.
Then in September 2020, Jasper (our son) was welcomed to the world. That was my first day off since opening. Holding him was a wake-up call for both of us. We realised that if this business was going to grow and we were going to have a life alongside it, we had to start trusting other people and building leaders around us.
Then COVID hit. We pivoted, diversified and found new ways to keep going. That’s when our little corner store really started growing, giving us another way to spotlight local producers and businesses.
After COVID, we opened seven days a week. Port Adelaide backed us. The business grew. We took over the lease next door because we needed another kitchen. Catering grew. Events grew. The team grew.
And somewhere along the way, The Banksia Tree became much more than a cafe to us.
Now, one of my favourite things is simply standing back with Halie and watching. A fundraiser bringing people together. A table celebrating over bottomless brunch. Regulars catching up.
Someone walking past while we clear the tables and giving us a quick “morning.” That’s the good stuff.
And right now, small businesses across Australia are being asked to absorb more, adapt more and somehow keep finding ways to make the numbers work. That’s why supporting local matters.
Because every time you spend money with a small business, you’re supporting real people. Families. Staff. Suppliers. Producers. People who took a risk because they believed they could create something worthwhile.
For us, The Banksia Tree started as two people with a big idea and a lot to learn. Seven years later, it’s our favourite little corner of the world.
To us this isn’t just food and drink. This is a place where people come to celebrate. This is a place where relationships are formed and we see that with you guys we see so much of what goes on with you and we fu***ng love it. This is what lights us up.
Thank you for continuing to choose local.
It means more than you probably realise.
Fabian x
