Drift Cafe

Drift Café is part of the Devonport Surf Life Saving Club on Tasmania’s North West coast. Our client’s vision—for an enticing space that showcases seasonal local produce in a casual dining experience—has been realised in this stripped back, informal dining environment.

The design invokes the welcoming, relaxed atmosphere that our client wanted by incorporating polished concrete floors, exposed fittings and lighting, alongside the warm textures of timber, rusted steel and fabric panels.

Patrons are directed through the café’s distinct zones—from the entry to the bar and restaurant—through strategic use of materials and furnishings. The beach and surf theme is carried through from the adjacent surf club and expressed in the weathered finish of rounded plywood panels, drifting across the walls and ceiling.

A glass frontage and openings in the building’s aluminium skin bring sunlight, warmth and fabulous coastal views inside, while also connecting the interior of the café to a covered outdoor terrace, courtyard and outdoor servery—perfect for sunkissed, barefoot customers.