Take off with us as we chat to Byron Woolfrey, the captain of this awesome airline themed sustainable mobile bar hire biz in the Highlands.
Here at The Fold, we’re total suckers for a tasty cocktail, and when that cocktail is made with sustainable, local and foraged ingredients, well then, we’re just head over heels.
So obviously we’re going to be totally impressed with Byron Woolfrey’s amazing local mobile bar hire, Trolley’d.
With its unique airline theme and focus on high-quality eco-friendly ingredients, this service is soaring high at weddings, corporate events, and all sorts of gatherings where folks appreciate a good drink in the Highlands.
We recently caught up with Byron to hear all about his journey to the Southern Highlands, how he started up Trolley’d, and his quest for a plane that took him all the way to Alice Springs!!!!
You’ve gotta read on to find out more!
1 // Hey there Byron! Tell us how you came to be in the Southern Highlands.
I moved to the Highlands with my parents when I was in year one. I was born in a pub in the country and my parents managed different motels and pubs all around until they ended up buying the Burrawang hotel, so I basically grew up here.
I came back here just before Covid hit and have been here ever since. I adored the country life I grew up with, so I wanted my kids to have the same. Living in Sydney, I was ready to escape the hustle and bustle.
We also get a lot of our ingredients from around here, doing some foraging ourselves, and many of our suppliers are local too, like Moonacres and Musset Holdings. So, so it felt right to come back.
2 // And we’re glad to have you back! How did you come to be in the bar hire biz?
I grew up in a pub, I was pretty much pouring beers from the age of 11, ha-ha! When I left school, I moved to Sydney and began working in bars and then moved into fine dining. From there I moved into managing and supporting the opening of restaurants around town. I had a cafe in Kings Cross for a while as well.
3 // Wow, you’ve done some exciting stuff! And how did that lead to starting up Trolley’d?
Some of my friends who I had worked with and I decided we were going to open a restaurant together. We originally started with the trolley bars and we’re bringing them to events like growers’ markets and they just really took off.
Then a friend, Diego Bonetto, who’s also known as “The Weedy One” who runs wild food foraging workshops asked us to do some local dinners with him using foraged ingredients. It really opened up our eyes to the abundance of edible stuff around us and the path of sustainability and how we can incorporate that into the things we drink.
4 // Very Cool! And you’ve got a pretty fly theme for Trolley’d, is that right?
We’re an airline theme. When we started out, we managed to get a heap of old Ansett Airline equipment including the airline trolleys. We converted them into bars and they’ve got different uses. We’ve got a cocktail trolley, martini trolley, punch trolley, DJ trolley, espresso trolley and even an arcade trolley.
We’ve accumulated so many airline pieces including aviation kits, dinnerware and even a plane.
5 // A plane?? What??
I saw it for free on Gumtree but it was in Alice Springs. I rounded up my cousin who’s a metal worker borrowed my old man’s Ute and put a tow-ball on it. I then found a 6-metre boat trailer available on Marketplace so I picked up that, threw a saw and some other tools in and drove out.
The plane was in Alice Springs airport so we hacked it up there, got it on the trailer and through lots of grit brought it back here. It was a good mission.
The plane is really popular at big parties and festivals, we’ve had it as a DJ booth, and a roller-skating rink. It’s a really cool thing to add to any event.
6 // WOW! But it’s not just about the airline theme, you’re also big on sustainability, is that correct?
Our bars are eco-friendly and we serve locally sourced, organic ingredients. We have plenty of Australian native ingredients as well as foraged delights. We keep things seasonal and do lots of dehydrating and infusing to add flavours with what’s on offer at the time.
We really believe in the ethos of reduce, reuse, recycle and regenerate and we push that through every step we take. We love the connection to nature and the education we share with every sip.
We avoid single use as much as we can and we love the idea of locals being able to party sustainably.
7 // We’re down for that! What kind of events can you cater for?
We can cover the whole spectrum from small private events to huge parties and festivals. From weddings to birthdays, hens and bucks, house parties and any type of get-together.
We serve all types of beverages from local wine and craft beer to our incredible spirits and cocktails. The quality of our drinks is above the norm and high-quality ingredients really make a difference. We explain the local flavours and where they come from in our drink’s degustation.
Our cocktail classes are an awesome chance for guests get to learn all about mixology whilst exploring all these delicious native flavours. It’s such a great way to add a splash of fun and flavour to a gathering. They’re definitely popular for hen’s, buck’s and corporate building events.
8 // And you know we’ve gotta ask, what do you love about living and working in the Highlands?
With our passion for the environment, being in the Highlands is the right match for both living and working.
I love learning about the history here, from First Nations people onwards. I love the wildlife and the laidback lifestyle. I love exploring and chasing waterfalls around town.
Okay, we’ve got our boarding passes ready, when can we embark?!
If you’re looking to take your next celebration or event to the next level then reach out the Byron and the team at Trolley’d to help you get it sorted.
Trolley’d is an incredible mobile bar experience with sustainable practices and locally sourced ingredients. We’re obsessed with their aviation-themed twist, first-class cabin crew and top-notch event services, including cocktail classes and bar staff hire, ensuring your party will take off without a hitch.
Thanks for chatting with us today, Byron, now how’s about a cocktail, please?
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