1770: A Year, a Town, and the Sweet Victory of the Vanilla Slice War

The year 1770 was so chock-full of quirks and peculiarities that even the most stone-faced historian might find themselves stifling a chuckle behind their powdered wig.
It was the year when Marie Antoinette, the soon-to-be queen with a sweet tooth as infamous as her eventual guillotine appointment, tied the knot with Louis XVI.
As if history had grown tired of the Old World’s shenanigans, it turned its gaze to the far reaches of the globe, where Captain James Cook and the HMS Endeavour crew made their first landing in what would later become Queensland, Australia.
The spot was so momentous that the locals, in a stroke of minimalist genius, decided to name the town “1770.”
A town named after a year? You can almost hear the bureaucrats wringing their hands in glee.
And just to keep things interesting, the Australian government decided that “1770” wasn’t quite fancy enough.
And what’s a festival without a bit of competition?
Enter the Vanilla Slice War! The inaugural battle of this sweet skirmish took place in 2018, when local cafes donned their culinary armour and whipped up their finest versions of this creamy delight.
The judging panel has included surfing legend Layne Beachley, Kirk Pengilly from INXS, and fishing aficionados Scott Hillier and Olivia Degn.
At the heart of this saccharine saga is Phil Geck from the 1770 Marina Cafe. Twice crowned the undisputed champion of the Vanilla Slice War in 2018 and 2019, Geck has cemented his place as the king of this culinary contest.
So, if you’re in the mood for a slice of life with a side of whimsy, look no further than 1770. Here, history doesn’t just come alive, it serves dessert, too, in the most delicious and delightfully quirky way.