Fearless Alice Anderson and her all-girl garage

The story of an Austin-driving Australian maverick who died in mysterious circumstances (R)

Alice was a quintessential, mould-breaking young woman of the roaring twenties.

Raised in country Victoria, she was capable and confident, and not interested in what was considered proper.

Alice opened a motor touring company in Melbourne during the first world war.

The business grew and by the 1920s Miss Anderson's Motor Service included a mechanic's shop, staffed entirely by young women known as 'garage girls'.

Loretta Smith has spent a decade researching the story of Alice's life and tragic early death.

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Further information

A Spanner in the Works: the extraordinary story of Alice Anderson and Australia's first all-girl garage is published by Hachette

You can visit the recreation of Alice Anderson's garage at the National Motor Museum in South Australia