Teapot display at the Coffee Works

More teapots!

Gift shop at Nerada Tea Plantation

The Tea Tourist

Tea at Nerada Tea Plantation

More tea growing!

When we went to the Tablelands this past weekend we stopped at the Nerada Tea estate outside of Malanda. We didn’t get to take a tour of the factory since it was not running but we spent some time looking at the grounds and the visitor center which was very good. They boast that the Atherton Tablelands have the perfect climate, superb volcanic soil and no pests so therefore it is the perfect place to grow tea. The good thing is that they do not have to use any pesticides because there are none of the pests here that threaten other tea crops. The tea grows as a dense rainforest covering—looks kind of like a shrub growing all over the land. I found out that a tea plant can be kept producing for up to 100 years and since it grows as a small tree in its wild state it is pruned every 3 years to keep it at a manageable height.

We also went to the Coffee Works Museum and they had a whole floor devoted to tea and that was wonderful. Some of the above pictures are of some of the teapot displays that they had there. I did not see a single teapot like any that I have.  Can you believe that? But it was a pretty neat place and I wouldn’t mind going back there again.

On the way home we stopped at one of the “honor boxes” along the way where you can put your gold coins in the little metal box and buy some packaged tea. I now have a healthy supply of tea in my pantry. Chris planned this part of the trip very well and I think he even enjoyed seeing the tea process—next time we hope to go when the factory is running so we can see all the processes.

If you are ever in the Tablelands area this is a great stop to make.  Nerada Tea Plantation is located at 933 Glen Allyn Road, Malinda, Queensland, Australia.

“Okay, this is the wisdom. First, time spent on reconnaissanse is never wasted. Second, almost anything can be improved with the addition of bacon. And finally, there is no problem on Earth that can’t be ameliorated by a hot bath and a cup of tea.”
― Jasper Fforde, Shades of Grey