fnLocal

Our third stop on our Tablelands coffee tour. A bit further out of Mareeba on the way to Kuranda, the Jaques cafe is small and no where near as impressive as Skybury, but if you are a coffee connoisseur then it is here that you will, according to our critics, enjoy the best coffee on [...]

Tichum Creek Coffee Farm

The last in our Tablelands coffee tour. Mario’s cafe at the Tichum Creek Coffee Farm is small, friendly and personal, with Mario himself serving us our last coffee of the afternoon. He stopped for a chat and then left us to enjoy our drinks, short and long blacks. According to our critics, the coffee had [...]

Skybury Coffee Plantation

The second stop in our Tablelands coffee tour. Skybury is something else. The place itself is spectacular. We arrived just before midday and it was breezy and cool. The Skybury cafe/restaurant building is wrapped by a beautiful wooden deck and that’s where we enjoyed our coffee and later also lunch. A short black, a long [...]

Mareeba Coffee Works

The first stop in our Tablelands coffee tour. Coffee Works has changed hugely since my first visit back in 2002, but unfortunately not, in my opinion, for the better. The informal cafe that I remember has gone, as is the free viewing of how coffee is made. For that you now have to pay $19. [...]

What some kids need – time out in the bush

New research has found people who have a wilderness experience gain a sense of clarity about their lives… www.abc.net.au
This article from the ABC caught my eye. I’ve often thought this to be true not only for adults but for kids as well. As a primary school teacher I’ve met a few boys in the past [...]

A Norfolk Punch in the Doll’s Eye

Norfolk Punch is one of my favourite non-alcoholic drinks. It is an adults’ drink though, even without the alcohol; it’s not too sweet and has a distinctive taste that kids don’t seem to like. Norfolk Punch is made from “a 700 year old mediaeval monastic recipe containing over 30 herbs, berries and spices, with no [...]

FnLocal – Far North HyperLocal Website

The Innisfail Advocate recently announced that they would be switching from publishing their paper three times a week to just twice weekly. The Advocate has been around since the fifties (or earlier?) and, love it or hate it, I think it’s a good community paper. A bit on the thin side but hopefully dropping down [...]