Nerada Tea Rooms, Malanda shuts its doors

A longstanding staple of international tourist itineraries during their time on the Tablelands has made the difficult decision to shut its doors as a result of pressure from the pandemic.

An international tourism drawcard is calling last drinks as it makes the difficult decision to close its doors for the last time.

The Nerada Tea Room, south of Cairns, has long been considered a hidden gem of the Far North.

But Nerada Tea Room manager Bev Poyner said dwindling tourist numbers caused by Covid-19 had meant the business would close its doors on December 23.

Ms Poyner said the decision was not made lightly.

“Our core motto here at the plantation has always been ‘You are all family we just haven't met yet’ so its very sad,” Ms Poyner said.

“We are going to miss all the loyal friends we have served over the years.”

The Nerada Tea Tea Room, near Malanda on the Atherton Tablelands, will close its doors on Friday for the last time. The neighbouring farm and processing plant will remain in operation, but not open to the public. Nerada Tea Room manager Bev Poyner pours one last pot of tea before the closure. Picture: Brendan Radke

The Tea Room has been serving its famous brews at high teas and functions for more than two decades and was refitted in 2019.

Ms Poyner said while packing up the Tea Room, they would continue to develop their signature director blends from their particularly outstanding harvests, including a newly-planted and hand-produced lemon myrtle grove on the site.

The operations of the tea estate will not be affected and will continue to produce almost 750 million cups of Australian-grown tea across the country.

Contemplating the future, Bev Poyner relaxes with her pot of tea in the tea rom. Picture: Brendan Radke

The closure comes as the tourism industry in the Far North begins to recover.

In its latest report, Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) figures show visitors to FNQ increased and stayed longer.

But Nerada Tea chair John Russel said it had been difficult for the region.

“It has been a tough few years for all businesses, but in rural areas it has been particularly hard,” he said.

“We’re sad to be closing our Tea Room and thank our staff for their hard work and dedication over the years.

“We also want to thank our customers for their support.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to bring a visitor experience back to the tea estate at some point in the future.”

Ms Poyner said they still had hope a visitor experience would reopen if tourist numbers and demand grows to a stage where the operation is viable once again.

“We are ever hopeful that we will be able to open back up in the future.”

Originally published as Nerada Tea Rooms, Malanda shuts its doors