Stop Off for a Nice Coffee at Jaques Coffee Plantation

There’s nothing I want more when taking a road trip than a nice cup of coffee, so when making the drive from Cairns to Granite Gorge, I was happy to pull off to the Jaques Coffee Plantation.

It’s a little off the Kennedy Highway, through the gates and past the Termite Avenue, but you won’t miss it as signs lead the way. The cafe sits in a lovely tropical garden where perky workers are eager to help. Inside is where you can choose from an assortment of coffees (only $3.50 for a delicious capp) and cakes, and you can even try some coffee liqueurs if you so desire.

My first impression was that this place was heavenly; the surrounds, the workers and the sunshine all combined to provide a tranquil retreat. This was only made better by being presented with some of the most beautiful coffees ever!

Jaques provides coffee plantation tours in “The Bean Machine” that run every 45 minutes from 9 am to 5 pm daily. They cost a mere $12 for adults and include a12 minute coffee video, coffee plantation tour, liqueur tasting and a free standard coffee beverage of your choice. You will learn all about farming and harvesting coffee in Australia during the tour.

About the plantation: Jaques is now home to over 85,000 coffee trees, 60,000 of which were added just in 2009 to meet demand. The story of this success can only be complimented by the history of the business.

Nat and Linda Jaques were both from Africa, where Nat’s family was into coffee farming, and Linda’s was into tea. With certain political issues arising in Africa, they made the move to Australia to set up a coffee farm in north Queensland. They had made the journey with no more than $2000 in hand, but were able to start the growing process in 1979, slowly building up the business to what it is today.

>> Read more about the Jaques Coffee Plantation

>> Backpackers can also volunteer here to meet their regional work requirements for a second Working Holiday Visa