General News
28 February, 2026
Always time for a cuppa
FROM billy tea in the bush and simple cuppas to traditional formalised tea service and ceremony, the Mission Beach Community Arts Centre’s latest exhibition of original artworks ‘Time for Tea’, celebrates the form, the function and the art of tea.
The exhibition is on display daily (10am-2pm) through to 10 March.
Exhibition artworks are also available for viewing/buying online at www.bit.ly/40etgHQ
In conjunction with this exhibition, the Mission Beach Historical Society hosted a presentation and morning tea last Thursday about the history of tea in the area.
Society president Deirdre Holmes outlined the history of the Cutten family who, in 1884, found the perfect lots in Bingil Bay for their homestead and agricultural products, including tea.
The family established their 'Bicton' estate at Bingil Bay and they were among the first to experiment with commercial tea and coffee growing in the region.
But the venture was plagued by tropical cyclones, isolation and the immense difficulty of clearing dense rainforest, with a major cyclone in 1918 destroying much of their infrastructure.
Although their specific tea venture did not prosper long-term, their pioneering efforts are considered the precursor to the modern Australian tea industry, with the Nerada Tea Plantation later established in the area on the Tablelands.
They also grew coffee, bananas, and pineapples and were successful coffee producers in the 1890s.
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