Skybury Coffee

On the Atherton Tablelands west of Mareeba, in a region that grows the vast majority of Australia's coffee, this plantation has been in continuous production since 1987, among the oldest of its kind in the country. Roughly ninety thousand arabica trees, mostly Bourbon variety, grow across the red volcanic soil, and the beans are roasted on site in a working roastery visitors can walk straight into, with information boards charting the path from crop to cup. The café sits above the rows, with heritage tractors parked nearby and views locals compare to the African savannah. Guided farm tours run through the plantation in an ex-army troop carrier, and the same land also grows red papaya, turned into jams, sauces and a small line of spirits alongside the coffee. It is a rare thing in Australia: a coffee served metres from where it was grown, in a landscape built for the purpose rather than added to one.