Final Day : Day 5 of road trip

4 days have seemed like 4 weeks, but now it is time to go home.

But first I must have another drive around town to absorb and photograph the glorious colours of autumn. I took dozens of photos and it is very difficult to narrow then down to just a few to show you. The glowing gold and rusty-brown, the vibrant reds against the brilliant blue of the sky.

When we arrived, 4 days ago, many of the trees were just starting to change colour but, amazingly, over 4 days the leaves on many of the trees are now dazzling in full autumnal splendour. I’m in photography heaven…

After that very satisfying drive it is now time for morning tea. I have been advised the best place in town is “The Bohemian Tearoom”, even the name appeals to me. It is only open Thursday to Sunday so we can just fit it in before we leave.

It does look so inviting, a delightful Queenslander style cottage, complete with its white picket fence offset with crunchy brown leaves.

In we go and Jack basks in the sunlight on the veranda while I go round to see what the sign is pointing to.

What a cute little dolls house for children to play in. And I can imagine the Red Hat ladies we met a couple of days ago would look right at home in the purple room. Unfortunately, for them, it was not open on the day they were in town. There has been so much thought put into this place. Would you like to relax on this swing and look at all the bountiful and prolific carpet of leaves under foot…We order inside. There are over 50  types (shades!) of tea and they are made on the premises along with all the food.

It is rather mind-boggling and Steve comes over to tell us about them. I choose chai and, after Steve takes the top off this one Jack can smell the smoky aroma of Billy Tea, that is the one Jack chooses, takes him right back to our camping days…I have a chat with Christine and she tells me she is living her dream. She had to retire early from teaching when Steve had a heart attack and he spent a lot of time painting while he was recovering. A year ago they became bored with retirement so plunged into this venture. Christine had long dreamed of owning a teashop and this delightful place just oozes charm and Steve’s paintings are also on display around the walls giving it a unique atmosphere.

Then our food arrives…

Jack chose home-made apple pie with cream and I chose the Devonshire tea. Both totally scrumptious.

Feeling mellow and fortified there is only one more thing to see and it is across the road from the teahouse.Come on, let’s follow Jack inside. I will just let the photos tell the story. To the left is the formal dining room…Then to the right is the lounge…These rooms were cordoned off, just for looking. So now let’s go upstairs…The doors to 2 bedrooms were open so we wandered in…But that is not all, A narrow spiral staircase led onto the roof and just look at the views…

We even asked the manager if he had a room for that night. Sadly he was fully booked, maybe next time…

Now to head home. Jack plugged in the GPS and I followed Siri’s every direction. But as we rolled out-of-town one last beautiful site met our eyes.

So now we are settled back on the Gold Coast and not an autumn leaf in sight.