Ballina – Thursday Island Tea Tree Plantation

The Tea Tree. It’s a funny plant. It grows in swamps all over the area and turns Lake Ainsworth a rich tea colour, hence the name. More importantly, the leaves of this plant have special medicinal properties. This has given rise to the Thursday Island Tea Tree company. It’s located in Ballina, but there’s more to it than just bottles of smelly oil.


The headquarters of this company are on the outskirts of Ballina. They’ve turned what used to be just a shop into a bit of a tourist destination. Again, I was pretty sceptical before I visited, but I was pleasantly surprised once I went.

The owners are great supporters of local artists. Every year, they hold a sculpture competition. Local artists contribute sculptures which are then displayed on the grounds. I was surprised at how good some of the sculptures were. Sure, there were quite a few lame half arsed hippy creations, but some of them have real merit. They’re displayed along a path that curves through a local forest, which is great. It’s a great way to display sculptures and makes the place well worth the visit.

In addition to the art, there’s also a grand maze. It’s built out of tea trees, which is not surprising. Unfortunately, when I went, it was a hot day and there were signs everywhere warning of snakes on the path! I think I’ll try again on a cloudy day.

As expected, there’s a large shop at the complex. Inside, there’s also a very interesting display on the history of the tea tree industry. Well, interesting might be overstating it, but it certainly covers everything you need to know about tea trees. There’s also a coffee shop which has a good reputation locally for yummy coffee and snacks.

The tea tree plantation is definitely worth a visit. It might not be a thrill a minute, but it’s definitely worth visiting, if only for the very interesting sculpture park.