Kairi Rest Area
Last night we stayed at Kairi Rest Area, which was a free overnight stay, with a toilet and shower available. Located opposite a small playground, it had an immediate tick of approval from the kids.
Tolga
The stroll we took through the town of Tolga was wonderful, I loved photographing all the different flowers that were in bloom in people’s front yards!
Tolga Rainforest Gems Gallery and Studio
On the way out of Kairi, we stopped at Tolga: a small town, but one that was well worth stopping at for us! As we’re not the biggest fans of Japanese-aimed commercialised activities, when we spotted on WikiCamps that Tolga has a small gemstone shop: Rainforest Gems Gallery and Studio, we decided to visit this locally owned shop… and we were not disappointed!!!
Laurence and Aura have an amazing range of their own jewellery, handmade on site by Aura! They also have plenty of polished gemstones to choose from, as well as lots of locally made pieces, such as bags, glassware and aboriginal artwork! I loved it ALL, and I’m not much into all things bling!
What really spoke to me was the fact that each piece was unique and had a story. You could see Aura working at her station, and Laurence was able to tell exactly which part of Australia each gemstone was sourced from. The authenticity in his knowledge and his willingness to share it with us and the kids was very much appreciated by us all!
What has made my day is that we finally found the one and only souvenir from this trip that we fell in love with and will cherish for life! It will require framing when we get home, but the husband came up with a great idea that will result in a very special piece that will hang on our wall and will remind us daily of this amazing adventure!
But I’m not saying what it is until it’s all done! *squeals with excitement!*
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