hamster in wonderland aka the fudge shop in springbrook

In my last post, I talked about how Aussies care deeply about their environment. “Do the right thing” is the specific rhetoric adopted to promote environmental awareness and protection. Rightly so, if you do right by nature, nature does right by you. And guess what, you can use that your advantage.

I saw such rewards of nature in Springbrook, Gold Coast. It’s a beautiful green area on a mountain with waterfalls, farms, and forests with scores of stunning birds and wildlife. Springbrook is an eco-sensitive area which loosely means that the ecosystem is vulnerable to environmental changes. It needs special care and attention to be preserved in its true form. The Queensland government and the local businesses make it a point to educate their people and the tourists regarding these environmental sensitivities so that everyone can enjoy the place without causing intentional or unintentional harm.

The Fudge Shop in Springbrook is a family-owned business that claims that it has “the best damn fudge on the coast.” This tiny little place uses Springbrook’s environment as its branding. Upon arrival the first thing you see is this caution:

The Fudge Shop, Environment, Caution, Springbrook, Ecosensitve

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Environment, Eco sensitive

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Environment, Eco sensitive

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment

On a closer look, the place seems like a setting in Alice in Wonderland. In the outdoors, the existing elements of nature are utilized and accessorized with artistic pieces and decor to ensure minimum disruption.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment

All that is missing is a little jar with the words “Drink me” written on it.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, red door, tree

Miniature sculptures of animals and fairies make for an outdoor gallery and give the place a magical aura.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, koala sculpture

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, frog sculpture

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, frog sculpture

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, red door, tree, fairy, mushroom

Upon entering the shop you get an instant dose of vibrant colours and the sweetest welcome you can get at a place.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, colors, souvenirs

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, colors, souvenirs

We (me and my brother) were greeted by Wendy, Steph and Java; the  warmest and politest hosts ever and had a nice long chat with them about our travel experiences in Australia. Steph, in particular, was adding to the ambiance of the place with her colorful attire and funky green hair.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, colors, hosts

Steph (left) and Wendy (right).

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Eco Sensitive, environment, colors, hosts,

The rightly named Java.

All the art pieces from menus to specials boards are inspired by the flora and fauna of Springbrook. A local artist Milly Davies (pictured behind Java in the image above) and Sharon McLeod are responsible for creating this magical art and decor. I had a totally coincidental and delightful encounter with Sharon in the evening in a cafe nearby. You can see more of her work here. She is as colourful and “other-worldy” as her work. With a cigarette in one hand, she looked at me like artists usually look at paintings and asked me where I was from. When I revealed my nationality she remarked “Oh love you look like an ancient goddess. Look at those features!” The highest praise I’ve ever received and will store it in my mind for future instances when I’m running low on self-esteem. Thank you, Sharon.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Milly Davies, Art, Artist

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Milly Davies, Art, Artist

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Milly Davies, Art, Artist

Coming back to the shop now, they also sell organic soaps and skin care essentials as their “Australia in a Bottle” collection. You can also grab a bottle of some Springbrook honey.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Souvenirs, environment

Nothing says souvenir shopping like these whacky keychains.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Souvenirs, environment

As if I wasn’t already in love with the place, this made me feel right at home.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, environment, artists, misfits, writers, poets, weirdos

An environment inspired message about family for you.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, environment, family, art, artists

It was time to get some coffee and get the ‘real taste’ of the place with this stunning assortment of fudges. From bubble gum to chocolate to espresso, you name it and they have it, and then some. Click here for a detailed list of all the flavors they offer. Anyone else having difficulty choosing?

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Sweet, sugar, dessert, colorful, flavors

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Sweet, sugar, dessert, colorful, flavors

We finally chose the Red Velvet and Chocolate Fudge, grabbed our coffee and went outside to initiate our devouring session. The best damn fudge and one of the best damn coffees we have ever had!

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Sweet, sugar, dessert, colorful, flavors

Meanwhile, Steph came out with a huge basket. She spread some seeds around the garden so we could spot some native birds.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, Sweet, sugar, dessert, colorful, flavors, environment, birds

Within seconds flocks of Cockatoos and other multicolored species of parrots came flying in and took over the setting. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The colours of these birds can leave you awestruck like one of those HD Windows 10 screensavers. We sat there for a long time, just observing the birds have their lunch.

The Cockatoos need no introduction.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature

Standing guard.

The Crimson Rosella is just stunning. That bright red and blue screams, “Look at me! Look at me! I’m beautiful.”

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, red door

Alice, knocking on heaven’s door.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, red door

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella

The Crested Pigeon might not be as bright and colourful as the parrots but that little crown on the head and those red eyes make it stand out.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, crested pigeon

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, crested pigeon

This is the Pale Headed Rosella. It also adorns different shades of the primary colours but in lighter tones. It was quite socially anxious and didn’t want to join the party. Instead, it waited for the commotion to be over before stepping in the cafeteria.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, pale headed rosella

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, pale headed rosella

Eyeing the master enviously.

The Rainbow Lorikeet is a feisty one. It’s quite aggressive and territorial (from what we saw). Even the Cockatoos don’t stand a chance in front of him. One little threat from this pretty monster and they fly away and wait for their turn (or leftovers).

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, pale headed rosella, rainbow lorikeet

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, pale headed rosella, rainbow lorikeet

Bowing down to the master.

Lesson no. 1: It’s not your physical appearance but your personality that matters.

The Fudge Shop, Springbrook, cockatoos, environment, nature, crimson rosella, pale headed rosella, rainbow lorikeet

Lesson no. 2: If you don’t learn to share or compromise, you end up bitter and alone.

After we had witnessed nature’s fine dining exhibit to our heart’s content we were ready to leave. So with satisfied sweet teeth and a promise to come back again, we said goodbye to our delightful hosts and this little slice of heaven.

PS: The Fudge Shop has also been featured on Trip Advisor with a 4.5/5 star rating. 

Comments

  1. AoA. Absolutely amazing and beautiful. Nature at its best.Subhan Allah.

  2. Adorable! This looks like an interesting place.

  3. Looks like a fun little place to visit.

  4. Such a cute little shop. loved the photos too. 🙂

  5. Absolutely beautiful! Good Job!

  6. What a fun and colorful place! Your pictures were amazing! Thank you for sharing the quote about family – I loved it!

  7. What a wonderful place to munch fudgies and drink coffee. BUt the real treat is, I believe, the beauty of nature!
    http://myhappyramblings.blogspot.com/

  8. Such an adorable shop. You can’t help but notice the Crimson Rosella. They are beautiful.

  9. What an amazing story and venture. Nice photos as well!

  10. Intellectual observation and well knitted description with valuable information…..
    Very nice “Ancient goddess….!”

  11. What amazing photographs! And I can’t believe there is a place in the universe where they sell bubblegum fudge. I loved the sign that made you feel welcome, it definitely made me smile, too. Thanks so much for sharing all this with us!
    Joan
    kindness-compassion-and-coaching.com

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