Atherton Tablelands stretches from Innisfail in North Queensland to Cairns in Far North Queensland. Both the Bruce Highway and the Palmerston Highway pass the wonderful range and its many attractions along the way.
From Innisfail you can head west along the Palmerston Highway to the Palmerston National Park. Around the park are various waterfalls, all worth seeing.
These include Ellinjaa Falls, Millaa Millaa Falls, Mungalli Falls and Zillie Falls. Millaa Millaa is the main town in this area, and the starting point for the wonderful 'Waterfall Circuit'.
From Millaa Millaa you can either head south west to Ravenshoe, north west to Herberton and the Mt Hypipamee National Park or north to Malanda. Ravenshoe is an old timber town, with a pretty historic steam train called Millstream Express which you can ride on at weekends. You can also visit the Little Millstream Falls and the Millstream Falls, which is the widest waterfall in the whole of Australia.
Continuing west you will come to Mt Garnet, the Forty Mile Scrub National Park and the fantastic Undara Lava Tubes. The National Park will give you an idea of what Australia was like about 300 million years ago.
Heading towards Atherton you can either pass the small tin mining town of Herberton or the Mt Hypipamee National Park. Herberton is home to the Tin Festival each September, and also hosts the Herberton Historical Village which is made up of a number of historical buildings from the Atherton Tablelands.
Mt Hypipamee National Park is home to the Mt Hypipamee Crater, which you can walk to from the picnic area, passing the Dinner Falls on the way. It is definitely worth seeing. Once you get to Atherton, a definite must are the great Crystal Caves, which are a geological museum.
North from Millaa Millaa you will come to Malanda, which is a dairy town. Nearby are the beautiful Malanda Falls and the interesting Malanda Environmental Centre. From Malanda you can head west to Atherton, north west to Curtain Fig and Yungaburra which makes a great base from which to explore the Atherton Tableland, or north east towards the Crater Lakes National Park.
Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham are within the park and offer great walking tracks around the lakes and through the spectacular rainforest which surrounds the lakes.
North again is Lake Tinaroo, which is a great place for fisherman, as it offers Barramundi fishing. There is a drive from the Gilles Highway across to Tolga and Atherton. There are some great walks at various points along the track. Several places worth stopping at include Cathedral Fig and the volcanic craters Lake Euramoo and Mobo Creek.
The road continues through the Danbulla State Forest until you reach the small town of Tinaroo Falls, which offers a good camping ground and cabins.
North again you will find Mareeba, home of tropical fruit wineries, coffee plantation tour and tasting experiences, the Mareeba Wetlands and the Mareeba Heritage Centre.
Atherton Tablelands Accommodation
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