Atherton Tablelands lie in the beautiful rolling hills which is only a 1-hour drive away from Cairns City. Located in Tropical North Queensland, the Atherton Tablelands extends from Mount Garnet in the south-west, across Millaa Millaa, Maranda, Atherton, Yungaburra, Mareeba and up to Kuranda, in the north-east.
Its is packed with stunning waterfalls, rainforest drives, lakes and fascinating heritage. The Atherton Tablelands should not be missed on any Queensland road trip itinerary. Its’s a hidden gem of Queensland Australia.
Our Journey start at morning through the beautiful gillies highway. A spiral road that runs from Gordonville in the Cairns Region through the Gillies Range to Atherton in the Tablelands Region. Views are unforgettable…..
As I said earlier, there is lots of things to do and see in Atherton Tablelands, but we have just only one day to visit, so we pinpoint some attraction to cover the whole day. If you have time, stay one night in Yungaburra, which is also a very quite little heritage town.
Here is the list of attraction we cover in one day…. 😀
Cathedral Fig Tree
The Cathedral Fig is a towering 500 year old fig tree in the Danbulla State Forest. The sight of the tree itself is jaw dropping. The base is 72 meters around, it would take more than 40 people holding hands around it in order to meet up to close the circle. I have very strange feeling while watching the tree, that is ” anytime the tree will start walking 😛 ”
Infinite tree roots stream down from the canopy to support the massive structure, sunlight peaking between them, which is a epic experience beyond our expectation… 😮
Yungaburra
Yungaburra is a picturesque village, largely unchanged since 1910. With 18 heritage-listed buildings. It is so cute and well preserved, it’s definitely worth a stop over. Here you can Spot wild platypus, in Yungaburra where wild platypus just hang out in the dam. You need to be quite because they don’t make any noise at all, and they only pop out of the water for a short amount of time, so make sure you’re really concentrating. Though we did not spot any platypus in the dam but we spot some small turtles in the dam area 🙂
Cartain Fig Tree
Another stunning fig tree near the charming little town of Yungaburra. This tree has an unusual curtain like structure created when the host tree fell into a another neighboring tree. Roots form the curtain structure and eventually the host tree rotted away to leave this enormous fig tree standing on its own. I think the Cathedral Fig tree was the more impressive of the two. But it’s also definitely worth a stop … 🙂
Crater Lakes National Park
A 10 minute drive from the Curtain Fig Tree is Crater Lakes National Park, home to two volcanic lakes, Which is Lake Eacham and Barrine. Both are surrounded by walking trails through lush rainforest.
Our Firs stop Lake Barrine..which was formed over 17,000 years ago when a large volcano erupted, leaving a crater that over time filled up with water to create a lake. You can take the 4km walking track around the lake which allows secluded views of the lake and opportunities for viewing wildlife. A pair of towering bull kauri pine trees, which over 45m tall, is a great feature of the park. Which is just 100m from the car park.
If you have more time you can lake the lake cruises, which operate from the Lake Barrine Teahouse. Barrine Teahouse also a great afternoon tea spot to enjoy this beautiful emerald lake.
Lake Eacham, the smaller of the two. Just few steps from the car park, there are platforms overlooking the lake, with steps leading into the clear blue water. This lake is great for swimming, kayaking or Just cool your feet and enjoy the view (Like Me 🙂 ). There are lots of shades and picnic table around the lake, which makes it a great lunch spot before or after the waterfalls trail.
Atherton Table Waterfalls
The main waterfalls can be found along the Waterfall Circuit, a circular road that links lots of the waterfalls together. But we can manage to visit three of the waterfalls which including…
Millaa Millaa Falls : Just south of the town of Millaa Millaa, this is where the waterfall circuit begins and is one of the most famous and popular swimming spots on the circuit. Just 5min walk from the car park makes it more accessible for all age group. Despite of wet season we find less water flow in this particular fall. which was disappointing… 😦 You can find BBQ and picnic facilities here, as well as change rooms and toilets.
Zillie Falls: Just 7.5 km from Millaa Millaa, the thundering Zillie Falls erase all our disappointment in the Millaa Millaa falls. The viewing platform near the top, which is just 300m walk from the car park, offers a great spot to look out over the falls, but you can also take a muddy track down to the base.
Elinjaa Falls: 3 kilometers along the circuit, Elinjaa cascades over a series of lava columns. Follow the zig zag track through the trees, ferns and vines down to the stream for the best views and places to swim. This was definitely one of my favorites, absolutely stunning when you get down there. Its a majestic place… 😮
Wish I could stay longer, Because after few minutes when we went down, we are lashes with heavy tropical rain , then we rush back to carpark 😦
Tips from my experience….
- Try to visit waterfalls first then other places, which we did not. That’s why we found all the waterfalls with lots of people. If you visit them in the morning, you will find them totally empty. Which will give you a great opportunity to take some good photos.
- Pack your lunch from cairns, because there is no halal restaurant there. But you can enjoy the morning and afternoon tea from various tea plantation’s restaurants.
- The Atherton Tablelands are also considered to be the fruit bowl of the northern tropics, with so many fruit farms in the area. Many of them offer a tasting tour, so you can try some of the freshest fruit in the country.
- If possible stay one night here and add some more waterfalls in your itinerary.
~ Visited December 2020 ~
Happy Travelling … ❤
Rabeya's Journey 