The Atherton Tabelands are a beautiful area of elevated land located an hour from Cairns in Far North Queensland, Australia. This area of Australia is stunningly beautiful and different from the coastal areas, islands near Cairns, and the northern rainforest of Daintree.
You’ll find waterfalls, crater lakes, and diverse wildlife here. It allows you to explore rainforests, charming villages, and local farms producing fresh produce, coffee, and dairy. We loved our two days there, and this list of the things to do in the Atherton Tablelands has plenty you’ll love!
1. Chase Waterfalls
First on the list has to be the stunning and spectacular waterfalls that you can find in the Atherton Tablelands! The entire area is full of beautiful waterfalls worth stopping at. You can spend all day stopping at different waterfalls, hiking, and taking a dip.
Before visiting, I heard a lot about the waterfall circuit, and I thought it meant the entire region around the Tablelands. However, the Waterfall Circuit refers to this one stretch of road with several waterfalls. It only takes about 15 minutes to drive. The entire region, though, has more waterfalls than just the Waterfall Circuit, so below are some suggestions.
Waterfall Circuit:
- Millaa Millaa Falls: Known for its picturesque beauty with a 20-meter drop and lush rainforest surroundings. It has a large, shallow pool perfect for swimming.
- Ellinjaa Falls: 15-meter cascade surrounded by lush rainforest, with a swimming hole at the base.
- Zillie Falls: Thundering cascade, framed by dense vegetation and a viewing platform.
Other Waterfalls:
- Josephine Falls: A beautiful cascade with a natural rock slide (suitable for swimming in summer).
- Tchupala Falls: Tall, cascading waterfall with stunning views and abundant wildlife.
- Nandroya Falls: Beautiful, secluded waterfall cascading over several rainforest tiers. It requires a long hike to get to!
- Mungalli Falls: This is a multi-tiered waterfall with the middle drop being the longest. You will have to hike down and up stairs to get to all of the waterfalls.
See the map I created here with all the waterfall stops we made on our trip (we rented a car to explore!). If you don’t want to rent a car, consider this day trip to the Tablelands that includes several different waterfall stops.
2. Try All the Fresh Produce, Dairy, and Coffee
This area of Australia produces 80% of the crops in the country, so to say there is a plethora of farms here is an understatement! The food here is incredible so spending some time visiting farms and trying the food here is well worth your time.
You can combine visiting some of the farms in the Tablelands with visiting waterfalls and make a two-day trip to Atherton Tablelands (or longer), which I’d highly recommend over a day trip. But, make sure you spend time visiting some of the farms here!
Foods grown in the Tablelands include bananas, avocados, papaya, dragon fruit, mangos, coffee, chocolate, dairy, meats, and tons of other fruits and vegetables. The possibilities for amazing fresh food here are endless!
Farms to consider visiting:
Take a food tour of the amazing food and wine in Tablelands if you don’t want to drive yourself!
3. Search for Wildlife
Atherton Tablelands is home to a plethora of unique and amazing wildlife. We saw so much wildlife here compared to other areas near Cairns that we visited. I think part of that is because we were on our own, but there’s plenty of wildlife here to be discovered!
Most of these animals are nocturnal; you may consider camping overnight or staying at a wildlife lodge to improve your chances.
Below are some tips and suggestions for where to see animals:
- We stayed at Chambers Wildlife Lodges. You’ll literally have some species walking around you, like Northern Bettongs, gliders, and other marsupials.
- Many platypus call this area home. You can visit platypus viewing areas in Yungaburra or Tarzali Lakes at Minbun on the Malanda-Millaa Millaa Road.
- If you want to get up close and personal with a Mareeba Rock Wallaby, head to Granite Gorge.
- Tree Kangaroos can be spotted in several areas on the Atherton Tablelands, with your best chance usually being the trees around Nerada Tea Plantation near Malanda.
- Flying Foxes are easy to see in and around Tolga Bat Hospital – more on this spot later!
- Bird are everywhere, but the Cassowary is the famous bird that people look for in the wild here. They are spotted often all over the Tablelands, and you’ll see signs that say “recent Cassowary sighting” while driving so keep an eye out!
4. Visit a Volcanic Lake
Atherton Tablelands is home to a unique volcanic crater lake, Lake Eacham. This lake is a 65m deep, extinct volcanic crater lake filled with cool, clean, crystal clear water, surrounded by 1200 acres of lush ancient highland rainforest.
The lake is relatively small, but the area really is beautiful. There’s also a pontoon available, offering excellent swimming conditions all year round. We stayed really close to Lake Eacham and found it really nice for a morning stroll!
5. Shop and Dine in Cute Small Towns
Within the Atherton Tablelands, you’ll find many cute towns with shops and local goods worth visiting! It’s easy to make quick stops in different towns, but you can also start overnight near one of the towns for extra fun.
Here are a few towns to consider visiting:
- Yungaburra: A quaint heritage village with historic buildings, art galleries, and cozy cafes. The historic area is small but very cute. Don’t miss the famous Yungaburra Markets and platypus spotting at Peterson Creek. This was our favorite town!
- Atherton: The largest town in the region, known for its vibrant markets, boutique shops, and nearby attractions like the Crystal Caves and Hallorans Hill Lookout. We skipped Crystal Caves when here.
- Malanda: Famous for its stunning Malanda Falls, this quiet town has a relaxed vibe and a strong connection to dairy farming. We had lunch here, and it was great!
- Mareeba: Further toward the outback, Mareeba has a different look and feel than other areas of the Tablelands. It is more arid, and while the town is not as interesting (in my opinion), the area around it has lots to do, like Granite Gorge and Skybury Coffee.
6. Go Hot Air Ballooning
Enjoy a unique experience floating high above the Atherton Tablelands in a hot air balloon! You can do this experience in Mareeba where you’ll fly gently for 30 minutes overlooking this beautiful area.
This experience happens early in the morning during sunrise. On the ride, your pilot will highlight unique features and points of interest as you float over the beautiful terrain.
Get picked up from Cairns for this experience, or go on your own.
7. Take a Hike
With such a vibrant rainforest, rushing waterfalls, and wildlife to discover, hiking is one of the best things to do in the Atherton Tablelands. There are tons of great options to choose from. Below are a few popular hikes!
- Wallicher and Tchupala Falls: A short, easy rainforest walk to two beautiful waterfalls near Wooroonooran National Park.
- Mt. Baldy Summit Track: A challenging 2.7 mile hike with steep sections offering panoramic views over Atherton.
- Granite Gorge: Easy hike with serene savannah like scenery, but it’s home to a small colony of endangered Mareeba Rock Wallabies.
- Josephine Falls: This easy but rewarding hike leads up to one of the best waterfalls around Cairns. Perfect way to wrap up the Atherton Tablelands loop journey with a swim. Known for rock slides when conditions are good.
- Walshs Pyramid: Steep and rocky, with stunted vegetation, this difficult track has a summit with stunning views of the surrounding ranges and local landscape.
8. Learn about Bat Conservation at Tolga Bat Hospital
Tolga Bat Hospital is Australia’s largest bat rehabilitation and ecotourism facility. It specializes in Spectacled Flying Foxes, a special, large species of bat that only lives in this part of the world.
During a visit, you’ll see many different species of bats that call Australia home and learn about the important conservation efforts that the bat hospital is doing. It’s an absolutely wonderful place to visit, and by going on a tour, you will get to help these amazing animals!
You must make reservations ahead in order to visit. You can reserve a visit directly on their website.
9. See the Curtain Fig Tree
It might sound silly to have a tree on the list, but hear me out! This is a really unique tree located within Curtain Fig National Park. It’s located just outside of Yungaburra and an easy stop while doing other things on this list, like Lake Eacham, Tolga Bat Hospital, and the many waterfalls on the waterfall circuit.
Measuring almost 165 feet tall and 165 feet wide with an estimated age of over 500 years old, the Curtain Fig Tree is beautiful, and visiting means learning about the history and ecology of this very old rainforest.
10. Explore the Rainforest on Mamu Tropical Skywalk
Enjoy a walk from the rainforest floor to the top canopy of the rainforest at Mamu Tropical Skywalk! There are three different different experiences – elevated walkways, a cantilever, and an observation tower.
It provides breathtaking panoramic views of World Heritage-listed rainforest landscapes and passes through one of the largest remaining vine forests on basalt soils in the Wet Tropics. Along the way, visitors can enjoy up-close encounters with rainforest plants, insects, and birds while learning about the area’s intricate ecosystems and rich cultural history through informative signs.
Tips for Visiting Atherton Tablelands
Now that you know the best things to do, I wanted to share a few tips for visiting the Tablelands that I found helpful for our trip.
- Consider exploring this area by renting a car. The Atherton Tablelands are easy to navigate and visit on your own. The drive is just a few hours from Cairns, and you can create your own schedule if you decide to rent. We rented a car through Discover Cars.
- This can either be a long day trip or a fun two days spent exploring! The best time to see animals is early morning or right at dusk. We chose to stay at Chambers Wildlife Lodges and loved seeing the animals (including nocturnal animals). Our stay was great too! The location is excellent, and the pool is really nice.
- Check what produce will be in season during your visit. Depending on the time if year you visit, you may get to pick fresh strawberries, pet baby farm animals, and sample tropical fruits.
- As the region has a tropical climate, it’s recommended that you pack light and breathable clothing, sunscreen, insect repellent, and comfortable shoes for walking and hiking. Don’t forget to bring a rain jacket or umbrella, as the region is known for its occasional rain showers.
- Many areas of the Tablelands experience frosts during the winter months. Winter daytime temperatures range from a comfortable 68°F to 77°Fand summer daytime temperatures range from 77°F to 88°F.
- Summer in this region is also leech season. After visiting the rainfroest, be sure to check for leeches!
I hope this post gives you some amazing ideas for your trip. As you can tell from this list about Atherton Tablelands, things to do are abundant here, and this will be remembered as a special part of your trip!
I’m so glad that I got to experience this special part of Australia and I know you’ll love it too!
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