Eight reasons to visit Queensland, the Atherton Tablelands

Atherton Tablelands are heritage towns, snapshots of nineteenth century rural endeavour where time has not wrough change. Indulge in farmers markets where the bounty of consistent rainfall and a temperate climate contributes to stalls brimming with freshly prepared offerings. Photograph a glorious weave of waterfalls, creeks, and rural landscapes that are drop dead gorgeous. Visitors are spoilt with uncountable insta moments. Revive your spirits in the quiet corners of The Tablelands. Visit a place where the crowds have not yet arrived.

Ice cream is a separate food group, infused creamy flavours are a hallmark of summer. Then the Atherton Tablelands becomes a must do destination. Dairy farmers were among the first settlers in the Atherton Tablelands. The industry is an integral part of the Tablelands. The industry has evolved into a tourist visitor experience where family owned dairies offer farm to gate delights. Mungalli Creek Dairy is a stand-out, offering the largest range of biodynamic organic products in Tropical North Queensland. Visit in summer and autumn for the award-winning treat.

If you adore the buzz of an outdoor market, the classic country market Yungaburra Farmers’ Market is on your bucket list. Yungaburra market is the largest and oldest, and is held on the fourth Saturday of each month. Make room in your suitcase for some treasures.

Waterfall buffs have plenty of choice in The Tablelands. Mountains and valleys thread the landscape with water in creeks, water in rivers, water surging over waterfalls, water in cool pools and water in wetlands supporting bird life. Millstream Falls, is the widest single-drop waterfall in the country. The wet season brings torrents of water plunging up and over Tully Falls. Water cascades 300m down sheer walls of rock and rainforest. Swim in a crater lake at Lake Eacham or kayak around Lake Barrine, not forgetting to check up sunken fig trees and dense tropical rainforest.

Heritage and history fans have a plethora of buildings, artefacts and places to ponder over. While checking out the Yungaburra market visitors are struck by the picture perfect village, largely unchanged since 1910. With 18 heritage-listed buildings, it is the biggest National Trust village in Queensland. Then there is Herberton is a village where the entire settlement is a registered historic site.

A road trip with a difference from a tropical high altitude rainforest to ancient landforms in the Savannah Gulf region. The backyard of The Tablelands offers a contrast in landscapes from lush temperate forest and rural vistas to the Savannah Gulf region. Visit millennium aged gorges, lava tubes and fossicking fields of the Etheridge region. Eruptions millions of years ago formed a spectacular landscape and left behind a rich mineral heritage. For cave fans the geological marvels of the cave networks of Donna, Trekkinn and Royal Arch caves invite visitors to ventor underground.

The elusive, slightly peculiar Australian wildlife oddity, the platypus is most readily observed in the wild in Queensland’s Tablelands. The swish of a tail or the eddy of the water heralds the appearance of the platypus wait and you might be rewarded with the sight of Australia’s unique egg laying mammal. All good things begin with patience, especially for twitchers, Hasties Swamp National Park with its winged friends, over 200 bird species and counting is a birding hot spot. Or perhaps it is a tree kangaroo you want to sight.

Waterfalls buffs are in their favourite zone with memorising sheets of water pouring down and over cliffs. Tropical climate is characterised by torrents of rainfall creating the spectacular displays, spilling, arresting displays of nature’s flow over the craggy landscapes into inviting rock pools. The sheer power of nature fascinates onlookers. There are even waterfalls that are heritage listed. Now that’s some waterfall.

Forget the sticky humidity of the tropical north, year round a temperate climate created by the highlands of Queensland. Year round the Atherton Tablelands has something to offer without the need to pack a thick jacket. The northern part of the region enjoys cool, dry winters and warm, wet summers with minimum daily temperatures in winter rarely falling below 15ºC and maximum daily summer temperatures rarely exceeding 35ºC.

Unique journeys, personal adventures.