As Tropical North Queensland’s lush highland plateau, Atherton Tablelands is a vibrant green oasis of dramatic mountains, untouched rainforest, delicious produce, and jaw-dropping waterfalls rising more than 700 metres above sea level.
You’ll find an incredible array of wildlife here, including brightly coloured frogs and elusive platypus. It’s also one of the few places in the country where you might spot the rare Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo.
Birds are an unmissable highlight in the Atherton Tablelands too – 327 of the 430 bird species of the Daintree Rainforest can be found here. Look up and you might be lucky enough to gaze upon golden bowerbirds, king parrots, honeyeaters, crimson rosellas, and masked owls.
Atherton Tableland is also home to fabulous fresh produce, basalt soil, good rainfall, and plenty of sunshine, making it something of a foodie haven.
There are almost 2,000 farms, producing delicious tropical fruit such as mangoes, limes, and bananas. Experience that goodness first-hand at the Yungaburra Markets or Shaylee Strawberry Farm, where you can pick your own berries. Alternatively, you can grab fresh produce from one of the many roadside stalls – just drop the money into the honesty box.
Additionally, the Atherton Tablelands is one of Australia’s two major coffee-growing regions and visitors can track down an espresso here that would rival anything you’ll get in the best Melbourne cafés.
Visit Skybury Coffee and Roastery to walk through the plantation, see beans being processed, and sample the award-winning Arabica blends. For something with a little more punch, drop into Mt Uncle Distillery, which uses Australian botanicals to make delicious, award-winning gin.
For the more adventurous, bushwalking and hiking trails wind through lush rainforest where you can take a short track through Crater Lakes National Park or tackle the challenging Misty Mountains Wilderness Tracks of Wooroonooran National Park, which are also accessed from the coast.
