Northern Atherton Tablelands

Home Places to go Northern Atherton Tablelands

Where the rainforest meets the outback

The northern Atherton Tablelands covers a remarkable range of landscapes, stretching from rainforest-clad mountains and colourful villages to farmland, open savannah and the limestone country of the west.

Start among the rainforest around Kuranda before travelling towards Mareeba, where coffee plantations, tropical crops and open country stretch towards the horizon. From here, head west through Dimbulah to Chillagoe, where limestone caves and mining history tell another side of the region’s story.

Or turn north from Mareeba towards Mount Molloy, where the road leads in two directions. Travel towards Julatten and climb into the upland rainforest of Mount Lewis, or continue through cattle country towards Bustard Downs and Mount Carbine.

Whichever road you choose, allow time to stop along the way. Wildlife, local produce, country towns, walking trails and reminders of the region’s mining and pioneering past are all part of exploring the northern Atherton Tablelands.

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Kuranda

A village in the rainforest

Colourful and quirky, Kuranda is a mountain village surrounded by World Heritage rainforest, just 25 kilometres north-west of Cairns. For generations, visitors have made their way up the range to see the mighty 125m Barron (Din Din) Falls, explore the rainforest and experience a village shaped by artists, makers and people drawn to its tropical mountain setting.

There is plenty to fill a day, from wildlife attractions and walking trails to river cruises, markets, galleries and places to eat. The journey can be part of the experience too, travelling through the mountains aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway or gliding above the rainforest canopy on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Wildlife, rainforest and plenty to discover

Kuranda is also one of those places where you can encounter a range of Australia’s most famous wildlife in one day. See kangaroos and wombats up close, step inside a butterfly aviary filled with colourful tropical species, and come face to face with reptiles including some of the world’s most venomous snakes.

Have your photo taken holding a koala, feed wallabies or stack up against a life-size Allosaurus replica. These experiences sit among the rainforest that surrounds the village, bringing wildlife and nature into almost every part of a day in Kuranda.

Birdlife is another part of the experience, while the surrounding Wet Tropics rainforest brings wildlife right to the edge of the village.

Spend a few hours or make a day of it. Kuranda combines rainforest, wildlife, markets, Indigenous culture, local art and one of Tropical North Queensland’s most memorable journeys into the mountains.

More ways to experience Kuranda

There is more to Kuranda than its wildlife attractions. Watch traditional Indigenous dance performances, take a riverboat cruise along the Barron River or explore the village’s gemstone museum. Walking trails lead into the surrounding rainforest, while lookouts provide another perspective on the landscape and Barron Falls.

Kuranda’s location also makes getting there part of the experience. Kuranda Scenic Railway winds through the mountains, past waterfalls and across bridges on its journey between Cairns and Kuranda, while Skyrail Rainforest Cableway travels above the rainforest canopy. You can also drive up the range and explore at your own pace.

Markets, makers and local finds

Kuranda’s markets have been part of the village for decades and remain one of the best places to experience its creative side. Look for handmade local products, opals, wood art, didgeridoos and authentic Indigenous artefacts, alongside locally made clothing, leather goods, kangaroo skins and Australian souvenirs.

Artists and makers have been drawn to Kuranda for generations, and that creative character continues through its markets, galleries and shops. You can find everything from an inexpensive keepsake to individual artisan pieces to take home.

Historic buildings around the village are also home to cafés, restaurants, bars and grills. Stop for lunch, find an alfresco table and spend some time enjoying the sights and sounds of the village before continuing your day.

Travel west from Kuranda and the landscape begins to change almost immediately. Dense rainforest starts to open and, by the time you reach Mareeba, farmland, tropical crops and dry savannah stretch across the horizon.

It is a striking change in scenery and the starting point for journeys west towards Dimbulah and Chillagoe or north towards Mount Molloy.

Mareeba

Mareeba is a meeting point of cultures, landscapes and flavours, and a natural base for exploring the northern Atherton Tablelands.

With more than 300 sunny days a year and a drier climate than the rainforest country to the east, the surrounding landscape supports coffee plantations, tropical fruit farms and vineyards. Stop at cellar doors and farm gates, taste locally grown coffee and tropical produce, or learn more about the people and industries that shaped the district at the Mareeba Heritage Museum and Visitor Information Centre.

Mareeba’s open skies have also made it one of Australia’s best-known places for hot air ballooning, while the surrounding bushland provides mountain biking, walking, wildlife and other ways to get outdoors.

The town is home to some of the region’s biggest annual events, including the Mareeba Rodeo and Savannah in the Round, and is the jumping-off point for journeys west along the Wheelbarrow Way or north towards Mount Molloy and beyond.

Taste the Mareeba district

The Mareeba district is one of the Atherton Tablelands’ major food-producing areas, with coffee, tropical fruit, wine and other crops grown in the warm, dry conditions.

Coffee is one of the district’s best-known products. Visit local plantations and roasteries to see how beans are grown and roasted, then sit down to taste the result. Around Mareeba you can also sample tropical fruit, visit wineries and distilleries, and stop at farm gates and roadside stalls to see what is in season.

See Mareeba from above

Early morning brings a completely different view of Mareeba. Hot air balloons rise over farmland and open savannah as the first light reaches the ranges, with the district’s patchwork of fields, bushland and waterways unfolding below.

Mareeba’s climate and open country have made ballooning one of the area’s signature experiences. Flights generally depart around sunrise, leaving the rest of the day free to continue exploring the northern Atherton Tablelands.

Hit the trails

Between Mareeba and Kuranda, Davies Creek Mountain Bike Park takes riders through open woodland, granite country and creek crossings on a network of purpose-built trails.

There are trails for different abilities, with the landscape changing between bloodwood forest, stringybarks, she-oaks, cycads and grass trees. It is another side of the Mareeba district and a good reason to get off the highway and spend some time exploring outdoors.

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More things to do around Mareeba

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Heading West

Leave Mareeba behind and follow the Wheelbarrow Way towards Dimbulah and Chillagoe. Farmland gradually gives way to open woodland and drier country, while old railway sidings, mining settlements and small towns reveal the history of the road west.

The journey takes its name from the miners who once walked these roads carrying their possessions in wheelbarrows as they searched for work and new opportunities on the mineral fields.

Dimbulah

Explore the past and present in Dimbulah, a charming town with a rich history rooted in the Hodgkinson Goldfield. Established in 1876, Dimbulah thrived as a mining hub before transitioning to a focus on agriculture.

Today, the landscape is adorned with sugar cane, mango, and lychee plantations. A notable point of interest is the meticulously restored rail station for the Savannahlander line connecting Cairns and Forsayth.

Chillagoe

By the time you reach Chillagoe, the landscape has changed again. Limestone outcrops rise from open woodland and remnants of the town’s mining past sit among a landscape shaped over hundreds of millions of years.

While the anticipated copper mother lode eluded Chillagoe, the remnants of the ore smelter and a tall brick chimney stand as iconic landmarks, offering panoramic views and insights into the region’s industrial past.

Head underground on a ranger-guided tour of the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves, where limestone formations fill a network of caverns beneath the surrounding hills. Above ground, follow short walking tracks, explore historic mining sites and visit the remains of the Chillagoe Smelters.

→ Everything from Chillagoe to Mutchilba

Do not rush the return journey. The road between Mareeba and Chillagoe is part of the experience, passing through changing landscapes and small communities that tell the story of the Atherton Tablelands’ mining and agricultural past.

Heading North

From Mareeba, follow the Mulligan Highway north as farms give way to open woodland and cattle country. Around 30 minutes later you will reach Mount Molloy, a small historic town that marks the beginning of two very different journeys through the northern Atherton Tablelands.

Mount Molloy

Once a bustling copper mining hub in the 1890s, Mount Molloy derived its name from Patrick Molloy, who stumbled upon the copper outcrop during a search for wayward bullocks. Present-day Mount Molloy, with a population hovering around 300, exudes a humble charm and hosts essential amenities like a bakery, general store, and petrol station.

From Mount Molloy, choose your next direction. Turn towards Julatten and Mount Lewis and the landscape becomes greener as you approach the Wet Tropics rainforest, or continue along the Mulligan Highway through open cattle country towards Bustard Downs and Mount Carbine.

Towards Julatten & Mount Lewis

Julatten

Just 10 minutes from Mount Molloy, Julatten sits where rainforest, farmland and mountain country meet.

This small rural community has earned an international reputation among birdwatchers, who come looking for species including Spectacled Monarchs, Pale-yellow Robins, Lesser Sooty Owls, Red-necked Crakes, Pied Monarchs, Yellow-breasted Boatbills and Orange-footed Scrubfowl.

In summer, keep watch for the colourful Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, a seasonal visitor that migrates from Papua New Guinea to breed in the rainforests of Tropical North Queensland.

Slow down, listen to the forest and keep your binoculars close. In Julatten, some of the best discoveries are found in the trees.

Mount Lewis

From the country around Julatten, the road into Mount Lewis National Park climbs steadily into a very different world.

Mount Lewis Road winds through rainforest-clad ridges and mountain spurs, climbing to more than 1,200 metres. As the elevation changes, so does the forest, with upland rainforest supporting a rich diversity of plants and wildlife.

Birdwatchers come in search of Golden Bowerbirds, Noisy Pittas, Blue-faced Parrot Finches and Chowchillas, while the drive itself offers the chance to experience some of the higher rainforest country of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The Mount Lewis Road journey is around 56 kilometres return and takes approximately three hours. There is no through access, so drivers return the way they came.

Mount Lewis Road is four-wheel drive only and is closed during wet weather to protect the road surface. Camping is not permitted in Mount Lewis National Park and there are no wheelchair-accessible facilities. Check current road and park conditions before travelling.

Towards Bustard Downs & Mount Carbine

For another change of scenery, continue north-west from Mount Molloy along the Mulligan Highway. Rainforest gives way to open woodland, grazing country and wide skies as the road leads towards Bustard Downs and Maryfarms towards Mount Carbine.

Bustard Downs

Bustard Downs offers a chance to slow down and spend some time in the rural landscape of the northern Atherton Tablelands.

The surrounding country attracts birdwatchers, bushwalkers, photographers and travellers exploring by four-wheel drive. Farmstay, bed and breakfast, caravan and camping options also make it possible to stay among the cattle country rather than simply passing through.

As you continue towards Mount Carbine, you will pass through the rural area around Mary Creek, often referred to locally as Maryfarms.

Maryfarms

Maryfarms is not a township, but a name associated with the rural properties and camping areas around Mary Creek near Mount Carbine. It is cattle country, with farm stays and camping offering another way to spend time in this quieter part of the northern Atherton Tablelands.

Mount Carbine

Further along the Mulligan Highway, Mount Carbine is another small town with a story shaped by mining.

Wolframite was discovered at nearby Carbine Hill in the 1890s, bringing miners and prospectors to the district. Today, the town provides a quiet stop and base for travellers exploring the country further north and west.

From Mount Carbine, the road continues towards places including Mount Mulligan, Palmer River and Lakeland, opening the way to another chapter of the journey through Far North Queensland.

Take the longer road

The northern Atherton Tablelands is a place where the journey matters as much as the destination. Follow the road from rainforest to savannah, stop in small country towns, look for birds among the trees, taste produce grown in the surrounding farms and explore landscapes shaped by volcanoes, limestone and generations of mining and agriculture.

Head west, head north or make time for both. Stay a little longer and see where the road takes you.

Eat, drink and shop local

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Where to stay

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Things to do

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Explore the Northern Atherton Tablelands

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Travel with our app

Keep it real: you’re not going to see it all in one go. Download the Discover Atherton Tablelands app for an on-the-ground guide to exploring waterfalls, food trails and small towns like a local.

Where the rainforest meets the outback

Kuranda

A village in the rainforest

Wildlife, rainforest and plenty to discover

More ways to experience Kuranda

Markets, makers and local finds

Mareeba

Taste the Mareeba district

See Mareeba from above

Hit the trails

More things to do around Mareeba

Davies Creek Falls, Mareeba

Davies Creek Mountain Bike Park

Emerald Creek Falls, Mareeba

Emerald Creek Ride

Hot Air Balloon

MakoTrac

Mareeba Markets

Mareeba Rodeo

Night Sky Secrets

Skybury Cafe and Roastery

The Great Wheelbarrow Race 2027

Tinaroo Creek Road Hill Climb

Heading West

Dimbulah

Chillagoe

Heading North

Mount Molloy

Towards Julatten & Mount Lewis

Julatten

Mount Lewis

Towards Bustard Downs & Mount Carbine

Bustard Downs

Maryfarms

Mount Carbine

Take the longer road

Eat, drink and shop local

Coffee Works

Emerald Creek Ice Creamery

Golden Drop Winery

Mareeba Markets

Night Sky Secrets

Skybury Cafe and Roastery

Where to stay

Australian Farm Tourism

Ironbark House Dimbulah

Jackaroo Motel

Mareeba Bush Stays

Mareeba Rodeo Grounds

Mount Carbine Caravan Park

Sweetwater Lodge

Trinity Plains Tourist Park

Things to do

Davies Creek Falls, Mareeba

Davies Creek Mountain Bike Park

Emerald Creek Falls, Mareeba

Emerald Creek Ride

Hot Air Balloon

MakoTrac

Mareeba Markets

Mareeba Rodeo

Mount Lewis

Night Sky Secrets

Skybury Cafe and Roastery

The Great Wheelbarrow Race 2027

Tinaroo Creek Road Hill Climb

Map

Explore the Northern Atherton Tablelands

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