Crater Lakes Rainforest Cottages

The Southern part of the Tablelands is an area of great beauty, rolling green pastures, hills and lakes formed by volcanic activity, interspersed with pockets of World Heritage Rainforest, waterfalls, crater lakes and small historical townships. We are a one-hour drive from Cairns up the Gillies Range.

Relax and enjoy your surroundings:
Take a short walk from our cottages, this will bring you to the start of the 500m walking track through rainforest to Lake Eacham. From there you can do the 4km circuit track through the rainforest on the edge of Lake Eacham. This is a very pleasant and well-maintained walk and will take about one hour.

Lake Eacham offers safe all year swimming in its pristine waters, and an ideal picnic venue.

About 300m from Lake Eacham, is a short walk that takes in Vision Falls and a few small waterfalls. It is not signed or maintained, but is very pretty, and takes about 20 mins.

Nocturnal/ Birding Tours:
A guided nocturnal rainforest animal tour can be arranged with Wait-a While Tours. They will pick you up from Lake Barrine about 4 pm, then on to a platypus spotting site. Dinner is provided at either Nicks Restaurant in Yungaburra or the Millbarn in Atherton. Then it is further up the mountain for a night spotlight tour. Drop off is about 10.30pm. The price is about $154 per person, but includes dinner and both platypus and night spotting. Tour is subject to availability.

A very experienced personal tour guide is available by booking only. Jonathan Munro is a naturalist guide, specializing in both nocturnal and daytime wildlife and birding tours. Tours are tailored to your requirements.

Glenn Holmes is a consulting ecologist for various government bodies etc. He has extensive knowledge of rainforest ecology and is very experienced in birdwatching and guiding. He will guide you from your own vehicle at probably the best rates locally. Tours tailored to suit you, booking essential.

Yungaburra:
At the Historical Yungaburra Village (8 mins by car), browse though The Chalet Rainforest Gallery, Quincan Gallery, Ludji Peden Studio Gallery (weekends only) and Yungaburra Antiques (a few kms outside the township). The town boasts award winning restaurants, and a small supermarket. There is a Platypus viewing hide at the creek at the edge of town. Just outside of town, there is a short walk through the rainforest to the Curtain Fig tree. This tree has been formed when seeds were deposited high in a host tree by birds. The fig tree has sent down aerial roots to the ground, and in time the host tree has died, leaving a huge curtain of aerial roots.

Departing from Tinaburra (close to Yungaburra) are Wildlife Cruises on the quiet backwaters of Lake Tinaroo. $30 for 2 hrs anytime during the day, or $35 for 2 hr sunset cruise including champagne and nibbles. Advance bookings only.

Lake Barrine:
Visit Lake Barrine (10minutes away by car). They have a rainforest cruise (approx $10 per person), a tea-house (the Devonshire teas are highly recommended), and a well maintained 6km circuit track.

Malanda:
At Malanda Falls (10 minutes away by car) you can take a walk extremely informative one hour walk through the rainforest with an Aboriginal Guide. Thursday – Sunday, 10.30 am and 2 pm, only $5 per adult, booking essential.

While at Malanda visit the Wait-a-while Craft Studio and Malanda Antiques Store.

The Mt Hypipamee Crater National Park:

From Malanda Falls, take the drive past Bromfield Swamp on the way to Ravenshoe. Here you will find the Mt Hypipamee Crater National Park. It is very interesting and has a very good 300m rainforest walk to the crater (an extinct blow hole), and to Dinner Falls. A visitor has had a very good sighting of a platypus sunning itself in a rock pool near the falls.

Millaa Millaa to Mungalli:

Just outside the town of Tarzali, halfway between Malanda and Millaa Millaa, is Tarzali Lakes Fishing Park. You can catch a Nth Qld Jade Perch for approx $25 per half day for an adult, and $5 to take a fish home. Everything is supplied, and you are guaranteed a fish. Bookings essential.

The Waterfall Circuit is a nice drive just out of Millaa Millaa. The first falls you visit is the beautiful Millaa Millaa falls, which has been used a lot in advertising around the world. You drive on to visit another 2 waterfalls. At Millaa Millaa, visit the small local museum.

Further on towards Mungalli Falls, visit the Mungalli Dairy, which has a teahouse open for morning tea, Lunch or afternoon tea, and view Cheese making on most days. Open 10am to 4pm. Try the yummy cheese platter.

There is plenty more to see on the Tablelands:

If you want to venture in a more westerly direction, the country turns drier. This is the home of the outback mining town of Herberton. You can also reach Herberton via a steam train journey from Atherton, (Wednesday and Sunday 10.30am – 3.00pm– maintenance permitting).

Accessible from Kairi, near Atherton, Lake Tinaroo is a man made lake, popular for its year round barramundi fishing. You can drive its length along the Danbulla Forest Drive, with numerous picnic areas and walks along the way. You can hire a small boat if you want to fish, or have an experienced fishing guide look after you, Jack Leighton is highly recommended.

At Atherton you can visit the historical Hou Wang Chinese Temple, or do some shopping at Atherton Antiques. Off the Herberton Road, you will find Hastie Swamp and bird Viewing Hide (best at sunrise & sunset). At Tolga near Atherton, visit the Tolga Woodworks, for some locally made timber crafts and furniture.

Heading North is Mareeba. From there you can visit NQ Gold Coffee Plantation, or Golden Drop Mango Winery, or take an early morning balloon flight. The Mareeba Wetlands ($8 entry) is a must for bird enthusiasts. It has an interpretive centre, tours & walks, canoe hire and 2 hour twilight cruises, open April - December, Wednesday - Sunday.

Kuranda is situated on the North Eastern part of the Tablelands. An alternate lifestyle village boasting a popular market, bird and butterfly sanctuaries, and the terminus for a hugely successful Skyrail and train journey, that make their way up and down the range from Smithfield south of Cairns.

I think the most enjoyable part of your stay here will be awaking to the bird song, and the dappled light through the trees, and sharing your breakfast with the cute wallabies and the brush turkeys.

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