Atherton Tablelands loop

The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau about 50 km southwest of Cairns. A loop from Cairns up to Kuranda, then Mareeba, Atherton, Lake Eacham, Yungaburra and the Waterfall Circuit gives you crater lakes, giant figs and dairy country. It is a gentle, cool-air drive that suits one or two days.

The stops

1. Start

   Cairns

2. Town

   Kuranda

   Rainforest village and markets

3. Town

   Mareeba

   Coffee and tropical fruit stops

4. Town

   Atherton

   Tableland centre

5. Town · Overnight

   Yungaburra

   Curtain Fig Tree and platypus viewing

6. Lake

   Lake Barrine

   Crater lake with a rainforest walk

7. Lake

   Lake Eacham

   Good swimming spot

8. Waterfall

   Millaa Millaa Falls

   Classic waterfall swim spot

9. Town

   Malanda

   Dairy town with a waterfall

10. Back to the start

    Cairns

Where to stay

• Night 1

  Yungaburra

  Guesthouses and holiday cabins

When to go

May to Oct; wet season can close tracks and lakes; Mar to May for waterfalls full

On the road

Sealed. Steep, winding Gillies Range road; take it slowly.