The Tropical Tablelands Tourism region encompasses an area of more than 20,000 sq. km, including the Atherton Tablelands/Cairns Highlands, the Outback areas of Chillagoe with its limestone caves and the Undara lava tubes on the Savannah Way.

World Heritage Rainforest

The Atherton Tablelands/Cairns Highlands is a blend of the best attractions of the wet tropics and the dry outback charm; a combination of nature and lifestyle at its finest. Among the World Heritage listed rainforests, national parks, mountains, rivers, lakes and waterfalls are some of Australia's richest agricultural lands, cattle country and charming small townships.

The rural landscape of the Atherton Tablelands/Cairns Highlands is green throughout most of the year, with a temperature which rarely exceeds 30 degrees C. Everything, including the people, thrives on this cool tropical plateau some 600-1100 metres above sea level where temperatures and humidity are lower than on the coastal plain. The Outback is the opposite with its parched appearance changing to verdant green in the Wet Season and the temperature sometimes hits 40 degrees with low humidity

Attractions

For visitors, the Tablelands and Outback present opportunities for bush walking, bird watching, limestone cave tours, a wildlife cruise, marsupial spotting, hot air ballooning and water sports as diverse as fishing, water skiing and white water rafting. Here settlers from all over the world share their arts, crafts, music and festivals.

Winding roads lead to spectacular lookouts and waterfalls, and highlights include Australia's widest waterfall - Millstream Falls - and many others flowing all year round, the deep blue waters of extinct volcano crater lakes, Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham, the ancient Bromfield Swamp near Malanda and the Mt. Hypipamee Crater National Park near Herberton. A little further West, the lush farming lands change to Wooded Savannah with dry creek beds, wandering cattle and the beautiful ochre colours of the Outback

Rare and Endangered Regional Wildlife

Wildlife is abundant on the Tablelands and in the Outback, as a night time spotlighting tour will show. There are possibilities of seeing shy tree kangaroos, wallabies, possums, sugar gliders and the Tablelands is the best place in Australia to see a reclusive platypus from the vantage point of a cool riverbank.

Accommodation & Dining in our Region

Classic old hotels, motels, guest houses, backpackers, farm stays, boutique style cottages and caravan and camping parks provide the ideal base for exploring.

There are excellent restaurants and cafes to enjoy, weekend markets, and many World War 2 troop staging sites.

The special attractions of the Atherton Tablelands/Cairn Highlands postcard-like towns and villages will captivate any visitor.