Atherton Tablelands & Cairns Highlands Region Information: Activities & Experiences

Centuries old giant trees; World Heritage mystical rainforests of the Wet Tropics; spectacular waterfalls; crystal clear streams; cool fresh air; abundant wildlife; picturesque countryside; friendly people; arts and crafts; wineries; fresh produce; fine dining — and we still haven't mentioned all the other attractions The Cairns Highlands has to offer.

Whether you come for a weekend getaway or for a more extended stay — you'll find that there is so much so see and do on the Atherton Tablelands.

Things to do Under 30 Minutes From Grandview

The Millaa Millaa Waterfall Circuit (15 minutes from Grandview). This picturesque drive winds through some of the best scenery of the Southern Cairns Highlands. Start at the popular Millaa Millaa falls then on to Zillie and Ellinjaa Falls.
Millaa Millaa village and Lookout (10 minutes from Grandview). The view from Millaa Millaa lookout epitomises the Atherton Tablelands — a patchwork of rolling green hills interspersed with stands of rainforest and the stunning beauty of the World Heritage listed Wooroonooran National Park. Enjoy the historic village of Millaa Millaa — browse through local crafts and souvenirs and you might even be tempted by the beauty of the opals.
Hastie's Swamp National Park (25 minutes from Grandview). A well–established bird watching area with approximately 150 recorded species and features an excellent all–weather hide for bird watching.
Yungaburra Village (20 minutes from Grandview). Historic village with arts, crafts, monthly markets and award winning restaurants. Curtain Fig Tree. Petersen Creek Walking Track with platypus viewing.
Malanda Township (10 minutes from Grandview). Home of the famous Malanda Milk with the longest milk run in the world. Malanda Falls Conservation Park & Tulip Oak Walk on the edge of the North Johnstone River. Platypus and turtle viewing with easy walks amongst the World Heritage Wet Tropics Rainforest. Monthly markets, the Malanda mosaics trail, and the Malanda Dairy Centre with tours of The Dairy Farmers Milk Factory, restaurant and museum.
Lake Eacham (20 minutes from Grandview). Picturesque Crater Lake in World Heritage Rainforest with abundant wildlife and rainforest walks. Take a short walk to the giant Red Cedar (35m in height).
Lake Barrine (25 minutes from Grandview). The largest crater lake on the Cairns Highlands features a relaxing cruise of the lake. Relax at the Lake Barrine Teahouse (owned and operated by the same family for 3 generations) and enjoy a devonshire tea or a light lunch. Take a short walk to the Twin Kauri Pines — amongst Australia's oldest trees with an estimated age of 1000 years.
Mungali Creek Organic/BioDynamic Dairy (30 minutes from Grandview). North Queensland's only boutique farmhouse cheesery and tea house offering free cheese tasting and unique dairy products.
Nerada Tea (20 minutes from Grandview). Enjoy a cup of locally produced tea. Guided tours of the processing factory.

Atherton Tablelands Markets

Yungaburra Markets — Fourth Saturday of the Month
Malanda Markets — Third Saturday of the Month at the Malanda Showgrounds.
Atherton Markets — First Saturday of the Month at Platypus Park, Herberton Road, Atherton.
Tolga Markets — First Sunday of the Month at the Morrow Park Racecourse, Tolga.
Mareeba Markets — Second Saturday of the Month at Mareeba Heritage Museum.
Innot Hot Springs and Kairi Markets — Second Sunday of the Month.
Herberton Markets — Third Sunday of the Month at Wondecla Sports Ground, Wondecla.
Ravenshoe Markets — Fourth Sunday of the Month at the Ravenshoe Railway Station, Grigg Street.
Ravenshoe Lions Markets — Every second Sunday each month at Archer Creek on the Kennedy Highway.
Kuranda Markets — 7 days a week.
Walkamin Markets — Every second Sunday of the Month next to the Walkamin Sports Complex.
Kairi Markets — Every third Sunday of the Month in the park across the road from the Kairi Hotel.

Athterton Tablelands Events

Yungaburra Folk Festival — annual festival held in October.
Yungaburra Jazz Festival — annual festival held in October.
Lake Tinaroo Barra Bash — annual barramundi fishing competition held in October or November.
Malanda Show — annual agricultural show held in July.
Mareeba Shire Wheelbarrow Race — annual event held in May.
Atherton Maize Festival — annual festival held in August.
Undara Opera in the Outback — annual event held in October.
Walkamin Country Music Festival — annual festival held in October.

Tours & Attractions of the Atherton Tablelands & Cairns

Tarzali Lakes — family fishing fun and platypus tours.
Hillside Eden, Tarzali — A tranquil, tropical garden and teahouse experience.
Malanda Falls Visitor Centre. Features interpretative displays of the Wet Tropics Rainforests, geology and history of the Atherton Tablelands. Guided Rainforest Walks — through the Malanda Conservation Park with an Aboriginal Elder. (Personalised tours available by appointment.) Grandview can book walks for our guests.
Majestic Theatre, Malanda — The Majestic Theatre is one of the oldest continually operating country picture theatres in Australia. It is an icon of national cinema heritage and Far North Queensland settler history and architecture. Weekly screenings of latest release movies and regular amateur theatre productions by the very popular Malanda Theatre Company.
Wait-a-While Craft Studio, Malanda. Unique, locally handcrafted gifts for every occasion.
Malanda Dairy Centre — A great place to explore the Dairying past and present of the Atherton Tablelands and enjoy a great meal or a delicious milk shake from the best milk in Australia!
Nerada Tea, Malanda — Take a factory tour and discover the world of tea.
Millaa Millaa — Situated in the heart of the Waterfalls Circuit. Millaa Milla is a delightful spot to take in magnificent scenery, stop for a leisurely meal and take in unique shops such as The Opal Shop and Mungali Creek Dairy & Biodynamic Farm
Gallo Dairyland, Atherton — a fully functional dairy farm that is producing a range of gourmet dairy products and hand crafted chocolates.
Crystal Caves & Fascinating Facets Atherton — Gemstones, Crystals & Minerals. Displaying & selling crystals & fossils from around the world.
Atherton Chinatown — Atherton Chinatown (now managed by the National Trust) developed in the late 1800s, and by the late 1920s was almost deserted. The town left a legacy: a highly significant archaeological site and a unique Chinese temple.
At a Glance — Australian Nature Based writing, editing, photography, web design.
Wild Mountain Cellars — a boutique winery located in historic Yungaburra village.
Spy & Camera Museum, Herberton — You will be astounded at the number of cameras on display in this collection including the world’s oldest and smallest cameras, oldest sewing machine, Police pocket watch camera 1904, Russian spy cameras, WW II cameras, Nikon million dollar collectable cameras. Personalised tours with digital camera demonstration and advice available.
Maloberti’s NQ Gold Coffee Plantation, Mareeba — Where we plant, nurture, harvest and finally roast all the coffee we grow to make the perfect coffee for you. “From the coffee bush to the coffee cup”.
Coffee Works — Arabicas Coffee are Tropical Australia's original coffee roasters and have been roasting since 1988. 100% Australian family owned and operated, we have become known as the people to see for quality Australian coffees and creative Arabica Australian coffee blends fresh from the roaster. We select and roast only the best arabica coffees from the local Cairns Highlands area of Tropical North Queensland and origin beans from around the world.
Tolga Woodworks — Tolga Woodworks Gallery & Café on the Atherton Tablelands, is a most prestigious woodworking centre, which showcases a superb collection of woodwork and craft.
Mt Uncle Distillery This award winning tourist destination produces and sells a large variety of 100% naturally flavoured liqueurs including: Banana Liqueur, Coffee Liqueur, Mulberry Liqueur, Mango Liqueur, Limecello and Lemoncello.
Ballooning with Hot Air — Operating the Best Priced Balloon rides in Australia, we fly from Cairns & Port Douglas, so if this is your first time, come fly with Australia's Favourite Hot Air Balloon ride (Grandview can arrange your Hot Air Balloon Flight.)
Paronella Park — Come and experience a unique part of the Cairns rainforest, incorporating guided tours, indigenous aboriginal cultural experiences, bush tucker walks, self-guided botanical walks and night tours. (Grandview can arrange your Paronella Park tours.)
DiveTheReef.com — Research and book your Great Barrier Reef diving and other adventures using DiveTheReef's comprehensive listing of dive and snorkel trips, safaris, skydiving, white water rafting and other adventures, ranging from mild to wild! There's also a wealth of news and background information and news on the Great Barrier Reef, the adjacent tropical rain forests, and the outback as well (Grandview can arrange your DiveTheReef experience.)
Skyrail Kuranda — The Skyrail experience, spanning 7.5kms over pristine rainforest, allows you to explore the wonders of an ancient tropical rainforest and learn about one of the most botanically fascinating and diverse areas on earth. Gliding just metres above the rainforest canopy in comfortable six-person gondola cabins, the Skyrail journey immerses you in an intimate rainforest experience where you’ll see, hear, smell and become part of the tropical rainforest environment. (Grandview can arrange your Skyrail experience.)
Chillagoe — Chillagoe is the Australian outback on the doorstep of Cairns — a remarkable destination that blends history, folklore and a hint of scandal in a spectacular landscape strewn with ancient coral reefs, fantastic cave systems and the debris of numerous mining ventures. Travel into the mysterious country and discover its Dreamtime past which has a presence that pervades every nook and cranny.
Undara — as ancient and alluring as the continent itself, the Undara Lava Tubes stand as silent sentinels to our pre-history. Walk in the path of a volcano. Located on the eastern edge of the ruggedly beautiful Gulf Savannah region of northern Australia, the multi-award winning Undara Experience captures the essence of the real Australian Outback — only 2 hours drive from Grandview Undara lava tubes can be included as part of your holiday at Grandview. (Grandview can arrange your Undara Experience tours.)
Sunlover Cruises — At Sunlover Reef Cruises, we have had the pleasure of introducing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the magic of the Great Barrier Reef through our express daily luxury cruises from Cairns. We love the reef and we love showing it off. We would love to show you too (Grandview can arrange your Sunlover Great Barrier Reef Cruise.)