Top Things to do in Atherton Tablelands
Top Hotels in Atherton Tablelands
Top 10 Nature & Parks in Atherton Tablelands, Queensland
Discover the best top things to do in Atherton Tablelands, Australia including Nandroya Falls, Davies Creek Mountain Bike Park, KUR-Cow Barnwell Farm, Lambs Head (Kahlpahlim Rock), Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, BatReach, Barron Falls, Atherton Tablelands, The Australian Platypus Park at Tarzali Lakes, Birdworld Kuranda.
Restaurants in Atherton Tablelands
1. Nandroya Falls
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By JilliBn - Gold Coast, Australia
Nice walk, best done early morning. Recommended to take insect repellent as march flies are notorious and do sting. I had terrible reactions and was covered in inflamed, itchy bites for weeks. Other than that I really enjoyed the walk.
2. Davies Creek Mountain Bike Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By mazzaintazza - London, United Kingdom
Thanks to the Parks service for providing and maintaining this AWESOME set of trails. It's about 60km from Cairns, so a bit of an effort to get there, and the final 2km is unsealed but I was ok going slowly in my 2WD car. There are no toilet or water facilities on site, but a big car park through which you access the trail head. There are 3 connected green trails, between 2 and 10km in length. Very well signposted, just the colour and number, and no silly names or sections to confuse you! There are also a couple of blue trails. About 4km in to trail 1 there's a mobile phone reception point- v thoughtful idea. The Green trails are flowing and not that technical; some sections wide enough for a vehicle, some lovely single-track sections. Trails 5 and 7 in particular were a delight, fast and flowing through lovely trees and alongside termite mounds and the occasional large cow. I spent about 2.5 hours and didn't see anyone else. Heaven! Great stuff.
3. KUR-Cow Barnwell Farm
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 15 reviews
G'day mate! Looking for a fun day out for the family? Welcome to Kur-Cow Barnwell Farm - a working cattle station located in tropical North Queensland. We've got activities to entertain the whole family! We are also open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner! Bookings essential.
Reviewed By 967garethj
Popped up to KUR-Cow on a cosy winter Saturday morning for a fun activity (we wanted to try ATV quad biking!). The course was great fun, the instructor, Jennifer was lovely and gave us two options of a more basic route... or a more adventurous option... We took the latter through the creek, stopping to feed the bull and cows (and a baby calf) on the way! After the ATV we stayed for lunch, while it was cooking we got to feed the horses, goats, alpacas and ponies as well as have a look at the bird menagerie. The food was epic! We sat with an incredible view of the rainforest... and some of the best ribs I've had in Cairns (we went for the low n slow lunch as we were there early... But talking to the staff they mentioned better for evening BBQ (they also said they host a sunset view, which I think would be nice, so thinking of driving back again one evening). There aren't any signs, but easy enough to find with Google maps or sat nav, at the junction it top of Kuranda range just follow the road opposite (reverse direction) to Kuranda Village. Overall definitely worth a morning trip, and tempted to go back for a horse ride and sunset BBQ!
4. Lambs Head (Kahlpahlim Rock)
5. Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,329 reviews
The largest butterfly flight aviary and exhibit in Australia - an all weather experience in the heart of the Kuranda village. Home to over 1500 magnificent butterflies, youll be enchanted by the arial dynamics of these elusive wonders of nature as you wonder through the aviary's rainforest gardens.
Reviewed By jesseyf2015 - Paris, France
Incredible, if you’ve never been to a butterfly sanctuary you need to go! They have many different kinds of butterflies flying freely which is amazing to be amongst and watch them dance around the air around you. It’s a really pretty garden too!
6. BatReach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 46 reviews
Fruit bat rehabilitation center
Reviewed By Dotticow - Adelaide, Australia
Second visit for us from South Australia and the reason we chose to stay in Kuranda for last couple of nights of our QLD trip. Always a pleasure to hear from Pam and see some of the rescues. Iain also was able to give some interesting facts and give us an unforgettable experience with the bats. They are not currently routinely open and rely on donations so it was lucky and a pleasure to visit briefly. The bats and wildlife rescues come first as they should and are not exploited or hurt in any way. Some of the long term residents that could not be released are used at times to provide education but never for long and not causing discomfort. As a someone who did wildlife rescue for few years I admire Pam's energy and dedication. I don't visit zoos or agree with animals in captivity. I like that Pam's focus remains on rescue,rehab and release. It's refreshing!
7. Barron Falls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,055 reviews
Reviewed By LeoDeSousa2020 - Brisbane, Australia
Highly recommend even if you don’t do the Skyrail or train you can easily drive to the falls and follow down the natural wetlands to the viewing platform.
8. Atherton Tablelands
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 58 reviews
Reviewed By O3091NYstevea - Brisbane, Australia
Stunning scenery and very relaxed people. A vehicle is the only way to explore the area at your pace,
9. The Australian Platypus Park at Tarzali Lakes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 158 reviews
The Australian Platypus Park is home to a thriving platypus population. These wonderful creatures can be found in a spring fed pond surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. This magnificent setting draws in enthusiastic visitors from all over the globe. Dining is available in the Smokehouse Cafe, which serves a selection of great meals at reasonable prices, and we are licensed so you can enjoy a drink with your meal or snack. The Smokehouse Cafe opens at 8am with Guided Platypus tours starting at 9am and departing every 30 minutes throughout the day. Breakfast Menu 8am til 11am Main Menu from 11am to 4pm Platypus Tours every 30 minutes starting at 9am. Last tour starts at 4pm.
Reviewed By sjkingsb
Such a lovely place for a stop in the Tablelands. The staff are very friendly and beyond helpful, offering so much information about the property and the area. The grounds are immaculate and peaceful, very enjoyable to walk around. Food in the cafe is delicious and affordable. The hand smoked salamis and ham are also well worth taking home. Thoroughly recommend stopping for a visit.
10. Birdworld Kuranda
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 759 reviews
Home to the largest single collection of free flying birds in Australia (some 500 of them!), Birdworld Kuranda in the Australian highlands of the Atherton Tablelands displays no less than 75 species of the most spectacular birds from all corners of the planet - as well as from the earth’s fast diminishing rainforests.Visitors are free to wander through the lush, tropically landscaped bird sanctuary to observe the birds in their own specific - yet natural - habitats. Two lakes connected by a tumbling waterfall for example are home to waterbirds such as stilts, herons and Australia’s own unique Black Swan. In Birdworld's rainforest canopy overhead, blue, gold and scarlet Macaws dazzle with colourful brilliance as they soar above the tree tops. One outstanding Birdworld denizen not to be missed is that rare avian giant, the Cassowary - an Australian bird now officially enlisted as endangered.Designed to "create a centre where birds would be showcased in their natural environment without the barriers of cages coming between them and their admiring public", Birdworld Kuranda is a photographer's paradise. (And without those barriers, visitors often find a feathered friend nestling on their shoulder - a golden photo opportunity!) Birdworld Kuranda can provide guided tours for all group bookings.
Reviewed By bmccl22 - Daintree, Australia
I was visiting Kuranda for work and decided to stop in and say hello to some feathered friends at Birdworld while I was there. I was quite impressed with the variety of species they have. At first the area seems small, but because it is a free flying aviary, I found I had to do about 2-3 loops around the track to see all the different birds. The experience is very interactive, they have several Parrots and Macaws who won’t hesitate to fly over and sit on your shoulder or arm. I would recommend being careful what jewellery or accessories you have on as birds do love shiny things and Tango, one of the younger Macaws, spent a lot of time eyeing off my earrings (though I wasn’t upset because he did a great job posing for me in the process). Overall I found this a much better way to view bird life than seeing them in small cages at a standard zoo, though I would not recommend it to people who aren’t comfortable being up close and personal with animals.
