Atherton Qld

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Atherton is the largest town on the Tablelands, and is the first town since visiting Mt Isa that has had a Woolworths, a Coles and an IGA Supermarket. It was good to be able to top up our fruit/veg and groceries. Atherton lies in the middle of rich agricultural country, with fertile volcanic soils that can grow just about anything. We stayed in the Big4 NRMA Caravan Park, which was the most picturesque and tropical park we have stayed in to date. The area reminds me of the Byron Hinterland.

Our first tourist offering was to drive to the historic village of Herberton, which has a uniquely preserved old town which has been faithfully restored. Whilst having lunch at the cafe in the village, we met the owners, who purchased the village in a run down state in 1973, and set about returning it to it's glory days. The owners, staff and volunteers have done an amazing job to recreate life in an 1880's mining town, with much of the old machinery and equipment faithfully restored to full working order. It is similar to Timbertown, except on a larger scale. Given my heritage, I was very interested in the Blacksmith Shop. After completing our visit of the historic village, we visited the Herberton Mining Museum, which documented the history of the search for tin in the surrounding hills.

When we visited Kalkani Crater, we were informed about Mount Hypipamee, an extinct volcano crater containing a lake. Thus, the next day, we headed out to see this unique crater, and also did the rainforest walk there to see Dinner Falls. We next headed for the small town of Malanda, on the way stopping to see Bromfield Crater Swamp, which is renowned for it's birdlife. We checked out Malanda Falls, did a few rainforest walks near the falls and then had a delicious lunch at a health food cafe. Following lunch, we drove to Lake Eacham, which was simply stunning and I resolved to return for a swim in the clear blue water lake. After taking the 3 km walking circuit around Lake Eacham, we drove back through the town of Yungaburra to see the Curtain Fig Tree.

We wanted to visit as many of the fruit and produce farms as possible, and our first visit of the day was to go to Humpy Nut World, which supplied numerous gluten free products and produce. We then visited Shaylee Strawberry Farm, where Kim purchased a mega punnet of freshly picked strawberries, which she stated were the best she had ever tasted. I am not a big strawberry fan, but I have to admit they were pretty good. We then drove to see Gallo Dairyland, and then on to see the Nerada Tea Estate, where we had morning tea. After morning tea, we drove to Lake Barrine, but were unable to do the lake circuit, as portion of the path was closed for repairs. We then drove to picturesque Lake Tinaroo, where we had a picnic lunch, and then visited the Avenue of Honour beside the lake, a war memorial to the soldiers who fought in Afghanistan. The memorial was founded by the family of a soldier who was killed in a Blackhawk crash in Afghanistan. It was sobering to see the list of brave young men who gave their life for their country.

Our caravan park was located at the foot of Yabi and Baldy Mountains, and the next day we set out to climb to the lookouts of these high peaks. It was quite a warm day when we set out, and we bailed after climbing to the lookout on Mt Yabi. It was such a steep walk totalling 5.6 kms, and we didn't feel the views would be any better from Mt Baldy. And we were exhausted. After arriving back at the caravan park, we relaxed in the heated swimming pool in the park.

One of the activities I miss most, is my Sunday morning bike rides, and with the Atherton Rail Trail starting less than a kilometre away, I phoned a bike hire place, and arranged to ride the rail trail. The bike hire owner warned me that the trail was 20.5 kms long, and all downhill to Walkamin, and conversely, all uphill from there back, plus the wind will be in your face. I was feeling supremely confident, and I cruised to Walkamin in just over an hour. It was near the middle of the day when I set off to ride back, and the words of the bike hire guy came back to haunt me. It was a hard uphill slog, riding into the wind, and the day was getting hotter by the minute. I had emptied my water bottle by the time I reached Tolga, and had to divert into that town to buy some cool water. It took me two and a half hours ride back to Atherton, and I could barely lift my legs over the bike at the end. Still, it was good to finish the full Atherton Rail Trail. There was a concert in the caravan park that afternoon, which was great, and a Pizza Van was serving delicious pizzas. Kim and I shared a large GF Pizza.

We called in again the next day to Shaylee Strawberry Farm for another mega punnet of strawberries. and then proceeded to Yungaburra Markets, which boasts some 250 market stalls. Following the markets, we drove to the nearby Cathedral Fig Tree, and drove back to Lake Eacham for lunch. As it was a warm sunny day, I had a swim in the clear blue lake, which actually has a sign stating that there is a freshwater crocodile in the lake, than can become aggressive if approached. I stayed fairly close to shore. On the way back to the park, we called in to Hallorans Hill Lookout for a panoramic view over the tablelands.

We loved our stay at Atherton, and it is an area that we would love to visit again one day.

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Comments

[Britt]

How beautiful is that tree!!! :)