Road trip to Atherton
Whilst in Port Douglas we spent a day in the Atherton Tablelands, approximately two hours drive away.
There’s so much to see and do in the vast Atherton Tablelands region, it’s impossible to fit everything into one day. So we enjoyed a taste of everything – waterfalls, sights and local food and drink.
Our first stop was the Lake Barrine Tea House, overlooking Lake Barrine, for morning tea. We enjoyed a pot of tea and scones while taking in the picturesque view. The scones were fluffy and delicious and the jam was from local producer Rainforest Bounty.
Lake Barrine
Tea and scone time at Lake Barrine Tea House
There are 13 waterfalls in the Atherton Tablelands and as we wanted to also include food and drink into our day we decided to visit the most convenient and well-known waterfalls along The Waterfall Circuit route – Millaa Millaa Falls, Zillie Falls and Ellinjaa Falls.
They were all within a 17km loop of each other and reasonably easy to get down to view, not requiring a strenuous hike.
Millaa Millaa Falls
Zillie Falls
Ellinjaa Falls
After waterfalls it was time for another food stop. We had lunch of a cheese platter at Mungalli Creek Dairy. The platter comprised numerous cheeses, crackers, dip, pickled onions, boiled eggs, fruit and vegetables, chutney, olives and bread.
Our cheese platter
It was time to digest and get active again. We stopped at the giant fig tree – Curtain Fig Tree – and walked around the forest boardwalk.
Curtain Fig Tree
We finished the day with a few more tastings and coffee at Gallo Dairyland (cheese and chocolate), Coffee Works (coffee, tea, liqueur and chocolate) and Emerald Creek Ice-Creamery before heading back to Port Douglas for our last night.
Coffee time at Coffee Works
Ice cream in the Tablelands
Besides waterfalls and food and drink, the Atherton Tablelands also offers heritage sights, hiking and biking, geological wonders, wildlife, art galleries and markets. You can also stay in the region at a diverse range of accommodation options.
After Port Douglas it was time to pack up my life in Brisbane and move back to Perth for my super exciting new role. I will share some of the wanders I have been on so far soon.
LWL xxx