The Atherton Tablelands are inland from Cairns and offer a lot of wonderful scenery and opportunities to EXPLORE... my favourite pastime!
This link, which I admit I have only just discovered now, after leaving the area, will provide you will some great information and inspire your visit: Discover Atherton Tablelands | Official Holiday & Travel Guide.
As you will see from my last post I enjoyed visiting a few of the waterfalls in the region - but there are so many more to see: WATERFALLS Archives - Atherton Tablelands
Termite craftsmanship
I appreciated the art architectural expertise of the termites that form the giant termite mounds that can be seen regularly through the tablelands.
Mountain Biking: Atherton Forest
Look at all those trails!
Yes... lots of up hill....
I ambitiously thought I might ride up trail number 12, but after riding trails 8 & 6 I was smashed and headed back down.
In my defence it was a stinking hot 30+ degree day.
To learn more:
....quoting them "Atherton is fast becoming the ultimate cycling destination with the growing popularity of the Atherton Forest Mountain Bike Park, a network of world-class, purpose-built, single-track mountain bike trails located in the Herberton Range State Forest and easy access from Atherton’s CBD."
Meeting someone, who knows someone you know
On my way to the mountain-bike trails I had a great phone call with one of my brothers who had been in Cairns years ago. He was sharing stories with me about the local kitesurfing community and the great time he had, in particular he mentioned some guy who had shown him around etc etc.
Within 20 mins of that conversation, while reading the trail signs at the mountain-bike park I start chatting with another cyclist, who just happens to be that exact same person my brother had mentioned!
Wow, I really love how the universe does that.... and this is not the first time it has happened while on my journey here in Aussie
On the mountain top
The trails through the Atherton State Forest are not just mountain-biking ones, there are loads of 4x4 gravel / dirt tracks in the Baldy Mountain Forest Reserve and after my ride I went exploring in Lulu, driving up to the top of Mount William.
Stunning view and a great overnight camping platform on the top of the mountain.
Several thunderstorms raced by below my mountaintop location while I hung out enjoying the panoramic scenery.
Tully gorge | Koomboolomba National Park & Dam
In my previous post 'a weekend of waterfalls I share with you my visit to Tully Falls.
Koomboolomba Dam is a little further up the gravel roads from the Tully Falls and is a great bush camping spot.
This little video shows a flyover of the peaceful bush camping spot and the dam.
Tree down - Lulu the Landy to the rescue
After enjoying the solitude of the Koomboolomba Dam bush-camping site all to myself I headed back out of the forest... to discover a tree had fallen during the night blocking the road.
This little video captures the success of Lulu the Landy in pulling most of the tree off the road, and my own brash stupidity when I attempted to flatten the remaining foliage and ended up pinning my truck on a solid branch I had not seen under the foliage!
Recommendations:
Visit as many waterfalls as you can.
If you are into trail walking or mountain-biking take your gear with you, there are loads of trails in the mountains.
Even in the 'wet' season I still had a fabulous time exploring.
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