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Road trip adventure through Atherton Tablelands, Queensland

Written by: Julie Johnston

December 24, 2025

Zillie Falls, part of the Waterfall Circuit from Cairns to the Atherton Tablelands, Qld

Let’s go chasing waterfalls on Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands, exploring a landscape of rolling hills, ancient rainforests, towering trees, volcanic crater lakes and stunning waterfalls. This is a place to refresh and revive your spirit, connect with nature and feel deeply grounded.

This stunning destination is deserving of at least a few days, so you can see and enjoy all it has to offer at a relaxed pace. From its natural beauty to its charming country towns and delicious dairy cafes, the Atherton Tablelands has something for everyone. We recommend Malanda Falls Caravan Park as the place to stay, putting you within steps of Malanda Falls Conservation Park and its waterfall.

Malanda is located on the southern end of the Atherton Tablelands and is accessible via three main routes. If you’re towing from Cairns city, you can choose between the Kuranda Range Road (Kennedy Highway) and Gillies Range Road (Gillies Highway). The Gillies is quicker, getting you there in around 1 hour and 20 minutes, but it has 263 corners and a significant incline, so we don’t recommend it. We chose the Kuranda Range Road, which is shorter with a more gradual incline, even though it does increase your travel time by around 30 minutes. If you’re coming from Innisfail in the south, then take the Palmerston Highway and you’ll be there in just over an hour.

Malanda Falls Conservation Park

Setting up camp at Malanda Falls Caravan Park

Malanda Falls Caravan Park makes for a lovely basecamp and provides immediate access to Malanda Falls. This spacious park has a range of powered sites for $40 per night, including grass sites, slab sites and drive-through sites. It also has unpowered sites and accommodation, so it’s a multi-use venue hosting a range of guests. At its heart is a large grassy area and animal nursery with goats, ducks, a pony and even an alpaca, the caravan sites are located around the perimeter of the grassy area. It also has all the usual amenities and laundry facilities you would expect for a comfortable stay. Malanda is 732m above sea level, giving you cool nights and pleasant days. We visited in November and it was 10 degrees cooler than Cairns, providing us a delightful escape from the coastal heat.

Malanda Falls Caravan Park is right next to Malanda Falls

Malanda Falls is on the North Johnstone River and is 30m wide and 4m high, tumbling over basalt rock into a man-made swimming area, with lots of shallow areas to paddle and relax. The falls are a two-minute walk from the caravan park, so you can easily come and go throughout the day. Make sure to explore the surrounding rainforest, which is home to a shy population of Lumholtz's tree-kangaroos (yes, kangaroos that live in trees!) and green ringtail possums. There are two easy walking tracks, both of which are shaded by the closed-canopy forest and take around 30 minutes (each) to complete.

Once you’re all settled in, it’s time to unhitch the caravan and head out to explore the Waterfall Circuit.

Malanda Falls

Exploring the Millaa Millaa Waterfall Circuit

The Millaa Millaa Waterfall Circuit is a 15–17km scenic drive, with three waterfall stops. But if that’s not enough, it is just a snippet of the larger 100km-long Waterfall Circuit from Cairns to the Atherton Tablelands.

The highlight for us was Millaa Millaa Falls, a simply spectacular plunge waterfall surrounded by lush greenery and rainforest. Being here is like being in a postcard. The clear waters of Theresa Creek tumble 18m into a pool of water below. Behind the falls is a dark and dramatic weathered volcanic basalt rock wall, which has aged over time into striking vertical columns. The surrounding vegetation is an abundant collection of tropical plants, including white gingers, tree ferns, climbing ferns and vines. The water is cold all year round, making it a popular swimming spot with locals and visitors. Millaa Millaa Falls is around a 20-minute drive from the Malanda Falls Caravan Park, with a large car park available and various public amenities for your comfort. Top tip: this one gets busy during the day, so if you want to enjoy it in all its glory and get ‘that photo’, we recommend an early start.

The spectacular Millaa Millaa Falls

Next stop along the circuit is Zillie Falls, which is just 8km down the road from Millaa Millaa. There’s a viewing platform a short walk from the car park, which is accessible to most people. If you feel adventurous and are able, you can scramble over rocks to get a closer view of the falls, which is what we did.

Ellinjaa Falls completes the trifecta of the Waterfall Circuit, and there’s a 200m walk from the car park to the base of the falls, where — if you’re lucky — you might spot platypus and turtles. There’s a picnic area and you can even walk behind the falls on a little ledge.

The boulders of Zillie Falls will dwarf you by their size

Culinary delights at Mungalli Creek Dairy

Mungalli Creek Bio-Dynamic Dairy is a locally loved producer of dairy deliciousness. Its products are found in most local shops and include organic milk, ice-cream, cream, yoghurts and cheese. Conveniently for us, its Farmhouse Cafe is located just 12km from Ellinjaa Falls, the last stop on the Waterfall Circuit. The cafe’s menu is a celebration of the dairy’s products and local produce — we had the Ploughman’s Lunch and Farmhouse Chicken Pie, which were both delicious. Our son enjoyed the Devonshire Tea, which was served with the most moreish house jam and lashings of farm fresh cream. Dine on the cafe deck or in the surrounding gardens and enjoy views over green pastures and nearby rainforest. On a clear day you can see the top of Mount Bartle Frere, Queensland’s highest mountain. The Mungalli Farmhouse Cafe is open from 10am to 4pm daily. It’s pet friendly if you dine in the gardens and you’re welcome to BYO bottle of wine to enjoy with the dairy’s famous cheese boards.

Mungalli Creek Bio-Dynamic Dairy

Enjoy great food at Mungalli Dairy Farmhouse Cafe

With your own tanks fuelled, it’s time for some more sightseeing and a stop at Gentle Annie Lookout is a must. This elevated location provides panoramic views over the Atherton Tablelands and is a great photo opportunity. The rustic timber fence and tall tree frame the scene perfectly. Gentle Annie Lookout is a 17.5km drive west from Mungalli Farmhouse Cafe and is located on East Evelyn Road, which is the connector for Millaa Millaa and Ravenshoe, Queensland’s highest town.

Gentle Annie Lookout with panoramic views over the rolling hills of the Atherton Tablelands

Towering trees and ancient culture

Having completed the Waterfall Circuit, our next day was all about the trees, small towns and other local attractions. The Curtain Fig Tree is one of the most visited places on the Atherton Tablelands. This impressive green fig tree is 50m tall with a trunk circumference of 39m and is believed to be more than 500 years old. Its central feature is the span of aerial roots that drop 15m to the forest floor forming a ‘curtain’, hence the name. It proudly stands among one of the very last remaining patches of Mabi Forest, a unique forest type found only on the Atherton Tablelands. There’s a boardwalk surrounding the tree and plenty of car parking. The Curtain Fig Tree is an short drive north (11km) from Malanda Falls Caravan Park.

Curtain Fig Tree

Another rainforest giant is the Cathedral Fig Tree, also believed to be more than 500 years old. Both are equally impressive and stand as a reminder that once this entire area was covered by towering trees and ancient rainforest. Keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife — we spotted a Boyd’s Forest Dragon on the pathway to the tree, which are very cool critters resembling tiny dragons and found only in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area of Northern Queensland.

Boyd’s Forest Dragons are only found in the Wet Tropics Rainforests

If you wanted to learn more about the area’s Aboriginal culture, and specifically their connection to the Cathedral Fig Tree, we highly recommend booking a half-day Yidinji Explorer Tour with Rainforest to Bush Cultural Experiences. These three-hour tours operate on Saturdays and Sundays, with pick-ups from Atherton and Yungaburra. You’ll visit the Cathedral Fig Tree and Lake Barrine, see cultural tools and weapons, as well as tribal maps and photos. The Cathedral Fig Tree is a 21km drive from the Curtain Fig Tree and is located on Danbulla Road.

Learn about the area’s Aboriginal culture on a Rainforest to Bush Cultural Experiences tour

Cool off in Crater Lakes National Park

The Atherton Tablelands geography was shaped by significant volcanic activity, and there are two crater lakes that you must include in your itinerary. Both are in the Crater Lakes National Park, full of freshwater and surrounded by rainforest, with walking tracks and various amenities. Lake Barrine is around 1km wide and 65m deep. If you have kayaks and/or stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) you can use them here, if not there are boat cruises. There’s a walking track around the lake and we recommend taking the short stroll to see the pair of Bull Kauri Pine Trees which are more than 42m tall. There’s also a lovely teahouse with beautiful views over the lake. Lake Barrine is a 17km drive from the Cathedral Fig Tree and is marked with a turn off from the Gillies Range Road.

Lake Eacham is a 7km drive from Lake Barrine and is a one of the locals’ favourite places to cool off. It’s around the same size as Lake Barrine and equally as stunning, with clear waters and rainforest surroundings. There’s a large car park, amenities block, on-site barbecue facilities and small pontoon. Again, you can kayak and/or SUP here, go for a refreshing swim and relax on shaded grassy areas. There’s also a walking track around the lake. Please note, there is a freshwater crocodile in Lake Eacham, as well as many turtles and fish.

Lake Eacham in Crater Lakes National Park

Before heading back to the Malanda Falls Caravan Park, make the short detour to visit Gallo Dairyland. Like Mungalli, Gallo produces a delicious range of cheese products, but unlike Mungalli, it also creates the most exquisite range of handcrafted chocolates. These are the ultimate chocolate indulgence and we give them 10/10. Gallo Dairyland is a 16km drive from Lake Eacham and is on Atherton Malanda Road. It is open five days a week, Wednesday to Sunday, from 10am to 4pm. You can see cheese and chocolate being made, purchase the fabulous produce and enjoy a meal or refreshments at the cafe.

Atherton Tablelands trip planner

Gallo Dairyland
9 E Barron Road, East Barron
P: 07 4095 2388
E: info@gallodairyland.com.au

Malanda Falls Conservation Park
P: 07 4089 2583
E: malandafallsvic@trc.qld.gov.au

Mungalli Creek Bio-Dynamic Dairy

254 Brooks Road, Ellinjaa
P: 07 4097 2232
E: info@mungallicreekdairy.com.au

Rainforest to Bush Cultural Experiences
59 Grace Street, Herberton
P: 0474 552 948
E: reservations@rainforesttobush.com

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