tablelands, waterfalls, and spanish castle

Dr. Tours Travel Specialists arranged this full-day tour for me. 20 people in a mini-bus. What a deal - AU$38! 3 waterfalls, Lake Eacham, tablelands, and a wind down Gillies highway. Only one complaint: I think the guide rushed us through a bit.

We stayed for one night at the Mena Creek Hotel and visited Paronella Park the next day.The guided tour was fantastic .It is a must see destination and you will be overcome by its magic!!! Continued on through the Atherton Tablelands to all the waterfalls and lakes to Cairns and loved every moment of it.Enjoyed Millaa Millaa Cafe on the way.Scenery and lakes just beautiful.

Wow! You can't just go to Cairns for the reef! So much more to see - and less weather dependent. Leave it others who have described it all so aptly. I just wanted to give my thumbs up.

So much to see on the Tablelands, Curtain fig Tree, Josephine Falls, Lake Barrine the Crater & my favourite Paronella Park, all "must sees" when visiting Cairns & the Tablelands.

Paronella Park shows it takes one person to make a difference. Have been 5 times over past 20 yrs. One person's feat continues to inspire me.Waterfalls Circuit Millaa Millaa well worth seeing what nature has created.Tablelands in general has so many hidden treasures. You just need to know where to discover them.

We rented a car for a couple of days and one of them we headed down t the tablelands. Great day! Went to the lake for tea, saw many waterfalls, the spanish castle, the skywalk, etc.Highly reccommend it if you have an extra day, and don't mind the driving.

We rented a car for a day and drove up the mountain to the tablelands--what a breath of fresh air. The weather was a bit cooler and the pastoral scenes were so calming. A nice change!

The Tableland have so much to offer. There are so many wonderful experiences from tasting an array of coffee flavours, to ice-cream, to nuts. The woodworking is an absolute work of art and talent. The waterfalls are amazing as is the Spanish Castle, all these places just got all your senses going. Highly recommend them.

There are so many waterfalls to see - you need at least 2 days to get around to the majority of them. Paronella Park was wonderful - it is amazing what one man accomplished here.

We went for a day across the Tablelands. The Spanish castle was an unusual stop and an interesting family story. The guided tour was too brief and rushed. Not enough time to explore this imaginative folly.

I always rent a car and do several loops to take in the Cairns hinterland. One of my favourites is to travel south from Cairns, calling in at Babinda (The Boulders - look out for the brilliant cobalt blue ulyssees butterflies which flit through the carpark and across the water intermittently; also check out the "sensitive plants" along the bank of the waterhole - their leaves retract when touched) - then Josephine Falls, then Etty Bay (cassowaries frequent this secluded beach. Ask the locals at the shop or in the caravan park if they have seen any lately. Go to the far end of the carpark. The birds often wander down the road behind the toilet block, although I have also seen a father and its chick at the southern end of the beach under the trees) - then go to Meena Falls / Paronella Park via South Johnstone [skip Paronella Park if you want to see more waterfalls] - then proceed to the Palmerston highway towards Milla Milla. Stop at the Nucifora Tea plantation to see tea growing up close and personal (buy some at the self-service stall if so inclined), then continue past the Mamu nature reserve [bypass if necessary as there is a free lookout just along a bit on the right which looks down into the river below] - visit Milla Milla Falls (the other falls are not worth the trouble if you only want to see the best) - and if so inclined, the Mungali Creek Dairy for a coffee and/or more. Then head for Ravenshoe to see the wind turbine farm and if you are quick enough, go through Ravenshoe on the way to Mt Garnet to the Millstream Falls which is apparently the broadest falls in Australia. Then backtrack to the Hypipamee crater (amazing thing!) and look out for cassowaries and tree kangaroos in the forest - then take the back road past the Bromfields Crater (sometimes brolgas down at the bottom) then Malanda (go out to the Nerada Tea plantation - there is often Tree Kangaroos in the trees around the centre - ask the people in the cafe if there are any - then back to Malanda Falls (there are tree kangaroos in the forest around - ask at the info centre where recent sightings are - I have also seen platypus in the creek across the road - and lots of turtles etc. - then on to Gallo Dairy for chocolate, cheese and more then the Curtain Fig Tree, then Lake Eacham (have a beer on the lawn as you watch the sun go down - and swim in the pristine lake. Then return to Cairns. You would have to start out early and keep on the hop if you wanted to do all of this in one day, but it is almost possible. Wonderful experience in a most wonderful part of the world.

We took the eco northern tour. Brett was our knowledgeable and entertaining guide and driver.We enjoyed the whole experience the winding roads, the views from the mountains and the various walks and waterfalls and towns. Lunch was at inisfail.The ecology changes as the the temperature falls and is dependent on which side the rain falls. Advise to select a guide like Brett who knows his biology and horticulture!!. As a favour he did a circuit through the small town of Yungaburra a pioneer town from where my grandfather and his mates learnt their rifle shooting skills at a club one hundred years ago. All of these men from this district trained at Enoggera 100 years ago this month and went onto Egypt and then Gallipoli April 1915. I know of projects to commemorate specific events in the next year or two.. There were a lot of potential for tourism that may already exist which we did not see in the 10 hours. Tea farms,sugar and dairy and banana and avocado farms and old hotels that survived the two cyclones and floods. Perhaps another two days are required next time..

Those waterfalls is a must see, for sure you MUST also get the Uncle o Briens tour from cairns! that the best tour i ever done, awesome fun with all togheter you go from waterfall to waterfall. you have nice lunch all togheter and the money is worth it!!

Visits in past years have been beautiful. Waterfalls water depleted, hills brown Paronella Park microbats locked up as other priorities are being attended. All still definately worth visiting - loved the wind farm: like something from Sci-Fi!!!

Travelled to Maranda to Coffee Works, then through Atherton, visited half a dozen waterfalls, followed by the skywalk and finished up at the castle for the night tour. Probably too much for the elderly or kids to do in one day, but it is possible