Atherton Tablelands in the Cairns Highlands
A scenic one hour drive in the Highlands west from Cairns is the Atherton Tableland - Tropical North Queensland's own mountain getaway. Situated between the Bellenden Ker Range and the Great Dividing Range, it is regarded as one of the region's best kept secrets.

World Heritage Rainforest
The Atherton Tableland in the Cairns Highlands is a blend of the best attractions of the tropics; a combination of nature and lifestyle at its finest. Among the World Heritage listed rainforests, national parks, mountains, rivers, lakes and waterfalls are some of Australia's richest agricultural lands and charming small townships.

Biologists have described the spectacular rainforests of the Wet Tropics as the "greatest celebration of life on earth". The farm and grazing lands are "the food bowl" of the northern tropics - yielding a constant supply of fruit, vegetables and grains to local and export markets.

Mild Temperature
The rural landscape of the Atherton Tableland is green throughout most of the year, with a temperature which rarely exceeds 30 degrees C. Everything, including the people, thrives on this cool tropical plateau some 600-1100 metres above sea level where temperatures and humidity are lower than on the coastal plain.

Atherton Tableland Attractions
Here settlers from all over the world share their arts, crafts, music and festivals. For visitors, the Tablelands present opportunities for bush walking, bird watching, a wildlife cruise, marsupial spotting, hot air ballooning and water sports as diverse as fishing and white water rafting.

Winding roads lead to spectacular lookouts and waterfalls, and highlights include Australia's widest waterfall - Millstream Falls - and many others flowing all year round, the deep blue waters of extinct volcano crater lakes, Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham, the ancient Bromfield Swamp near Malanda and the Hypipamee National Park and crater near Herberton.

Rare and endangered Atherton Tableland Wildlife
Wildlife is abundant on the Tablelands, as a night time spotlighting tour will show. There are possibilities of seeing shy tree kangaroos and perhaps even a reclusive platypus from the vantage point of a cool riverbank.

Accommodation & Dining on the Atherton Tableland
Classic old hotels, motels, guest houses, backpackers, farm stays, boutique style cottages and caravan and camping parks provide the ideal base for exploring. There are excellent restaurants and cafes to enjoy, weekend markets, and many World War 2 troop staging sites.

The special attractions of the Atherton Tablelands' postcard-like towns and villages will captivate any visitor.

Atherton Shire is located on rich red volcanic soil on the Atherton Tablelands (also known as Cairns Highlands) and has an abundance of natural attractions and beauty such as waterfalls, scenic views, walking tracks, rainforest, native animals, and prime agricultural land growing fruit and vegetables such as peanuts, maize, corn, potatoes, avocados, mangos, lychees, macadamia nuts, and dairy and beef cattle.

If you enjoy towns that have retained that country charm of yesteryear but have modern facilities and technology, then Atherton Shire is a must on your travel itinerary, as all the towns of the Shire - Atherton, Tolga, Kairi, and Tinaroo - contribute to make this a special characteristic of Atherton Shire.

To travel to Atherton Shire which is 90kms south-west of Cairns in the highlands (and ranges from 500m to 1280m above sea level covering 620km² in area), can be by air (arriving in Cairns), and road. Bus services operate daily from Cairns to the Atherton Tablelands and Highlands.

You will enjoy the tropical climate that the Atherton Tablelands/Cairns Highlands is renown for - pleasant temperatures ranging between 17°C and 25°C, September to June and between 5°C and 14°C from July to August, cool summer nights and mild, sunny winter days without the high humidity experienced in coastal areas.

The shire's total population of approximately 10,500 people is currently growing at a rate of about 1.9%. Further details giving a break down of population is available here.

Atherton, in the heart of the Atherton Tablelands (Cairns Highlands), has much to offer, and we invite you to tour our site and enjoy. See below for a brief description of other services we offer online.