When you hear “Cairns,” the first thing that comes to mind is the emerald-green sea of the Great Barrier Reef. A deep-blue sky and beautiful ocean—it’s truly a scene that epitomizes Cairns.
But a trip to Cairns isn’t just about the ocean. Cairns City is surrounded by mountains. Beyond those mountains lies the Atherton Tablelands, an inland region that stretches out.
This time, I took part in True Blue Tours’ “Atherton Tablelands Tour,” which has been generating a lot of buzz among the many optional tours available in Cairns. It’s one of the company’s most popular tours, and since it includes a Japanese-speaking guide, you won’t have any trouble even if you don’t understand the language. The tour includes round-trip transportation from hotels in Cairns, scones at Lake Barrine, tastings of cheese and nuts, lunch, wine tasting, and the chance to feed rock wallabies.
Our guide is Shane, an Australian. Believe it or not, he used to live in Ibaraki Prefecture, so he speaks Japanese fluently. Even while we’re traveling by car, he keeps participants entertained with a wealth of topics—from the nature and wildlife of Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands to local cuisine. Rather than just visiting stops in order, it feels more like a tour where Shane takes you to his favorite spots—it’s like going out with a friend.
In the morning, we were picked up at our hotel in Cairns City, and the car headed south on the Bruce Highway. As we left the city behind, we saw suburban neighborhoods and farm fields out the window. Eventually, we passed through the town of Gordonvale.
After passing Gordon Vale, the route joins State Route 52. From here, it enters a mountain road, crosses the pass, and heads toward the highlands. The atmosphere gradually changes from that of coastal Cairns City, and the greenery outside the window grows denser. Even during this morning drive, scenery different from that of “Cairns by the Sea” is already passing by the car window.
After crossing the mountain pass, our first stop was the Lake Barrine Teahouse, located on the shores of Lake Barrine. It’s a classic-style teahouse standing right on the lake’s edge.
The first thing you’ll want to try here is the famous homemade scones. Order them with a cup of coffee, and they’re the perfect little break during your morning commute. The scones have a light, flaky texture, and the cream and jam aren’t too sweet—they pair perfectly with hot coffee. It’s a different kind of experience from the coffee you’d have at a café along the Cairns waterfront.
The area around the tea house also offers beautiful lakeside scenery. The water is calm, and the area is surrounded by greenery. The contrast between the lake and the forest is a sight you won’t find in coastal Cairns.
The interior of the building has a calm, laid-back atmosphere befitting a lakeside tea house. They serve breakfast and lunch, and the interior features exhibits that offer a glimpse into the lake’s history.
After resting at the tea house, we took a short stroll along the lakeshore. Lake Barreen is a crater lake formed by volcanic activity, surrounded by the lush greenery of the tropical rainforest. Along the trail stand two massive Kauri pines, said to be about 1,000 years old. Guided by Mr. Shane, we entered the trail and received an explanation about the lake’s formation and the surrounding nature. One of the joys of travel is not only taking in the scenery but also learning about the history and origins of the places you visit.
As you walk into the forest from the entrance to the trail, you’ll come upon the Twin Kauris—two massive kauri trees standing side by side. Their straight trunks are incredibly thick, and they stand about 50 meters tall. You can really appreciate their size when you stand next to them. In the quiet forest by the lake, I was struck by the raw power of nature on the Atherton Tableland.
Leaving Lake Barrine behind, the car continued deeper into the highlands. Along the way, we passed through the town of Yungaburra. With its old buildings lining the streets, it had the charm of a small Australian country town—a completely different atmosphere from Cairns City. After passing through the town, we headed for the Curtain Fig Tree. As its name suggests, it is a massive fig tree with roots hanging down like a curtain. After walking a short distance along a boardwalk from the parking lot, its sudden appearance feels almost surreal.
The curtain fig tree is a member of the fig family that grows large in the forest by using other trees as support. Thin roots extending downward from the top gradually reach the ground over a long period of time, eventually forming a thick bundle of roots. It gets its name because the way these roots spread out horizontally makes them look just like a curtain. It looks large even in photographs, but standing right in front of it, you’ll be overwhelmed by its sheer grandeur. It almost looks as if a massive wall made of plants stands in the middle of the forest. Although it is a structure created by nature, it somehow resembles a man-made building.
After taking in the natural scenery, it was time for a meal that captures the essence of the Atherton Tablelands. It was just before noon—the perfect time to work up an appetite. So we headed to Gallo Dairyland. With its cheese and chocolate workshops, café, and shop all under one roof, it’s the ideal rest stop for a drive through the highlands. The surrounding area is known for its thriving dairy farming, and a laid-back, highland-pasture atmosphere permeates the area around the building.
The display case is lined with a variety of cheeses. As you sample small pieces of cheddar-style cheeses, herb-flavored varieties, and those with a slightly distinctive flavor, you’ll clearly notice the differences in aroma, saltiness, and melt-in-your-mouth texture. You can purchase your favorites at the shop, and as long as they’re unopened, you can even take them back to Japan.
Since there’s a restaurant on the premises, I had lunch here today. Since I’d had a light breakfast of scones at Lake Balin, I wanted to have a hearty lunch. I chose a hamburger and fries. Is it just my imagination, or have I been eating a lot of hamburgers on this trip?
After lunch, we drove through the town of Ashton toward Torga. In Torga, we stopped at a local shop called “The Humpy.” The storefront was lined with vegetables and fruits, and the interior was packed with nuts, dried fruits, jams, sauces, and sweets. It felt less like a shop catering to tourists and more like a store showcasing local products—similar to what we call a “roadside station” in Japan.
Torgha is a small town that symbolizes the industries of the Atherton Tablelands; it’s an old town with particularly strong ties to the peanut industry. Even today, peanut farming thrives in the surrounding area, and macadamia nuts are also grown nearby. Here at The Humpy, you’ll find a variety of nuts for sale. From plain to sweet to spiced, you can sample small amounts of each to find your favorites, making it a great spot to pick up souvenirs.
After enjoying the highland cuisine, it’s time for the rock wallaby feeding experience—one of the most popular highlights of this tour. It’s about a 30-minute drive from The Humpy. We drove through the center of Torga and headed to Granite Gorge Nature Park, a nature park known for its granite outcrops and the rock wallabies that live there. As we walked toward the rocky outcrops a short distance from the park entrance, the rock wallabies immediately made their appearance. These small wallabies call the granite outcrops home and possess a charm quite different from that of the larger kangaroos. Some were sitting on the rocks, while others were peeking out cautiously from the shadows of the outcrops.
Maybe it wasn’t hungry, because even when I showed it the food, it didn’t come near me right away. When I patiently held out the food in my hand without moving and waited, it approached me cautiously. Eventually, once its wariness faded, it placed its front paws on my hand and deftly ate the food. Rather than being all over each other, I like the feeling of enjoying the moment while matching its pace and maintaining a little distance.
By the way, this park has more rocky areas than you might expect. Since some spots can be slippery, it’s best to wear comfortable walking shoes. This isn’t a zoo; it’s a natural rocky environment where animals live. Although the rock wallabies are used to people, please don’t chase them or touch them too much—just observe them as they go about their business.
Visitors can also interact with reptiles inside the park. Mr. Shane slowly took a lizard out of its enclosure to show me. Although I could have actually held it, I politely declined. This, too, was an encounter with Australian wildlife. Come to think of it, I recalled that frilled lizards were all the rage when I was a child. When I mentioned this to Shane, he explained that frilled lizards are also endemic to northern Australia, and if the temperature exceeds 30°C, there’s a chance you might spot them on this Atherton Tablelands tour.
The scenery at Granite Gorge Nature Park is completely different from that of Lake Barren and the Curtain Fig Tree. Dry forests and rocky terrain stretch out, giving the area a somewhat rugged feel. A defining feature of the Atherton Tablelands tour is how the scenery changes one after another throughout the day—from lakes to rainforests, pastures, and rocky terrain.
After saying goodbye to the animals, we headed to the town of Mareeba. Mariba is an area known for coffee cultivation, and “Coffee Works,” as the name suggests, is a shop specializing in coffee and chocolate. Australia is a country with a well-established café culture, and even in Cairns City, you’ll see many people holding coffee cups first thing in the morning. It’s interesting to come up to the highlands and enjoy that coffee so close to where it’s grown.
The shop is stocked with coffee beans, chocolate, and gifts, so you can take a short break while you shop. It’s an interesting part of this highland tour—how the morning coffee that began by the lake leads you to a coffee shop in the highlands.
The Asserton Highlands tour concludes with a wine tasting at de Brueys Boutique Wines. Located near Maribah, this boutique winery specializes in wines and liqueurs made with tropical fruits.
During the tasting, I was able to try about 10 varieties, including sweet ones, tart ones, and those that seemed perfect as after-dinner drinks. To wrap up the tour, I enjoyed tropical fruit flavors typical of the Cairns area—something quite different from what one might typically imagine when thinking of wine. Of course, if you find a wine you like, you can purchase it, and it’s a nice touch that they pack it securely to prevent breakage.
When we left Cairns City in the morning, it still felt like a seaside town, but as we spent the day exploring, the scenery kept changing. It began with the tea house at Crater Lake, followed by the giant trees of the forest, cheese from the highlands, and nuts from Torgga. Then there were the wallabies living among the granite outcrops, coffee from Mariba, and, to top it all off, tropical fruit wine.
A side of Cairns quite different from the Great Barrier Reef lies in the inland region. What’s more, it’s fun that you can explore it all on a day trip. If it’s your first time visiting the Atherton Tablelands, having a Japanese-speaking guide with you provides great peace of mind. You’ll efficiently visit various spots while learning about the local area during the drive. If you want to see more of Cairns than just the ocean, a one-day tour of the Atherton Tablelands is sure to leave you thoroughly satisfied.
© Source travel watch