The Atherton Tablelands has an abundance of lakes, trees and
waterfalls so we are off to do some sight seeing. Our first stop is at Lake Barrine
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| Lake Barrine |
The volcanic crater lakes of the tablelands were formed over
12,000 years ago and the rainforest frames these freshwater pools. They are very deep and the water is very
cold! At Lake Barrine
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| Wok stands at the base of the Twin Kauri Pines |
These huge pine trees are estimated to be over 1,000 years
old and tower over the rainforest canopy below.
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| The Twin Kauri Pines tower above the rainforest |
Not too far away is another crater lake (Lake Eacham
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| Lake Eacham |
where some hardy souls were actually taking a swim in the
chilly water. There are long stretches
of grassy lawn running down to the lake’s edge – just perfect for picnics and
barbeques. Of course a visit to this
area is not complete without stopping to have a look at a couple of the more
significant fig trees still growing in the rainforest. The spectacular Curtain Fig Tree has aerial
roots which drop 15 metres to the ground.
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| Curtain Fig Tree |
The lesser visited Cathedral Fig Tree is maybe even more
impressive.
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| Cathedral Fig Tree |
Even at a distance the tree won’t fit into the photo frame
and Wok is dwarfed by the roots as he stands in the middle of the tree.
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| Wok gets up close and personal with the Cathedral Fig Tree |
High up in its branches are bird’s nest ferns, staghorns and
elkhorns.
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| It's a long long way to the top of the Cathedral Fig Tree |
There’s a whole other ecosystem going on up there. The fig trees are estimated to be over 500
years old and hopefully will remain untouched for many generations to
come. We call into the picturesque village of Yungaburra
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| Yungaburra Pub |
The Yungaburra Pub (as the hotel is more commonly known) is
a showpiece of federation architecture.
Then we take a drive out to the recently commemorated war memorial on
the shores of Lake
Tinaroo
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| War Memorial on the shore of Lake Tinaroo |
This memorial is in honour of the Australian Defense Force
personnel who have lost their lives in the war in Afghanistan
Then it was on to the town of Malanda
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| Loved this depiction of a dairy farmer putting out his milk cans for pickup at the Information Centre at Malanda |
We were in time to take a tour through the dairy factory and
learned a lot about the processes involved in getting milk from the farm to the
table. There were only seven of us on
the tour and our guide was a bio-technician.
All of our probing scientific in-depth questions (like: ‘Why is there
water on the floor under the conveyor belts?’) were expertly answered. It was a refreshing change to actually have a
person that knew what they were talking about as a tour guide. We’d like to have shown you some photos of
the inside of the factory but photography was forbidden. Must have been some top secret bacteria being
grown in there somewhere that is going to revolutionise the dairy industry by
making milk palatable to lactose intolerant individuals! Shhhh … mum’s the word! We were however able to take a photo of all
the milk crates stacked up outside the factory
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| Milk crates outside the factory - Impressive huh! |
and as part of our tour we each were given a milkshake to
drink. Yumm! On the outskirts of town we stop at Gallo Dairyland
– a working farm that makes gourmet cheese and chocolate. Of course some taste testing was in order and
we are unanimous in saying that the triple chocolate bar was scrumptious! Outside in the barn was a bevy of poddy
calves, piglets and chickens. It must
have been close to feeding time as this calf quickly latched onto Wok’s finger
when he tried to give it a scratch.
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| Mmmm ... a tasty finger to suck on! |
Needless to say that after eating a large counter lunch,
drinking milkshakes at the dairy factory and taste testing at the farm a normal
evening meal was not required. A couple
of days later we were ready to find some waterfalls and the first one we stop
at is Malanda Falls
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| Malanda Falls |
Here the Johnstone
River
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| The Johnstone River below the falls |
We continue on our way and the next waterfall we visit is at
Millaa Millaa.
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| Millaa Millaa Falls |
The Millaa Millaa
Falls Zillie Falls
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| Zillie Falls |
This waterfall is a little harder to access via foot power
so a view from the top of the falls suits us fine. We also stop at Ellinjaa Falls
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| We're sure that many dairy farmers have had this experience with a stubborn cow |
and in the middle of the park stands a sculpture of
tablelands explorer and pioneer Christie Palmerston and a young aboriginal
named Pompo who accompanied him on some of his expeditions.
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| Memorial dedicated to explorer Christie Palmerston and his companion Pompo |
After lunch we take a drive to Hypipamee Crater.
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| Hypipamee Crater |
The crater was formed after a large gas explosion below the surface
spread volcanic bombs across the landscape.
This type of natural phenomenon is known as a volcanic pipe and the
crater is 61 metres wide and 85 metres deep.
It is a jaw-droppingly deep hole!
On the way back to the campground we stop at McHugh’s Lookout
for a splendid view across the rolling hills to Bartle Frere – at 1622 metres the highest
mountain in Queensland
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| View across the tablelands - Mount Bartle Frere in the background |
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