Discovery Holiday Parks
Lake Tinaroo, Atherton Tablelands, QLD

Activities & Attractions

Recommended Length of Stay: 5 Days

Must Do's:

• Yungaburra
• Curtain Fig Tree
• Milla Milla Falls

Mix & Match:

½ Day - Boating activities

Enjoy lunch on the verandah of the Lake Tinaroo Café before preparing the potatoes for your red claw traps (it's their favourite food at Lake Tinaroo), fuelling up the boat and heading for the boat ramp for an afternoon's water based fun, fishing and/or skiing. Hire boats are available at the Park if you don't have one of your own.

You can also hire canoes and do your own eco tour on the lake front opposite the Park. Look out for some amazing birdlife as well as the many wallaby's grazing on the banks in the late afternoon. Lake Tinaroo is a freshwater dam with no stingers so it's very safe for swimming in the Tropics.

½ Day - Scenic drive with walking trails

Start your day off with the scenic drive around the lake stopping at the dam wall for the taking of some great photo's, before continuing on through spectacular rainforest. En-route there is many delightful spots to stop at and enjoy a picnic or you can take the walking trails to Lake Euramo (a crater lake) and the Cathedral Fig Tree. Watch for tree kangaroos and brush turkeys on the way.

The scenic drive road will finally bring you out onto the Gillies Highway close to Lake Barrine.

The Lake Barrine Tea house is an excellent choice for lunch which can be enjoyed on the verandah overlooking the lake before taking a short but informative cruise around its perimeter.

½ Day - Yungaburra, Curtain Fig Tree, Shaylee Strawberry Farm

The 'must visit' historic town of Yungaburra is the largest National Trust village in Queensland with 18 heritage listed buildings on show. Sample some of the local wines and ports at Wild Mountain Cellars which offers free tastings to guests from Discovery Holiday Parks - refer www.wildmountain.com.au

Just outside of Yungaburra is the turn off to the Curtain Fig Tree - not just another fig tree, but quite unique and one of the area's most popular tourist attractions.

Next stop along the road is the Shaylee Strawberry Farm where, in season, you can pick your own strawberries or try some of their fresh fruit gelato's.

1 Day - Millaa Milla / Paronella Park / Herberton

Explore a little further afield today, driving first to Malanda Falls where you can explore rainforest walking tracks and view the tree kangaroo display in the Malanda Visitor Centre.

Continue on to Millaa Millaa, centre of the famous Waterfall Circuit which among others, includes Mungalli Falls, Millaa Millaa Falls & Elliniaa Falls. Millaa Millaa is the aboriginal word for 'plenty water' and it's easy to see why - green grass, rainforest and tropical vegetation are everywhere. From Millaa Millaa two options are available to fill in the rest of the day:

1. Travel south for a further 45-60 minutes to the award winning Paronella Park. The Park's turret-topped balconies of the concrete castle, the Hydro Electric generating plant below the falls and heritage gardens are all the achievements of Jose Paronella as he fulfilled his dreams and you can stand in awe of these on one of the 45 minute 'The Dream Continues' Tours departing every 30 minutes from 9.30am-4.30pm - refer www.paronellapark.com.au
2. Return to the Park via the historic mining towns of Herberton and/or Irvinebank stopping off at the Gallo Dairyland Cheese & Chocolate Factory.

3 Hours - Hot Air Balloon flight

If the silence and romance of an early morning Hot Air Balloon flight across the Atherton Tablelands appeals, then your pre-dawn drive to Mareeba will be rewarded with the cheapest ride in the Southern Hemisphere. Floating from a wicker basket, Champagne Balloon Flights will skim you across treetops and fields below as if on a magic carpet - refer www.champagneballoons.com

4 Hours - Crystal Caves / Atherton

A visit to the Crystal Caves in Atherton is a fun and educational adventure for all ages from kids to grandparents as you put on your miner's hat and explore the cave with its collection of rare crystals and minerals that are usually hidden deep beneath the earth's surface.

Admire the 'Empress of Uruguay', the world's largest amethyst crystal plus over 600 other specimens on display – refer www.crystalcaves.com.au

Browse through the shops lining Atherton's main street before travelling on some 5 minutes towards Tolga for a stop at 'The Humpy' - you must also try the spiced warm peanuts which are 'The Humpy's' speciality.

2 Hours - Granite Gorge

Travel north to Granite Gorge where volcanic activity has forced up huge weird boulders, the sheer size of some being overwhelming and with many shaped into animals. Entry fee includes access to gorge walks with the main track suitable for all people with average fitness - refer www.granitegorge.com.au

On the drive back to the Park, stop off at Coffee Works in Mareeba to sample some of the region's best coffee beans - refer www.coffeeworks.com.au - and at the Mt Uncle Distillery (North Queensland's first distillery) for the tasting of real 100% spirits and liqueurs produced on site - refer www.mtuncle.com

2 Hours - Yungaburra Markets

If your visit so coincides, a range of markets are held every weekend in the region. Each market is different with a large variety of home grown produce, and locally made products such as clothing and arts and crafts. The most popular is the colourful Yungaburra markets, held on the fourth Saturday of every month.

Don't forget to leave enough spare time to enjoy a walk around the lake front that leads right up to the dam wall and when you get back , relax by the Park's beautiful resort style swimming pool with the jumping pillow situated right next door for the kids or just throw a line in. If you use the right lure, you just might get Rod to tell you one of his secret fishing spots!

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Wednesday Chit Chat Club

Enjoy a cuppa and cake and some good company, Wednesday mornings 10.30am on the verandah at the Park Cafe. Meet new people and catch up with all the local news.