Why now is a ‘great time to visit’ the Atherton Tablelands
Tropical forests popping with colour and famous waterfalls now safe for swimming are waiting for Atherton Tableland visitors, but road and rail damage has made access to the nature destination trickier.
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Tropical forests popping with colour and famous waterfalls now safe for swimming are waiting for visitors to the AthertonTablelands, but road and rail damage has made access to the nature destination trickier.
While flooding further north in Mossman and Cairns has deterred visitors, the hinterland behind Cairns has been largely unaffected by Cyclone Jasper and the subsequent major rainfall event.
However, those planning to drop into the southern Tablelands region via the Palmerston Highway will have to travel a bit further north and head up the hill via the Gillies Highway due to major landslides shutting down access directly into Mungalli.
The Falls Teahouse owner Sondra Carr said a bus run by Discovery Tours from Millaa Millaa to Paronella Park had found a workaround to the highway closure but there had been a handful of cancellations.
“We did have a few B&B cancellations from people that had heard how bad it was in Cairns,” she said.
“There are lots of people around and they want to do something and now is a great time to visit.
“(Millaa Millaa Falls) is running lovely and it’s pretty much OK, we have not had a lot of heavy rain since the cyclone came through.
“There’s no damage, everything is up and running as per usual and we are open for business.”
Ms Carr said the actual teahouse was closed due to the business being scaled back but this was the case before the cyclone hit.
A Tourism and Events Queensland marketing campaign spruiking discounted Far North flight and accommodation packages from early next year will get the word out that 85 per cent of the region’s tourism business are open for business.
The push to entice visitors back will help mitigate against a likely loss of $125m in December and January bookings on top of an already lost $60m.
Tourism Atherton Tablelands chair, Eddy Nye, acknowledging the shutdown of the Kuranda Scenic Railway operation due to major landslides and washouts, said using Skyrail Rainforest Cableway as an alternate to the train presented a great opportunity to explore the area.
“Definitely it will put some people off,” he said.
“But what’s important is that the rest of the country knows that we are open for business and we need people to come.
“There really is no better time to visit the Atherton Tablelands, Tinaroo Dam is busy and Barron Falls is glorious.”
Queensland Rail anticipates the tracks used by the Kuranda train will remain closed until at least February 12, 2024.
Helicopter inspections have identified major landslips between Barron Falls and Stoney Creek that require further geotechnical investigations.
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Originally published as Why now is a ‘great time to visit’ the Atherton Tablelands
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