In a departure from well-known iconic sights on the Tablelands we hit the road to discover remnants of a pioneering past and these quirky and naturally breathtaking destinations are just a stone’s throw from Cairns.

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Abandoned rail line

Just off the highway at Herberton lies an abandoned railway tunnel cut through the Herberton Range to link copper and zinc fields with the port of Cairns.

In 1880 payable silver was found on the Wild River and by 1883 mining operations began to extract silver, lead and galena.

In 1910 there was a hotel called the Silver Valley Hotel and a school in the area had enough local children to sustain operation until 1934.

To service the booming industry and to get ore to the coast the railway line linking Herberton to Mareeba, Kuranda and Cairns officially opened in October 1910, and the line eventually reached south to Ravenshoe by 1916.

Tablelands local Fred Thomas had fond memories of growing up in Atherton during the rain line’s heyday.

“(I remember) the sound of steam engine whistle of a morning as it crossed Herberton Rd on its way to Herberton,” he said.

“And going to the Atherton Railway Station to collect cartons of day-old chickens and on occasion collecting cartons of apples and oranges that were railed up after a mail order, as we didn’t have a phone back then.

“(We went) on the occasional rail motor ride to Cairns for a couple of days’ shopping and always having a paper to toss out the window of the carriage for the railway gangers who worked on the Kuranda range section who sang out ‘paper, paper’ as the train passed by.”

The rail service beyond Atherton ended in 1988 however there are plans by the Ravenshoe Heritage Railway to resurrect the old Millstream Express engine Capella and a series of cars to operate as a tourist train from Queensland’s highest town.

The current railway line is being restored so Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway can operate train rides between the two towns.

The tunnel at the top of the Herberton Range is reported to be the highest in Queensland.

“The tunnels were the most exciting part of the trip as a kid and even as an adult. The short rail motor trip up to Herberton was another great experience and we took our kids on it before the service closed,” Mr Thomas said.

Lake Eacham Futuro house

With fewer than 100 built during the 1960s and ‘70s, the still-standing Futuro house at Lake Eacham remains a testament to a post Cold War fascination with lunar and space exploration.

The prefabricated structures erected onsite in modular sections were designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen and have developed a cult following around the world.

The shape is reminiscent of a flying saucer and the structure’s aeroplane-style hatch entrance has made the houses sought after by collectors.

First National Real Estate Atherton principal Richie Cahill purchased the Lake Eacham property, on which the Futuro house was erected, from a well-known Department of Primary Industry researcher.

“The previous owner, Les Barnes, an ergonomist with the old DPI, got it from (Western Australia) and it was erected by a local Malanda builder who was killed in the Mt Emerald plane crash,” he said.

“There was a drop-down entry and the previous owner took the door away so I put on a living area with a kitchen and bathroom to make it habitable.”

Mr Cahill agreed it was an unusual building that had captivated passers by for the past 50 years.

“(Les Barnes) was the sort of bloke that thought outside of the circle,” he said.

The house, which was once visible from the main road, remains standing but trees now obscure the flying saucer from the eyes of passing motorists.

Barney Springs

Stepping into a shaded glen created by a natural spring just off the Kennedy Highway at Rocky Creek is like being immersed in another world.

From relatively dry eucalypt scrub a trickle of water emerging from deep within the earth has created a lush oasis of huge fig trees and ferns that has become home to unique fish and species of shrimp.

Barney Springs was a key source of water for the thousands of World War II troops based at the nearby Rocky Creek barracks and is now used by farmers to irrigate crops.

Thousands of litres of water flow from the springs that extend for about 100m before dropping off a ledge into Rocky Creek to eventually flow into the Barron River.

The discharge rate of the springs is estimated to vary between 54 and 62 litres per second and is of great importance in maintaining a dry season base flow in the middle sections of the Baron River between Tinaroo Dam and Mareeba.

Bones Knob Volcano was one of the earliest among a large number of Atherton Tablelands volcanoes that gave rise to the Atherton basalts which includes the Barney Springs groundwater aquifer.

The site is deemed to have great ecological importance.

To find the springs turn off the Kennedy Highway at Mapee Rd and look for a dirt road opposite a fruit packing shed on the left hand side.

Abandoned mines

On the doorstep of the historic town of Herberton en route to Anniversary Falls lies some of the many abandoned copper and tin mines that litter the western section of the Atherton Tablelands.

There are a number of abandoned mine shafts near the town. Many of these shafts are within easy access to the many walking and fire trails in the area.

In 2018 the state government’s Abandoned Mines Unit began a project to remediate abandoned open shafts and adits.

Now many open shafts are surrounded by cyclone fences and have mesh grates covering massive holes in the ground to maintain the heritage value of the mines.

According to the Abandoned Mines Unit, the aim of the project was to manage environmental harm and the risk of acid mine drainage from the tailings to the Wild River and to minimise the risk to hikers using the area.

To find the mines and Anniversary Falls take Grace St off the Longlands Gap Rd and park on the banks of Grace Creek.

The copper mines walk follows Grace Creek to the falls and if planning to tackle the Specimen Hill summit head west and cross the creek near the wire fencing.

peter.carruthers@news.com.au