Cairns Outback, Queensland, Australia

The wonders of Australia's tropical outback are only an hour from the popular tourist resorts of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The famous north Queensland rainforest meets the outback at Mareeba, Atherton, Herberton and Ravenshoe, the gateways to the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York Peninsular.

On a day trip from Cairns visitors can visit Historic Mining villages and townships, including Herberton, Irvinebank, Chillagoe, Tyrconnell and Mt Carbine. There are also historic Gold fields and great outback adventures.

The Tropical Outback is a region of Spectacular natural wonders and a time capsule stretching back 400 million years, when the Great Barrier Reef was located at Chillagoe. Today this can be viewed as a legacy of fossils, intriguing limestone cave systems, outcrops of ancient coral standing out starkly against the outback sky and the bones of marine dinosaurs uncovered nearby.

On your way to Chillagoe, stop for a drink at Lappa Junction and see the old Espanol Hotel.

Between the pristine, white sandy beaches of Cairns and Port Douglas and the rugged outback beauty of Chillagoe is an amazing array of changing landscapes accross the Tropical Atherton Tablelands.

Further west in the Gulf Savannah outback are the gem fields and gold fields of Mt Surprise and Georgetown.

Choose a route through the Tropical Outback suited to your level of adventure by using our suggested itineraries or join one of our great local guides for the adventure of a lifetime.

 

Click to enlarge (map by Klaus Waeshle, AIMS)