HIDDEN GEMS OF THE FAR NORTH
Off the well-beaten track of reef and rainforest visits, the Far North offers some of the best experiences for travellers, from the adventurous to the laid back.
Gorges, lakes, caves, a castle or two, paddle boarding, hiking, birdwatching, the sights and the experiences go on and on.
Here are some of the best.
Paronella Park
Paronella Park is an exceptional destination, a tribute to the determination and hard work of one of Queensland’s immigrant cane cutters.
José Paronella migrated from Spain in 1913 with only a few pesos to his name, but through the toughest of jobs – cutting cane in the Far North – built up a nest egg and bought a block of land at Mena Creek, where, with his bare hands, he built a castle. As you would.
Turrets and towers of concrete rise out of the surrounding forest, much of which he planted in what was then bare cane fields.
The park includes a dance hall, the castle proper, hundreds of metres of concrete stairways and balustrades, and a magnificent avenue of Kauris, a testament to Paronella’s love of his adopted home.
Cobbold Gorge
Out of the way but never out of mind if you make the sixhour trip southwest of Cairns, Cobbold Gorge is a gem of nature.
It’s in the Gulf Savannah region of the Cape, renowned to gemstone fossickers, home to koalas and other wildlife and some special rare, endemic plants.
But it is the gorge itself that is the highlight, a spectacular fracture in the striped brown and cream sandstone, where you can paddle board, bask and marvel.
Lake Barrine
All the lakes in the Tablelands are worth the trip, but Barrine is special.
While it doesn’t have the day facilities of Lake Eacham or Lake Tinaroo, part of its appeal is its lack of traffic and delightful teahouse.
With breathtaking, crystal clear blue water, rainforest trees dropping down to the water’s edge, fish flashing past as you swim or paddle, and an easy 5km perimeter walking circuit through massive Kauri, ferns and other rainforest species, Barrine should be a bucket list priority.
Innot Hot Springs
Taking the waters has long been a European health treatment, and you can do that in the Tablelands between Ravenshoe and Mt Garnet.
Don’t expect souvenir shops, funiculars, marble pools or swanky hotels though, because the springs are pretty well untouched and run low in the dry season.
Find the pool out of the six or seven with the right temperature and soak yourself while you gaze at a crystal blue sky.
Then wind down from your first wind down by keeping your eye out for local wildlife including kangaroos, emus and koalas.
Stoney Creek
It’s hard to believe such a gorgeous place is so close to the Cairns CBD, and because Stoney Creek is so close you might easily think you should go further afield – but don’t.
Or at least start here before you explore further.
There’s a walking track and waterfall with such crystal clear water you could think you’ve dropped into a remote deserted island or a massive national park.
You can swim in the pool close to the carpark or walk on further.
The swimming hole is deep and clear and cool, and while it does get the visitors, it’s worth walking further along to Old Weir Falls, less visited, more relaxed and with shallower water. Old Weir Falls is probably the hidden gem of this spot, and there are plenty of other pools to cool off along the way.
Porcupine Gorge
If towering cliffs of sandstone and savanna plains pitted with waterholes are for you, you’ve come to the right place.
Swim in the waterholes scattered along Porcupine Creek, hike to the base of the gorge or take one of the many walks through the national park.
The Pyramid lookout hike is a highlight.
Starting and ending at the Pyramid day-use area carpark it’s only a 400m return trip and takes about 20 minutes.
The track winds through open woodland up to Pyramid lookout, with punch-you-inthe-stomach views of the landscape and the park’s venerable geology. Home to the Yirendali people for millennia, they welcome visitors to their country and ask you to respect their special place.
The going can get weird in the Far North, and it doesn’t get much weirder than at Undara, one of the earth’s longest flows of lava originating from a single volcano.
Caves, underground pools and rainforest popping out of the ancient lava tubes all amount to an incredible visit.
Depending on who does the counting there are 120 or 132 species of birds including the vulnerable Red Goshawk, so the birdlife is spectacular.
Throw in wallaroos, kangaroos and quolls and Undara is a naturalist’s paradise.
Most of the park is savanna woodland but where the tubes have collapsed they provide enough moisture for rainforest species and thick green vines to thrive, all tracing their ancestry to Gondwana.
Stretch out afterwards in the local accommodation – a pioneer hut, a swag tent or a beautifully renovated railway carriage, of course.
Wallaman Falls
With a drop of 268m, Wallaman Falls is Australia’s highest. Called a horsetail drop because, well, that’s what it looks like, the water descends from the Atherton Tableland in the Girringun National Park.
It’s all part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed wet tropics, with a 50 million year complicated geological history.
It’s easily accessible from Cairns or Townsville in your own car and worth the trip.
Standing near the base of the falls is an experience like no other as the water thunders down and shrouds the whole base in spray, making it home to myriad water loving ferns and other plants.
Birdlife International designated the whole region an IBA (Important Bird Area) and it’s home to a plethora of species.
It’s worth the effort of getting there, and when you do, make sure you look up.
Mount Hypipamee Crater
Simply known as the Crater, Mount Hypipamee is a huge crater lake on the Atherton Tableland, 61 metres in diameter and 82 metres deep. The lake is also known as a volcanic pipe due to its volcanic origins.
You can’t swim there and the surface is covered in weed, but the surrounding area is loaded with beautiful swimming holes and waterfalls.
The area is home to lots of wildlife, including birds, wallabies, and, if you’re lucky, tree kangaroos.