Atherton Tablelands Circuit — Cairns Range Roads & WaterfallsLoop.
Distance
225 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
1,800 m
Atherton Tablelands Circuit — Cairns Range Roads & Waterfalls Loop.
Far North Queensland's finest motorcycle day: the Gillies Range Road — 258 corners in 19km of World Heritage rainforest — climbs to the tablelands plateau where volcanic crater lakes, the Waterfall Circuit, and Queensland's highest town await. The return descends via the Palmerston Highway and Kuranda Range. The contrast between coastal sugarcane plain and misty dairy country is dramatic and the roads are almost always quiet.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance225 km
Days1
Total climb1,800 m
Fuel stops2 along route
DifficultyChallenging
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The route.
CairnsStart · Start in Cairns. Fill up and head south on the Bruce Highway toward Gordonvale. These roads are policed — ride to conditions.
Gordonvale — Gillies Range BaseRally Point · Where the Gillies Range Road begins. Known locally as 'The Gillies': 258 corners in 19km with 700m elevation gain through World Heritage rainforest. The premier motorcycle road in Queensland. Wet road is seriously slippery — ride accordingly.
Gillies Range — Summit LookoutMountain Pass · Crest of the range. Views back over the coastal plain to the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef on clear days. The landscape flips instantly from dense jungle to open tablelands dairy country.
YungaburraRestaurant · Heritage-listed tablelands village with excellent cafes. Peterson Creek below the bridge is one of Australia's most reliable platypus-viewing spots — check at dawn or dusk.
Lake EachamPhoto Spot · Volcanic crater lake with extraordinary clarity — 10m visible depth. No crocodiles above the escarpment so swimming is safe. The 3km crater rim trail gives scale to the caldera.
Millaa Millaa FallsPhoto Spot · Queensland's most photographed waterfall — an 18m plunge into a circular rock pool ringed by ferns. Arrive before 11am to beat tour buses. The Waterfall Circuit continues to Zillie and Ellinjaa Falls nearby.
RavenshoeFuel Stop · Fuel at Queensland's highest town (920m). Millstream Falls — Australia's widest waterfall — is 3km west. The Palmerston Highway descent through Wet Tropics rainforest has long sweeping bends above the Johnstone River gorge.
AthertonRestaurant · The tablelands capital. Lunch options aplenty. The Crystal Caves geological museum is excellent if weather turns. Regroup before the Kuranda descent.
MareebaFuel Stop · Fuel in Mareeba before the final eastern leg. Coffee and tropical fruit farms line the roads. Granite Gorge Nature Park is 8km west — rock wallabies can be hand-fed.
KurandaScenic Point · The famous rainforest village above the range. The Kuranda Range descent (12km, well-cambered) is efficient but heavily policed. Barron Falls lookout off the range road is worth a brief stop.
CairnsEnd · Back to Cairns. The Esplanade lagoon pool is a fine reward after a day in the saddle.
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