The first stop on our road trip down the East Coast of Australia was tropical Cairns! Although we were well used to the sunshine in Sydney… the heat was on a whole other level reaching 42 degrees celsius!!
Once a sleepy sugar-milling town, Cairns in tropical North Queensland is now a destination for sailing, diving, snorkelling and an abundance of other activities! We decided to head to the Atherton Tablelands a highland region with a landscape mix of rainforest, wetlands and savannah on our first adventure! This area is home to numerous birds and wildlife like tree kangaroos and wallabies!
We set off bright and early, waking ourselves up with a morning swim at Lake Barrine, a volcanic crater which erupted over 17,000 years ago!After a refreshing breakfast from our picnic basket off we went on the 17km waterfall circuit visiting some of the prettiest waterfalls in the world!
My favourite was the giant Millaa Millaa Falls set in an enchanted forest! This is actually the waterfall used in the Herbal Essence advert, and in Peter Andres Mysterious Girl song! It was so much fun swimming under it and standing behind the water as it crashed down! We also had a super time at Josephine Falls, a naturally made water slide that has been carved out on the granite!
The region is spectacular to drive around with stunning scenery and landscapes! Very different to any other part of Australia I have seen, well worth a visit!