Visiting Atherton, it was understandable why the tableland was named after such a town. For a rather remote area Atherton was large but still held the features of a quaint country town. Staying the night opposite the pub of Kiera we continued our free camping. The next day had a few points of interest in store including an apparent impressive tree (not knowing how amazing this could actually be!)
We were awe struck at the sight of this ancient tree. It just appeared so unreal as it towered over us as we strolled around the board walk with an upward stare. Having seen nothing like it before we were keen to read the information boards. Quickly discovering this fig had been a tiny seed dropped on a branch of its host tree, it slowly took charge from here. Over many years it patiently grew and dropped roots to the ground for extra nourishment. Once a substantial size the host tree had become a mere skeleton and gave way. The Curtain Fig was strong enough to support itself by this stage and the host slowly decayed into the ground.
Departing from the Curtain Fig we stopped to pay our respect at Yungaburra Avenue of Honour, a tribute for people who had passed away in the wars against terror over the last decade.
The next point of interest along the stretch was Lake Barrine. Formed over thousands of years due to eruptions from a now dorment volcano, it is now home to a variety of wildlife and a quaint but well situated Tea House. We smashed out another rainforest walk of 5km around the lake and in doing so stumbled upon some more Great Kauri Trees. How enormous they were standing strong around the lake (compared to their chopped up cousins at Milla Milla). We decided to treat ourselves with a well earnt devonshire tea once we had returned to the Tea House which had a magical view of the lake in all its glory.
Still fairly shocked at how fairytale-like a tree could possibly grow, we were excited to take a path to another impressive Fig. With its devine and towering appearance, it was easy to see how it obtained its name as the Cathedral Fig. A similar growing story to that of the Curtain Fig, the host of this particular tree withstood the parasite a little longer so it towers high instead of draping along a line. Back toward the car we reminisced over how these marvels belonged in the movie, Fern Gully.
Being in the northern section of the Atherton Tablelands we found a great spot at School Point Campground, one of many around Lake Tinaroo. As the skies still tried to rain on our parade, we took the liberty to have a tin or two overlooking the lake. Unfortunately, we struggled to get a fire going as the wood was saturated from the previous few days of rain. Once a fire was finally established, we were quick to use the heat to dry our dripping clothes as much as possible.
As we emerged from the tent the sun was cranking! We made our way down to the lake side and sat in the sun eating our breakfast. It was so peaceful with the sun glistening on the water and the birds resting on the bank. Occasionally the odd fish would jump out in front of us too! The vast quantity of sights to see around this area seemed like we had only touched the sides with many hidden tracks darting off the main drag. On our itinerary for the day was a visit to The Chimneys (two grand chimneys remaining from an old homestead), the Mobo Creek Crater (not an actual crater but created by erosion from cooled lava tubes thousands of years ago) and Lake Euramoo (formed by two volcanoes around 23,000 years ago).
This road then lead us to Goldsborough. Only a 30 minute trip off the main track, it was well worth it. Having to book our camp before entering we claimed site #12 and upon arrivial discovered it was a non drive-in site. With a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude (not wanting an hour return trip to find reception), we slipped into site #2. An early retirement to the tent lead us to hiding away at 8:30pm as 4 cars were astonished to see someone set up in their camp (it was us)! We cheekily watched from the tent as they undoubtably cursed and disappeared to sites #6-7. Bloody booking system!
Through our journey in the Atherton Tablelands, we found a variety of places to suit everyones camping desires. Even though we were washed out in the southern section it was still a fantastic area to explore. We hadn’t even seen the coastal side yet! Having to adhere to our time schedule we thought we’d save the region for a future adventure as our sights were set on Cairns. We had more visitors arriving who were escaping the cold winter freeze of Melbourne…