CAIRNS OUTBACK - WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Atherton Blue Gum Outback Experience Bird Watching Chillagoe Interpretive & Information Centre (The Hub) Chillagoe BP Fuel Depot & Vintage Ford Display Granite Gorge Nature Park Irvinebank Tin Town Gallery NQ Gold Coffee Tichum Ck Coffee Farm Mareeba Tropical Savanna& Wetland Reserve Xanthin Australian Trees Cave Tours Chillagoe Arts & Crafts + Laundromat Chillagoe Creek Homestead & The Fossil House DeBrueys Boutique Wines Dimbulah Railway Station Museum and Information Centre Irvinebank Town Walking Tour Springmount Station Horse Riding Mareeba Heritage Museum & Information Centre Wilderness Expeditions

ATHERTON BLUE GUM OUTBACK EXPERIENCE
Visit in "safety", with your own personal driver/guide, the mist enshrouded waterfalls, lakes and gorges of this magical part of Tropical North Queensland. Spot the native wildlife that abounds. Picture yourself having lunch on the side of a "Bush Billabong", after experiencing the vastness of Outback Australia. We stop to sample the natural wonders, such as the magnificent Mt Mulligan Escarpment, along the way.
www.athertonbluegum.com/outback_experience

BIRD WATCHING
The Cairns Outback is the premier bird watching region in Australia! Julatten attracts legions of birdwatchers each year. Of particular interest in summer, is the spectacular Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher. Close by is the Abattoir Environmental & Bird Hide (spotting shelter) and the Euluma Creek Road Circuit.
Mt. Carbine lists 190 species. At Mt Molloy over 300 species (more than Kakadu National Park) have been recorded within a 15km radius of the town.
The 5000 acre Mareeba Tropical Savanna and Wetland Reserve, between Mareeba and Mt Molloy, is both a bird life and wildlife habitat, with over 200 recorded species of birds, including the elusive Buff-breasted Button-quail. The Reserve is also host to a joint Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Mareeba Wetland Foundation re-introduction project for the endangered Gouldian Finch. The Nyleta Wetlands in Hastie Swamp National Park, outside Atherton, is part of a bird conservation network on the Tablelands. Chillagoe has given its name to the Chillagoe Swiftlet.

CAVE TOURS

Tel: (07) 4094 7111 Fax: (07) 4094 7122
Chillagoe National Park's guides conduct tours daily, except Christmas Day.
Tickets available at The Chillagoe Interpretive Centre (The Hub).
Tour times and prices (per person):

Donna Cave 9.00am $11.00 child $ 8.80
Trezkin 11.00am $11.00 child $ 8.80
Royal Arch 1.30pm $13.75 child $11.00

Additional tours available during holiday/busy periods. Special group tours available on request. Concessions for pensioners and groups.

CHILLAGOE INTERPRETIVE & INFORMATION CENTRE (THE HUB)
Queen Street, Chillagoe 4871
Tel: (07) 4094 7111 Fax: (07) 4094 7122
Email: chillagoehub@bigpond.com
Web:http://www.chillagoehub.com.au
Hosts: Jim & Tonia Evans
Open week-days 8.00am -5.00pm Open week-ends 8.00am -3.30pm Closed Christmas Day.
Booking Agent for National Parks Cave Tours (see Cave Tours). EFTPOS facilities available for purchase of cave tickets only.
The Hub is home to an excellent time-line heritage display, encompassing The Wheelbarrow Way region. Commencing from the "big bang" the display counts down geologically and historically to the present day. Hear the story of the discovery of Dave the Plesiosaur that swam in the warm waters around Chillagoe, at a time when the great dinosaurs roamed the earth.
No admission charge

CHILLAGOE ARTS & CRAFTS & LAUNDROMAT
Queen Street, Chillagoe 4871
Tel: (07) 40947139 Fax (07) 40947139
Hosts: Sue & Colin Colman
Open: 8.00am -5.00pm every day except Christmas Day, Open later on request from groups. Marble Souvenirs. Post Cards. T -shirts. Books. Souvenir Guides. Rock specimens. Aboriginal Art. Credit Cards accepted.

CHILLAGOE BP FUEL DEPOT & VINTAGE FORD DISPLAY
Airport Road, Chillagoe 4871
Tel: (07) 40947108 Fax: (07) 40947108
Hosts: Bonny & Tom Prior
Open daily 8.00am to 6.00pm. Extended hours available for groups. Fuel -Oils -Kerosene - Aircraft Fuel. Inspect Tom's collection of Vintage Fords, which include amongst others, Ford Blitz, 1942 Dodge Weapons Carrier, T-Model Ford, and Ford Pilot. BP Cards only accepted Tom Prior is also a Living Treasure.

CHILLAGOE CREEK HOMESTEAD & FOSSIL HOUSE
Host: Mary Bolam
Email: fossils@athertontablelands.com
Web: http://www.athertontablelands.com/fossils/
Chillagoe Creek Homestead and Fossil House invites you to travel back in time. Take an extraordinary journey through an ever-changing landscape. Learn of the ancient coral reef, the remnants of which can still be seen today.

Move down through the time line to an age, when the great dinosaurs walked the Earth but where, off Chillagoe, the giant marine reptiles swam in the deep waters of the Aptian Sea.
As we journey through the aeons we arrive to see the megafauna, the giant wombats, the diprotodaon and the palorchestids, feeding on the tall grasses, with a backdrop of limestone bluffs and startling vistas.

DE BRUEYS BOUTIQUE WINES
189 Fichera Road, Mareeba 4880
PO Box 2112, Mareeba 4880
Tel/Fax: (07) 4092 4515
Email: debruey@tpq.com.au
Web: opening soon
Cellar Doors open: 10.00am to 5.00pm
Seven days, or by prior arrangement.
Drive through scenic mango orchards to visit our unique Winery on Fichera Road, Mareeba, on the Cairns side of town. Approaching from Cairns, just as you reach Mareeba, turn left off the Kennedy Highway into Tinaroo Creek Road, then take the first turn on the right into Fichera Road.
Taste and enjoy our exotic tropical fruit wines and ports, the varieties ranging from mango, passionfruit and jaboticaba to lychee, bush cherry, strawberry and mulberry.

DIMBULAH RAILWAY STATION MUSEUM & INFORMATION CENTRE

Tel: 4093 5999
The Museum is open part time, as it is staffed by volunteers. Currently it is open Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Road signs as you enter Dimbulah clearly indicate the location of the information center. Notice boards across the rail line from the station also indicate when the centre is open.

STOP! REVIVE! SURVIVE!

With a FREE CUPPA at the museum provided with the co-operation of Queensland Transport and local Tableland businesses. Enjoy a quiet chat. View the displays. Stay at the well-appointed Dimbulah Caravan Park, which also has on-site cabins. Visit some local attractions.

GRANITE GORGE NATURE PARK
12 km from Mareeba on Chewko Road
Tel: (07) 4093 2259 A/H (07) 4093 2174
Day Trip/Camping Holiday
Awesome landscape of huge dramatically shaped granite boulders dwarf you with their sheer size. Get close and friendly with rock wallabies, parrots and wildlife. Enjoy swimming, waterfalls and lookouts. Refreshments, gallery and accommodation. Small fee applies.

IRVINEBANK TAVERN
Irvinebank 4872
Tel: (07) 40964176 Fax (07) 40964050
Hosts: Vera & Bob Moore
Cabins - Free Camping - Meals - Drinks - Fuel - Store - Local Post Office - ATM
Bush Walks -Town Walking Tour -(request maps), Bird Watching (request listings)
Email: irvtav1@bigpond.com.au

TICHUM CREEK COFFEE FARM

3576 Kennedy Highway, MAREEBA. 4880 opposite Davies Creek National Park turnoff
Phone 07 40933092
Fax 07 40933094
Email: sales@mareebacoffee.com.au
Internet: www.mareebacoffee.com.au
Not your ordinary coffee break! Mario and Claudia invite you to call into their developing coffee farm for a free tasting from their range of locally grown coffees. Enjoy a cappuccino and a delicious slice, and have all your coffee questions answered.
Opening times Tuesday to Sunday 8.30 am to 5.00 pm

TIN TOWN GALLERY
8 High Street, Irvinebank 4872
Tel: (07) 4096 4009
Email: dadubbeld@ledanet.com.au
Hosts: Dan & Annette Dubbeld
The gallery is a showcase for local artists. Built a century ago by the government as a Post & Telegraph Office for the thriving town of Irvinebank, this structure is among many similarly aged buildings still in constant use. From post office to mining accommodation to providing light teas & lunches with a historical bent for those interested in the old society way of life. One hundred years on, blossoming once again to enable the talents of local artists to be displayed and sold. The upper level (tours by arrangement) is the home of Dan & Annette who operate the gallery with their daughter Melissa

N.Q GOLD COFFEE
Dimbulah Road, Mareeba 4880
10 km from Mareeba Post Office on the Wheelbarrow Way.
Ph: 07 4093 2269 Fax:07 4093 2498
Web: www.nqgoldcoffee.com.au
Hosts: Bruno and Maria Maloberti
On your visit to our Coffee Plantation we give you an informative tour where you learn how we plant, nurture, harvest and finally roast our coffee to make the perfect cup for you.
Our tours are free with purchases or just drop in for a superb cappuccino and some of our delicious freshly roasted coffee to take home.
Open every day 8.00am - 5.00pm

SPRINGMOUNT STATION HORSE RIDING
Springmount Road. Off the Wheelbarrow Way
PO Mutchilba 4872
Free call 1800 333 004
Email: mvgaran@austrarnet.com
Web: www.springmountstation.com
Host: Grace Gargan
Springmount Station is located half an hours drive southwest of Mareeba. One side is surrounded by hills and mountains that make it a great place for horse trail riding.
We have guided tours for experienced as well as beginner riders. Local discount rates.

MAREEBA HERITAGE MUSEUM & INFORMATION CENTRE
Centenary Park, Byrnes St. Mareeba 4880
Tel: (07) 4092 5674 Fax: (07) 4092 5674
Email: mbainfo@tpg.com.au
Open: 8.00am - 4.00 pm daily except Xmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday
The Mareeba Heritage Centre is an excellent starting point for further information on the Wheelbarrow Way. Take a browse through the displays (small fee applies). Of particular interest is the old rail ambulance, which is associated with a Chillagoe doctor who removed his own appendix. Toilets, shop, parking, shade, bookings, and information on road conditions.

MAREEBA TROPICAL SAVANNA AND WETLAND RESERVE


Tel: 1800 788 755
Email: bookings@mareebawetlands.com
Web : www.mareebawetlands.com
Contacts: Liz Cayzer - Tourism Naturally
This 5000-acre savanna Reserve is located near Biboohra, just off the Wheelbarrow Way between Mareeba and Mt Molloy. (see map)
Open: Daily 9.00am - 4.30pm (to 6.30 for Sunset Safari Guests) Closed Feb/March each year for the wet season.
Discover the rare and beautiful wildlife of the Australian outback. Here 2000 ha of savanna woodlands and grasslands merge with lily decked lagoons to provide the perfect outback experience.
Over 200 recorded species of birds are found on the reserve and include the elusive Buff-breasted Buttonquail, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Freckled Duck, Brolga, Sirus Crane and Blacked-necked Stork. Mammals include Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Common Wallaroo, Whip-tailed Wallaby, Agile Wallaby, Echidna and Dingo, amongst 22 recorded species.
There is also a nationally recognized Gouldian Finch reintroduction program.

All activities start from the Visitor Centre, located on the shores of Clancy's Lagoon.Entry to the visitor centre is free. 18 km of self guided walking trails included in the conservation pass: $10 adult & $5 child, eco boat cruises on Clancy's Lagoon $12.50 adult $6.00 child and our popular Sunset Safari departs daily at 3.30pm $55 adults $27.50 child.
Jabiru Safari Lodge
Wake up to a dawn chorus alive with the sounds of the Blue-winged Kookaburra and Brolga and listen to the distinctive call of the Southern Boobook while stargazing under the southern sky.
Located within the Wetland Reserve is the Jabiru Safari Lodge. Accommodation in three deluxe ensuite African-style safari lodges and 2 ensuite eco-cabins. Each safari tent is appointed with comfortable beds and linen, a shaded verandah with private BBQs and tables and chairs perfect for bird watching reading and enjoying the sights, sounds and scents of the Australian tropical savanna. Enjoy a glass of champagne as the sun sets over Clancy's lagoon. "Outback with a touch of class!"

WILDERNESS EXPEDITIONS
PO Box 472 HERBERTON 4872
Tel: (07) 4096 2266 Fax: (07) 4096 2366
Email: wildex@austarnet.com.au
Web: http://www.wildex.com.au
Host: Tim Daniel
Walking treks & camping with Pack Donkeys. Day walks & picnics; overnight & extended camping treks; rainforest circuits & outback safaris; tents, tables, chairs & camp stretcher beds supplied; nothing to carry; explore pioneer tracks, pack horse & mule roads; follow explorers' routes. Campfires, good food & complimentary wine.

XANTHIN AUSTRALIAN TREES
Bruce Weir Road, Dimbulah 4872
Tel: (07) 4093 5490
Email: adurre@bigpond.net.au
Web: http://www.cairnsoutback.com.au/xanthin/
Hosts: Marion & Athol Durre
Open 8.am-6.00pm daily. Closed Xmas Day. Fees apply. Xanthin is a small farm devoted to growing Australian native plants. Over 5000 plants now grow in land that ten years ago was neglected grass and weeds. It is now a created flora/fauna environment. Xanthin features guided walks providing information about many of Australia's amazing plants, an art gallery with paintings of Australia's landscape, displays of parts of plants, history of development, climate, local tour info, bird watching (over lOO species noted), grevillea flowers - one of Australia's most beautiful flowers, timber tree growing trials.

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Web site design Carolyn Stone 2005-8