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Atherton
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Thirty kilometres south of Mareeba and centrally placed for forays to most of the tablelands' attractions,
ATHERTON
is the largest highlands town, with a variety of businesses and accommodation. Banks, shops and early-opening
cafes
-
Chatterbox
is best - are along Main Street, with a supermarket right at the south end past the post office.
Buses
stop at the junction of Main and Vernon streets.
Accommodation
includes the heavily tiled and hospitable
Atherton Travellers Lodge
, 37 Alice St, off Vernon Street (tel 07/4091 3552,
athertonbackpack@hotmail.com
; under $20), who specialize in finding
farm work
picking potatoes, pumpkins and various fruit; and the very pleasant
Blue Gum Bed & Breakfast
, at 36 Twelfth Ave (tel 07/4091 5149; $70-90), a modern timber home. There are green and spacious campsites at the
Woodlands Tourist Park
, just at the edge of town on Herberton Road (tel 07/4091 1407).
Leaving
Atherton, roads head north to Mareeba, south to Ravenshoe and Herberton, and east to Yungaburra.
The main distraction in Atherton is to catch the authentically grubby 1920s
steam train to Herberton
, which leaves from Platypus Park, just south of town (Wed, Sat, Sun & holidays 10.30am; $27.50 return); along the way you get to look at tunnels, forest and the pretty Carrington Falls, and then have an hour or so to look around Herberton before the return trip. Another place to clock up local birdlife is
Hasties Swamp
, a big waterhole and associated wetland surrounded by cattle pasture and gum woodland, about 5km south of town. While nothing astounding, it's a peaceful place populated by magpie geese, swamphens and assorted marsh tiggets. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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