Atherton Township Atherton is a prosperous
and bustling town with all the services you need, including
restaurants, motels, caravan parks and licenced clubs. It also boasts
modern shopping facilities, antique shops and numerous parks and
gardens. Surrounding Atherton you will notice several
small hills known as 'Seven Sisters'. These seven hills can be seen, in
full or part, from various locations across the Tableland, and are
cinder cones, the relics of ancient extinct volcanoes. Halloran
Hill Lookout, on top of a dormant volcano at the highest point in
Atherton, offers spectacular views of Atherton, the Tableland, and the
volcanic ranges beyond. Extensive picnic area with bbq's and children's
play area are provided. Visitors can follow an interesting trail
meandering down through the park and then on through the rare Mabi
forest and down into the crater. Art work created by local artists, and
signs shaped like vines and flowers, help draw visitors to different
points of interest and intrigue. Along Herberton Road is the
century old historic Hou Wang temple, where you can discover Atherton's
Chinese Heritage. Atherton was home to a thriving Chinese community
from the 1880s to the mid-1900s. The remains of Atherton's Chinatown
are now an archaeological site featuring the community's place of
worship, the Hou Wang Temple, which has been conserved and restored.
Guided tours take visitors through the Queensland National Trust-owned
temple which was used as a place of worship until the early 1970s. A
few kilometres along is the Nyleta Wetlands Bird Hide. The wetlands are
known by the local Yidinji people as "where the waters meet" . The two
storey hide has views over the Hasties Swamp and roosting sites, and
includes signage to assist with identification. You may be lucky enough
to spot some of Australia's most elusive migratory birds in the wild.
More than 220 species of birds have been recorded at the hide including
large numbers of Whistling Ducks, Magpie Geese and Sarus Cranes. Tolga North
of Atherton, the Kennedy Highway traverses a stretch of rainforest just
outside Atherton known as the 'Tolga Scrub', which is home to a variety
of animal life, including the Tree Kangaroo, the Red Legged Pademelon,
the Coppery Brushtailed Possum (only known on the Tablelands), the
Green Possum and a colony of Spectacle Flying Foxes. A large flock of
sulphur crested cockatoos visit the scrub from year to year. Near Tolga is the Rocky
Creek Memorial Park. Several Army Divisions trained on the Atherton
Tablelands during 1942-45, with approx. 60,000 Australian soldiers
treated for war related conditions at Convalescence Depots. The plaques
displayed in the park honour those troops that trained or provided unit
support on the Atherton Tableland area during World War II. From Atherton you can travel north to Mareeba and Chillagoe, south east to the Waterfall Circuit, north east to Lake Tinaroo, south west to historic Herberton, and south to Ravenshoe and beyond.
|
)
)
)
)
)
