Getting high in FNQ " so you can reasonably say you're riding along the top of Australia " ( excerpt from Peter Thoeming 50 Top Rides Australia Motorcycle Atlas)

Instructions for this 150km ride could be very simple: turn left off the Captain Cook Highway at Smithfield, turn left again just before Mareeba, left again just before Atherton and stop when you reach the Bruce Highway or, at the latest, when you get to Gordonvale. Easy and simple, but it doesn't convey the beauty and many attractions of the Atherton Tableland. The real trick is to go slowly enough to take in some of the highlights.  From Kuranda, the the Kennedy Highway across the very scenic tableland is reasonably open and fast. It's worth making the slight detour to Mareeba for the town itself and its Heritage Museum. Five kilometres south of the town is a military museum which features the Beck collection of military hardware. The road south to Atherton essentially follows the Great Divide, so you can reasonably say your riding along the top of Australia. Atherton itself is a busy agricultural centre and the crystal caves mineral museum, with its tunnels, is worth a look.

This is where you leave the Kennedy Highway, to take the Gillies Highway back down to the coastal plain. Before that, though, stop at the National Trust listed town of Yungaburra and check out the well - known Curtin Fig Tree, just south of town on the Malanda road. It's touristy, but makes a great photo.  With good reason the Gillies Highway down to Gordonvale is on every-ones list of great Australian motorcycle roads; well, everyone who's ridden it anyway. On its way over the Lamb Range the Highway provides just about every kind of corner known to riders, and down near the bottom there are even some open one's.

One word of warning from a local: the road can become quite slippery, mostly from leaf litter, during times of heavy rain. So please keep that in mind. Unfortunately, ther is no alternative to the Bruce Highway to get you back to Cairns, and, like most major highways, the Bruce is a bit dull. But look at it this way - you' ve just had 150km of motorcycle paradise, maybe this is just a good chance to get accustomed to ordinary riding again.

While the entire Highlands area is quite beautiful there are some highlights that you should try not to miss on a visit here. These include Australia's widest waterfall, Millstream Falls, Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham ( extinct volcanic crater lakes), the ancient Bromfield Swamp near Malanda, and for photo lovers the Majestic Millaa LookOut.

...the Highlands exudes an air of old world charm thats truly captivating

The World Heritage listed rainforests of the region are part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland and have been described by biologists as the " greatest celebration of life on earth ". With historic buildings, old hotels and homesteads and a colourful local population drawn from diverse ethnic backgrounds , the Highlands exudes an air of old world charm that is truly captivating.

So join us on a guided tour to one of the area's that gave us the reason to provide motorcycles to visitors of this region. See bike pricing and bike shed to finalise your special day with us at Mototours.

People may think that us bikers are sometimes an ugly lot. The wildlife here is diverse and ancient.

Go to our CONTACT page for bookings or enquiries.  email us at info@mototours.com.au

MOTOTOURS AUSTRALIA

WICKED CAIRNS - 129 ABBOTT STREET, CAIRNS (opposite Cairns Square)

Ph : + 61 7 4041 0100             Fax : + 61 7 4051 4700