Day Tour to Paronella Park, Lake Barrine and Millaa Millaa Falls
Description
This small-group premium day tour offers an immersive journey through Tropical North Queensland’s most iconic landscapes, guided by local experts in a comfortable air-conditioned mini-coach. Travel through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics Rainforest and explore the stunning Atherton Tablelands, with hand-picked highlights including waterfalls, volcanic crater lakes, and ancient rainforest sites. Swim at Millaa Millaa Falls, discover the beauty of Lake Barrine and the Curtain Fig Tree, and enjoy an extended guided visit to the historic Paronella Park. With a relaxed pace, expert storytelling, and carefully selected stops, this tour is designed to showcase the very best of the region in just one unforgettable day.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Departure from Cairns, we head south travelling past Walsh’s Pyramid, one of the largest naturally formed pyramids in the world. Here your guide will stop so you can grab a photo of this unique North Queensland landmark. Now it’s time to travel up the World Heritage listed Gillies Highway climbing 730 metres above sea level whilst enjoying the breathtaking views over the Goldsbourgh Valley. Just before the top of the amazing Gillies Range is a short photo opportunity at the Heales Lookout before heading into the gorgeous Atherton Tablelands.
Enjoy a relaxing quiet stop in the cool of the morning at beautiful Lake Barrine filled with pristine rain water and surrounded by World Heritage listed rainforest teeming with abundant wildlife. This is the first stop of the day and includes a delicious morning tea. Lake Barrine are famous for their award winning ‘Devonshire Morning Tea’ of freshly baked scones and jam/cream and locally brewed tea or coffee. On most days the banks of the lake will reveal a variety of birds including pelicans and ducks and other animals such as tortoises, eels, water monitors and various species of snakes including pythons, carpet snakes & red bellied black snakes sunning themselves on the shoreline.
After leaving Lake Barrine, we take a short journey through quaint country towns and farming areas to visit an unusual quirk of nature – the 600 year old Curtain Fig Tree nestled in World Heritage Mabi rainforest. This is the worlds most visited tree and easily accessible via elevated boardwalks. The surrounding rainforest is home to the shy Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo – only found in Queensland. We spot them seasonally high up in the trees.
Visit The World famous Millaa Millaa Falls, one of the most renowned and photographed waterfalls in Australia surrounded by Mabi rainforest. This waterfall has been used as a feature in both television advertisements and movies. The waterfall flows over solid volcanic basalt rock formed over many thousands of years ago giving the perfect drop for Millaa Millaa creek to fall for approx 20 metres into a pool surrounded by rainforest.
Enjoy a short drive through this interesting country town, with many buildings of the Art Deco Era
In the cool of the afternoon we visit amazing Paronella Park’s Spanish style castles in the rainforest. This includes a 30 minute tour expertly conducted by Paronella Park’s own knowledgeable English, Chinese & Japanese speaking guides. Paronella Park is a multi award winning tourist attraction with National Trust listed Heritage gardens and castle ruins, also boasting North Queensland’s first hydro-electric power plant all built by Jose Paronella at Mena Creek Falls. Originally created in the 1930’s by Jose Paronella, a man with a dream.
If time permits, we may stop at Babinda Boulders, a beautiful natural spot known for its clear, cool waters flowing between large granite boulders. This peaceful area is perfect for a short walk and, conditions allowing, an optional swim.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
DEPARTING FROM CAIRNS OPTION This tour operates daily with pickups from Cairns (from 7:15am). Please note that the “starting time” is not the same as the pickup time. Discovery Tours Australia signage will be displayed on the vehicle. Please be ready and waiting at your pickup point at least 5 minutes before your scheduled pickup time. As multiple stops are made across the Cairns CBD, we kindly ask guests to allow a 15-minute pickup window. If your guide is not there exactly at the scheduled time, there is no need to worry — they are on their way. Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you are unable to locate your pickup point, please contact us. DEPARTING FROM NORTHERN BEACHES OPTION Pickups start from Palm Cove at 6:45am. Please note that the “starting time” is not the same as the pickup time. Discovery Tours Australia signage will be displayed on the vehicle. Please be ready and waiting at your pickup point at least 5 minutes before your scheduled pickup time. Northern Beaches pickups include a return shuttle transfer between the Northern Beaches and Cairns CBD, where the main tour departs. You will be collected by an International Coaches shuttle bus for transfer to Cairns CBD to meet your tour bus and guide. As travel times between the Northern Beaches and Cairns CBD may vary depending on traffic and daily conditions, we kindly ask guests to allow a 15-minute pickup window. If your shuttle does not arrive exactly on time, there is no need to worry — it is on its way. Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you are unable to locate your pickup point, please contact us.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Chinese & Japanese language guides are ONLY available on the Paronella Park guided tour. All commentary throughout the day is in English ONLY.
Reviews(331)
Carston was a fabulous guide who took the group to many interesting places. His commentary brought each of the places to life. The day was really well designed with the chance to get an interesting overview of the area. The included food was very good. The activities were well chosen and I can thoroughly recommend the tour.
Steve and Taz were amazing guides. Steve was very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. The tour was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic day. Thank you.
We had an amazing day with our tour guide Steve. Everything was fantastic from the itinerary to the food provided. The tour was very informative. Steve has a huge knowledge about the area. We can recommend this tour.
I had an absolutely wonderful experience on this tour, and a huge part of that was thanks to our tour guide and driver, James. James was incredibly friendly, humorous, knowledgeable and genuinely caring. He seemed to know almost everything about the places we visited and even the scenery we passed along the way. He explained not only the main attractions in great detail, but also pointed out distant landmarks, small hidden details, local history, interesting stories and things that most people would probably never notice on their own. What impressed me most was how naturally he combined knowledge with humour. His commentary was always interesting and entertaining, and never felt boring. He was also a true gentleman—kind, patient and attentive to everyone in the group. As a solo traveller, I felt very well looked after throughout the whole day. James made sure that everyone was comfortable and included, and he paid particular attention to the elderly guests and children in the group. You could really feel that he has many years of local experience, a wealth of life experience, and a genuine passion for sharing this beautiful region with others. James is the kind of guide who makes a good tour truly memorable. Reliable, knowledgeable, funny, warm and caring—I honestly could not have asked for a better guide. Highly recommended, and thank you again, James, for making the day so special.
The Northern Experience Eco Tour was great. All aspects including the knowledgeable tour guide, morning tea and lunch were perfect and the places we saw were beautiful.
If you are going to sit in a bus for many hours and be shuttled to many locations across 11 hours, make sure you get a great guide! James was super friendly and genuinely passionate about the countryside and its delights. Super- informative ( and, amazingly, it didn't sound like a tourist "spiel". He seemed to tell us a lot of interesting facts and stories "off the cuff"). He never seemed rushed and always told us what was coming next, how long it would take etc. The whole trip was a relaxed pace and yet still covered many sights. Plenty of toilet breaks and opportunities for water refills ( plus: he gave us bottled water towards the end of the day). We chose this ahead of the various Kuranda tours and were very happy with our choice.
This tour, and the brilliantly wonderful people who put the effort in towards crafting it, was exceptional. By far the highlight of our trip to Cairns. From the romantic story of Paronella Park to the breathtaking views all along the mountains, it was a joy. A special thank you to the staff at Discovery Tours and Northern Experience Eco Tours, too. I had been in communication with Tharis and Annika for months as I let them know I had planned to propose to my partner while there. They went above and beyond to assist me with the planning of everything — giving tips on good locations and even talking with the folks at Paronella to clue them in for help making it special. Our guide the day of, Carsten, was incredibly informative and stupendously funny — great music tastes, too. He used to work in photography and helped me surprise my partner and took photos of us throughout the park. This tour was made to be magical and unforgettable for my partner and I. Not just because the locations, but because of the people who make it up and operate it, too.
Can only recommend this tour to anyone. Relaxing, informative and very beautiful.
Firstly a shout out to our tour guide John, his knowledge, expertise and humour helped create a perfect day. Big thank you from the 3 kiwis John
Absolutely beautiful day. Steve, our guide, was fun and informative and entertaining. Definitely recommend.
