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Foodies this one is for you! A delicious full day tour showcasing the people, produce and scenery of the Atherton Tablelands. The Tablelands’ unique combination of climates and volcanic past have created a rich and fertile landscape, enabling farmers to grow and produce an amazing array of delicious and decadent fruits, jams and other delights. This guided tour showcases it all. Breakfast at a crater lake, lunch at a Strawberry Farm, cheese and chocolate at a local dairy, tastings at an award-winning distillery and ending on a sweet note, with ice-cream and sorbets. In between, enjoy banter from your local guide as you travel in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle. The Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour includes stops at all our favourite places and your visit directly supports local producers and farmers.
The Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour operates 3 days a week, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It has pick-ups from Cairns and the Northern Beaches. These are small group tours with a maximum of 20 guests.
Foodies this one is for you! Delicious full day tour to the Atherton Tablelands, featuring cheese, chocolate, wine, an award-winning distillery and more.
Get a free action camera rental when you book tours departing Cairns through us valued at over $750, we’ll lend you a GoPro camera to use for the duration of your tours. Numbers are limited and allocated on a first-come basis. Get in touch with us to claim this deal today.
This tour is operated by Kuranda and Outback Tours, a locally owned and operated company, just like us. Their focus is to provide meaningful connections, between their guests and the places, people they visit. The Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour is a full day tour, taking you from Cairns’ coastal hinterland up and across the Atherton Tablelands. Travel is on an air-conditioned coach and due to the stop at the Mount Uncle Distillery with spirit tastings, this tour is for those aged 18 years and over. Commentary is provided throughout the day by your knowledgeable, local driver / guide, covering the tour destinations, local history and the changing landscape and climate of the Tablelands. Meals and refreshments are included in the tour price. Bring additional funds for souvenirs, gifts and purchases.
Your tasting tour starts with breakfast at Lake Barrine Teahouse. This historic teahouse is perfectly positioned on the shores of Lake Barrine, providing views over the crater lake and surrounding rainforest. The teahouse has been owned by the Curry Family for over 100 years. Their menu is created using the freshest local produce, think Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, delightful bagels, tea, coffee and more. Lunch is at the delightful Shaylee Strawberry Farm, another family owned and operated business. The menu at their Two Strawberries café is focused on seasonal produce and delicious meals. Indulge in a taste testing of their house-made strawberry jam, creamy gelato and their Strawberry Wine. You will also have the opportunity (seasonal) to explore the strawberry fields and pick your own berries (June to October). Please note the meal portions are kept light, leaving space for the rest of the day’s tastings.
While the Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour is all about the food, it also includes spectacular scenery along the way. The Atherton Tablelands is a diverse region incorporating cool and wet rainforest with dairy farms, as well as hot and dry savannah areas with agricultural plantations. It’s this diversity of environments that enables the production of so many amazing flavours and products. You’ll enjoy breakfast overlooking Lake Barrine, a volcanic crater lake formed more than 10,000 years ago and surrounded by lush tropical rainforest. Stop in to see the amazing Curtain Fig Tree, a 500 year old tree protected in its very own National Park. This towering giant has an impressive range of aerial roots and makes for a great photo opportunity. You’ll be driven down country roads surrounded by farms and crops and drive through savannah areas with open woodlands.
There are two shopping stops included on the Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour, one is at The Humpy mentioned above, the other is at Winter & Mann in Yungaburra. Locally owned and operated, this small business supports and stocks produce and creations by passionate local growers, small batch makers, artists and Australian brands that complement the Tablelands region. Their range includes preserves and sauces, gourmet snacks and biscuits, Daintree tea and Mareeba coffee, gifts, prints, calendars and fashion for all ages. As well as the shopping, this stop also includes some more taste testing (of course) of local goodies in-store at the time of visit. This is the place to pick-up a unique souvenir or gift.
After sipping strawberry wine at Shaylee Strawberry Farm, it’s on to the award-winning Mount Uncle Distillery. This family-owned business produces an impressive range of locally crafted spirits, including gin, rum, whisky, agave spirits and liqueurs. Their award-winning range includes Botanic Australis Gin, FNQ Rum Co, Watkins Whisky Co and the deliciously different Sexycat Marshmallow Liqueur, featuring hints of raspberry, rosewater and Daintree vanilla. Enjoy a tasting of selected spirits, with the opportunity to purchase your favourites to take home.
Emerald Creek Ice Creamery produces an amazing range of ice-creams and sorbets, in over 50 different flavours. In keeping with the theme of the tour, this locally owned business showcases local flavours in their range. Think dragonfruit and lime, banana, davidson plum, lilly pilly, passionfruit, ginger, espresso and more. Included in the Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour is a 4-scoop tasting cup of 2 ice-creams and 2-sorbets. You also have the option to browse their other flavours and purchase additional cups or cones. Their store also has locally made fudge and biltong (South African inspired beef jerky).
The Humpy is a locally famous ‘shop’ stocking an extensive array of fresh and preserved produce. We’re talking fruit and vegetables, macadamias and peanuts, the best beef jerky, sauces, jams, tea, coffee and more. Their priority is to showcase locally grown and created products, reducing food miles and connecting customers with local flavours. At this stop you’ll sample a selection of seasonal fruits, jams, sauces and nuts, with the option to purchase additional quantities to take with you. The name might be weird, the experience is anything but.
Gallo Dairyland is a must-do inclusion on the Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour, thanks to their award-winning range of locally crafted cheese and chocolates. We can personally vouch for this, we visit Gallo every time we’re on the Tablelands, for Julie it’s the cheese and for Richard and Ethan it’s the chocolate. It’s the best! Gallo Dairyland is located on a family farm that was purchased in 1937 by Giovanni Gallo, today it’s owned and operated by Giovanni’s son Frank and his wife Ann. It’s located on the active dairy farm, with the cheese and chocolate produced on-site. Sample a selection of both on the tasting tour, with the option to purchase additional quantities to take with you.
The below Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour is based on their ‘usual’ itinerary. However, please note that exact times and order of activities can change pending weather and other circumstances. The tour includes return transfers from Cairns on an air-conditioned coach. Please note you will be travelling on two winding range roads, the Gillies Range and Kuranda Range. If you suffer from motion sickness, we strongly suggest taking some preventative medication before setting out (and/or sitting to the front of the vehicle). The tour is fully guided. The ticket price covers all meals, snacks and destinations mentioned above. Bring additional funds for souvenir purchases. Please note this tour requires a minimum of 6 passengers to operate. It is a 9-hour tour.
Kuranda and Outback Tours commence tour pick-ups from various Cairns city locations. Exact pick-up times will be confirmed closer to travel time. Please note this tour departs Cairns 3 days a week: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
If you are staying in Port Douglas or the Northern Beaches, contact us for more information regarding transfers and pick-ups.
After departing Cairns, you drive up the Gillies Range Road to the elevated Tablelands region. The first stop of the day is the Lake Barrine Teahouse, which is not far from the top of the range. Enjoy a delicious breakfast with tea and coffee, enjoying views over the surrounding lake.
From here the journey continues on to Yungaburra, one of the most delightful villages on the Atherton Tablelands. You stop into Winter & Mann where you can taste a selection of locally sourced produce, with time to browse their beautiful store for a unique gift or souvenir.
Leaving Yungaburra, it’s a short drive to the Curtain Fig Tree National Park. This is a must-do photo stop on the tour, standing beneath the towering 500 year old fig tree that gives its name to the park. The Curtain Fig Tree is 50m tall and has an impressive array of aerial roots that have joined together to form a ‘curtain’.
Lunch is at Two Strawberries café, part of the Shaylee Strawberry Farm. After lunch there’s a taste testing of their home-made jam, gelato and Strawberry Wine. Pending time of year, you might have time to explore the strawberry fields and pick your own fruit (seasonal activity, June to October).
Gallo Dairyland is next for a decadent tasting of their award-winning cheese and chocolate. Both come in a simply amazing range of flavours and all have been lovingly crafted and prepared on site. Option to purchase additional cheese and chocolate to take with you, at extra cost.
Mount Uncle Distillery is next, for some more taste testing. This family distillery produces a range of award-winning whiskey, gin and rum, all crafted using locally sourced botanicals. There’s the option to purchase bottles to take with you for a great souvenir or gift.
Sample seasonal fruits, local roasted nuts and a selection of jams and sauces at the Humpy. There’s the option to purchase any favourite items to take with you, for a great souvenir or gift.
End the day with a sweet treat from Emerald Creek Ice Creamery, who provide a 4-scoop tasting cup, featuring 2 ice-cream and 2-sorbet flavours. You have the option to browse their other flavours and purchase additional cups or cones and/or their locally made fudge and biltong (at extra cost).
Kuranda and Outback Tours then returns to Cairns, via the Kuranda Range Road and drops you back to your accommodation and/or pick-up point.
The tour includes return transfers from selected Cairns accommodation, an air-conditioned vehicle and commentary from a knowledgeable local driver guide. Breakfast at Lake Barrine Teahouse, lunch at Shaylee Strawberry Farm and a delicious selection of tastings are included. We’re talking locally made cheese, chocolates, seasonal fruits, nuts, jams, strawberry wine, boutique spirits, ice-cream and sorbets. Entry to the scheduled attractions and tasting experiences is also included.
The Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour visits some of our favourite Atherton Tablelands destinations, including.
Along the way you’ll enjoy spectacular scenery, from lush rainforest and rolling dairy pastures to open woodland and agricultural plantations.
The tour operates 3 days a week – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Pickups are available from Cairns and the Northern Beaches. Exact times will be confirmed before travel. This is a small-group tour with a maximum of 20 guests.
This is a full-day tour lasting approximately 9 hours, including return travel from Cairns. You’ll journey up the Gillies Range, explore the Atherton Tablelands with a series of food, wine and scenic stops, and return to Cairns via the Kuranda Range. Exact return times can vary depending on traffic, weather and the day’s itinerary.
The Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour is designed for adults aged 18 years and over, with wine and spirit tastings included in the itinerary. Children are not generally catered for on scheduled departures, although older teenagers may be considered by the operator on request. For families travelling with younger children, we recommend exploring other Atherton Tablelands day tours.
Many dietary requirements can be accommodated with advance notice, although options vary between the different food producers and venues. Please advise us of any vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free or other dietary requirements when booking. Guests with serious food allergies should contact us before confirming their booking so we can check suitable arrangements with the operator.
This is a relaxed sightseeing and tasting experience, with relatively little walking. Most stops involve short walks between the vehicle, cafes, shops and tasting venues. The Curtain Fig Tree is accessed by a short timber boardwalk through the rainforest. Guests should be comfortable getting on and off the vehicle throughout the day. If you have specific mobility concerns, please contact us before booking.
Not at all! While the tour includes strawberry wine and boutique spirit tastings, there’s so much more to enjoy. We’re talking locally made cheeses, chocolates, tropical fruits, jams, nuts, delicious meals, ice-cream and sorbets. Alcohol tastings are optional, and there’s plenty to enjoy if you’d prefer not to drink.
The tour travels on both the Gillies Range and Kuranda Range roads, which feature numerous bends as they wind through the rainforest mountains. If you experience motion sickness, we recommend taking your usual preventative medication before departure and requesting a seat towards the front of the vehicle. Speak with a pharmacist or medical professional before taking unfamiliar medication.
Yes. The Cairns Tablelands Tasting Tour requires a minimum of six guests to operate. If this number isn’t reached for your booked departure, the operator will offer an alternative travel date or a full refund. We recommend booking in advance, particularly if you have limited time in Cairns.
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