Better known for its stunning Great Barrier Reef and rainforests, Cairns is also the gateway to anthill country - the great Australian outback.

Just west of Cairns city on the Atherton Tablelands is Mareeba which offers a way into the interior and a number of interesting Outback experiences. 

About an hour’s drive from Cairns, Mareeba is known for its Italian immigrant population and the Mareeba Rodeo held annually in July.

Mareeba is also the home to the Cape York and Gulf of Carpentaria cattle industries and every week sale yards are full of animals brought in by road train from outlying properties.

The annual rodeo is one of the largest in Australia and is visited by thousands of people every year. 

Just west of Mareeba is the township of Chillagoe.

Home to a remarkable underground cave system, Chillagoe is an old mining town that is heaven for fossickers and geologists.  

With its ochre red landscape and scrubby trees, Chillagoe is a fast introduction to the Australian Outback famous around the world with plenty of Cairns Outback tours available. 

This region is usually described as north Queensland’s Gulf Savannah and is located between the Great Dividing Range and the Northern Territory border, covering an area of about 186,000sq km. 

For years known only for its extreme isolation and the cattle industry, it has become a Mecca for adventure tourists looking for something off the beaten track.  

There are huge empty spaces, seasonal wetlands home to a remarkable collection of birds, beaches, islands and crocodile-infested rivers with great fishing. 

The region is accessible from Cairns on the Peninsula Developmental Road which is completely sealed but other roads in the area can be less reliable. 

It’s worth checking ahead for the road conditions if you are driving, especially during the summer months and the “wet season”, as roads can become cut in the heavy rains. 

Otherwise why not book a Cairns Outback tour and sit back and enjoy the scenery with minimum fuss.

Would you like to learn more about Cairns outback experiences, or other tourist attractions in the area? Follow the links below to find out:

>> Cairns Outback Tourist Attractions

>> Cairns Fishing Photos

>> Cairns Driving Tours

>> Maps of Cairns

 

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