Atherton Tableland
P1P5
McHugh Lookout, looking across the Atherthon Tablelands
The Atherton Tablelands are a highland southwest of Cairns and north-west of Innisfail in the Australian state of Queensland. It is part of the Great Dividing Range, which stretches along on the Australian east coast. The main cities are Atherton, Kuranda, Yungaburra, Mareeba, Malanda and Millaa Millaa.
Geology
The oldest rocks in this landscape were granites, which were covered and changed by other rocks. Volcanoes erupted on this original base basalt. The ancient granites, which were pressed into deeper soil layers were heated and agitated rhyolitic lava, which came to the surface and quickly cooled. The information to be in the process of mineralization produced ores such as gold, copper and zinc in the Hodgkinson mountains and tin and tungsten in the granites.
Volcanoes emerged in the Tablelands before 3.9 to 1.6 million years ago, but there are a number of volcanoes that. Less than 200,000 years, like Mount Quincan and The Pinacles
As the lava exited, it flowed along the rivers and valleys and as it cooled, solidified lava basalt with a thickness of several meters. Shield volcanoes formed with flattened crater slopes, extending 5 to 10 kilometers into Atherton Tableland. The originally dark basalt weathered over time partially or red clay. The erosion produced incisions in the flanks of volcanoes, such as at Bones Knob Volcano, Malanda Volcano at Meeragallen and Glendinning at Windy Hill. Ash and cinder cones and maars formed. Small volcanic hills rose 40 to 80 feet above the ground and were in little lava. However, the Mount Quincan is 170 meters high and covers an area within a radius of 0.5 to 1.5 km, which contains volcanic ash and slag, as can be seen in a quarry located there. The maars, as the Bromfield Swamp emerged as a red-hot lava in contact with ground water came. The resulting explosion crater produced, which were filled over a large area in a relatively small depth with water.
In the Atherton Tablelands, there are four geological volcanic shapes: cone -shaped hills, such as The Pinnacles, ash and cinder cones such as Mount Quincan, crater lakes such as Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham or swamps as the Bromfield Swamp and the Lynch's Crater. The ash and slag hills are younger than the shield volcanoes. The crater of Mount Hypipamee is an exception, since it was developed by a large gas explosion blasted off at the granite masses and only small amounts of lava were ejected.
History
The first settlers were lured in the 1870s by gold on the Atherton Tablelands; later many came for tin here. Logging and processing, as well as agriculture, but soon broke off the search for mineral resources.
The name of the landscape goes back to John Atherton (1837-1913), who drove in the early years of European settlement cattle herds in this area.
Character
Surveys
The height is between 600 and 1000 m. In the south of the Atherton Tablelands are the two highest mountains in Queensland; Mount Bartle Frere (1657 meters ) and Mount Bellenden Ker ( 1591 meters), which consist of granite.
Flora
Vast areas of tropical rainforest once covered the Atherton Tablelands, but made it the first settlers cutting down trees, to be processed into lumber this except for a few small areas. Therefore, large areas of the Atherton Tableland are used for agriculture today. The remaining rainforest is often due to the very steep slopes to the coast. Despite all of the remaining rainforest is very impressive and an ideal habitat for countless species.
Fauna
In the rain forest areas, there are countless animal species. Of particular note are the rare Lumholtz tree kangaroo and the platypus.
Climate
The Atherton Tablelands are in the tropics and therefore experience only two seasons. The summer is called the rainy season (wet season) and the winter dry season ( dry season ). The low humidity in summer is called "natural aircondition ". In winter there is a cool but mild climate. The make good soil and beneficial rains the Atherton Tablelands to a convenient area in Queensland.
- Summer 17-35 ° C
- Winter 5-22 ° C
Transport links
You can reach the Atherton Tablelands in different ways and explore. The connection by train / car from Cairns to Kuranda is ideal for day-trippers. There are also bus services from Cairns to the main places of Atherton Tableland. The best means of transport is still the car to drive the many small and large attractions.
To get from the coast to the Atherton Tablelands, you can use the following streets:
- Palmerston Highway from Innisfail to Millaa Millaa
- Gillies Highway from Gordonvale to Yungaburra and Atherton after
- Kennedy Highway from Cairns to Kuranda and Mareeba
- Peninsula Developmental Road Cooktown and Mossman after Mareeba
Economy
The nutrient-rich volcanic soil makes the rolling hills very profitable farmland and meadows.
Attractions
The Atherton Tablelands are very varied in flora, fauna, landscape and culture. This results in very many recreational opportunities, such as: cave tours, historic rail journeys, boat trips, water sports, gondola rides through the rainforest, hiking ( bushwalking ), bird watching, horseback riding and much more. In the Atherton Tablelands is the Crater Lakes National Park with the two crater lakes Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine, and its lake Lake Tinaroo with the adjacent Danbulla National Park.
From Cairns to Kuranda either come with a historic train or gondola ride above the rainforest. For the return journey to the coast, you can use each other's transport.
In Yungaburra the Curtain Fig Tree is a plant that it created that a umwachsener of a strangler fig tree died out and tipped on another tree. The hanging roots of the fig look like a curtain.
Millaa Millaa East of there is the Waterfall Circuit, which branches off for 15 km from the highway and runs past three waterfalls, including the remarkable Millaa Millaa Falls.