Malanda welcomes you to a destination of rare wildlife, accessible rainforest and the calm of the mountains.

Located on the Southern Atherton Tablelands, Malanda is in the centre of this balance of nature, just 75 minutes by vehicle from the Cairns International Airport. Bird watching, great bushwalking through World Heritage rainforests and year round invigorating freshwater swimming are complimented by affordable and luxurious accommodation, tea houses and country style dining.

Malanda area offers abundant natural experiences including platypus, the elusive Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo, bright tropical birds, brilliant butterflies, and wildlife rich walking tracks. Amble through charming small town shops with the Malanda CBD offering excellent shopping for all the essentials. Local open air markets (there’s one every weekend across the Atherton Tablelands) tempt shoppers with a great range of home cooked treats, tropical fruits and vegetables and local arts and crafts.

Enjoy a drive along the many country roads that meander their way through lush green grazing pastures dotted with dairy herds and beef cattle, tea plantations and macadamia farms, or simply choose to relax at the edge of a serene crater lake. There are so many choices! Lake Eacham sunset

Rainforest country

Malanda is in the heart of North Queensland's rainforest country. Although much of the original forest around the town was cleared to establish dairy farms during the early part of last century, many large remnant patches remain in the immediate area. One of the most significant of these is close to the centre of town, surrounding Malanda Falls and the North Johnstone River. View checklist of local birds.

Our rainforests are some of the most diverse forests in Australia. A few hectares will contain several hundred species of trees, shrubs and vines. During the dry season some of the conspicuous red flowered species such the Tree Waratah and Flame Trees and the yellow flowered Pendas, create bright patches of colour contrasting vividly with the many shades of green in the forest's canopy. Numerous ferns and orchids decorate the forest floor and the branches of the trees. As well as containing a great diversity of plants most of the forest patches still contain the very special animals indigenous to the region.

Prominent in most Naturalist's "must see" list is the Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo and the tiny Musky Rat-kangaroo. Spot-lighting to observe Golden Penda nocturnal rainforest animals, especially the several possum species, is a popular pastime for many visitors and locals. For bird enthusiasts both rainforest and dry savannah habitats containing more than 500 species are within 60 km.

Art Trail

For a small town, Malanda is blessed with a multitude of talented artists working in the fields of pottery, glass blowing and slumping, woodworking, woodturning, wood carving ironmongery, painting, mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, cane weaving, leadlighting, theatre, patchwork/quilting, weaving, doll making and various other enterprising pursuits.

These talents are typified by the trail of nine large vibrant mosaics scattered around the town which commemorate the rich history of Malanda's community - Malanda mosaics the Original Inhabitants, Hardships and Struggles, Transport, Commerce, Recollections, Early Settlers, the Dairy Industry, Recreation and Looking Ahead.

Enjoy a stroll around the town to study each mosaic individually and discover the many details camouflaged in the intricate designs, revealing themselves on closer inspection, the hand made ceramic border tiles telling more about the theme of the central mosaic. See if you can locate the blue butterfly in each mosaic!

Malanda town

Why not start your discovery tour of the Atherton Tablelands with a walk around the quaint village of Malanda. May we suggest these Malanda Hotel eight things to see and do:

1. The Malanda Hotel, built in 1911 is said to be the largest wooden structure in Australia. This fine example of local pioneer architecture has a grand ballroom and staircase.
2. See a film at the Majestic Theatre . This is the oldest continually operating cinema in Australia and has potato sack seating. "Saturday night at the movies, who cares what picture you see!"
3. Walk the Mosaic Trail starting at the town library – Nine vibrant artworks which commemorate the rich history of Malanda’s community.
4. Take the tour at the Malanda Dairy Centre which showcases the historical progress of the Malanda area. Take time out for a coffee break and taste delicious local produce.
5. For one of the best selections of wines in rural Australia why not pop into The Little Bottler where you will be pleasantly surprised at their fantastic range.
6. Visit the Malanda Falls Visitor’s Centre where you can step back in time to watch the creation of the Atherton Tablelands. Learn about the geological, cultural and natural history of Australia’s tropical rainforest.
7. Across the road from the Visitor’s Centre, take a leisurely stroll through the pristine remnant rainforest where you may be fortunate enough to sight a Lumholtz Tree- Kangaroo. Pause at the viewing platform next to the river to look for platypus, fish and turtles. Listen for the melodious calls of the rainforest birds and watch for beautiful fluttering butterflies.
8. Top all this off with a refreshing swim in the Malanda Falls swimming hole in a crocodile and stinger free cool mountain river. Don't forget to bring a picnic!