Rain, hail, or shine, you depart from Cairns at 7:45 am, stopping to admire the view from the Kuranda Lookout at the heights of the temperate rainforest. The lookout contains spectacular views of the Great Barrier Reef National Park and Cairns city to the Northern Beaches. Visit the famous, world-renowned Barron Falls, a spectacle on any day in itself, even if the falls are not in flood. Are you hungry? Maybe a Devonshire morning tea included at the famous Mt Uncle Distillary/Bridges Cafe is the order of the morning. Visit the Rocky Creek War Memorial Park and learn the important parts the Atherton Tablelands played in WWII. Now comes the highlight of the day - Inclusive entrance into the award winning Historical Pioneer Village in Herberton, plus an old fashioned cooked lunch. Choose from a selection of home cooked country style meals, made fresh and to your dietary requirements. After lunch feel free to take in some more of your favorite attractions at the village, including vintage cars, steam operated machinery, the old print shop, chemist, sweet shop, boot maker, school, blacksmith, vintage garage toyshop and so much more. Included in the tour package is a ride on the Steam Engine train (Subject to weather conditions) before you leave the village, which arrives at the historical Herberton Railway Station where the tour bus will meet you. Take a small drive up to the Herberton Mining Museum to discover how the town became famous for its large tin deposits. You can also try your luck at tin mining. Next it's time to follow the very scenic Crater Valley and Herberton Ranges along the highway to Mt Hypipamee and be overwhelmed with the depth and sight of the ancient crater formed thousands of years ago. Along the way discover the hidden truths of the rich Indigenous heritage, and learn about the historical timber, railway, mining, war and dairy industries of the early pioneers. In the late afternoon it's time to enjoy the sunset as you wind your way gently down through the steaming rainforests of the scenic range towards Cairns, arriving back to your hotel at approximately 5:30 pm.
asked the friendly locals where to hVE LUNCH IN hERBERTON THEY WERE FRIENDLY AND SHEEPish saying nowt open we wnt to Spar superarket and bought bread butter and made sandwiches it was lovely
I'm a Melbournian with (at the time) no background knowledge of Cairns, and on a trip with Darren and some mates I had a blast diving into some of the history of the place (deeply involving neighbouring Herberton) and seeing the sights. What stuck out to me was the genuine sense of love the people we met had for the town and their contribution to it. Personally, nerding out over minerals with the people at the tin mine museum, bugs and volcanoes at the info centre and having an amazing coffee and carrot cake at the crêperie were great highlights for me, and that's just the surface! 10/10, would recommend. My trip to Cairns wouldn't have been the same without Darren's tour.
Giorgos kastrinakis the best trip ever An amazing cruise along the exotic shores of the island of Crete .she will love it so did you
Amazing place with lots to see & do, something to see for everyone. It takes you a step back into Aussie history, if you're lucky enough you can be there to see damper made the old fashion way & try some with butter, syrup & a fresh mug of billy tea made over an open camp fire!.
You need to allow a few hours to properly look around. A fantastic effort has been put into the village, and we loved it. So much to check out and reminisce. You need to allow a couple of hours. Lunch was good. A great half day.
All that is to say is must visit they offera three day pass out as required, youwill need really 3 days. Must try both the tea house scones and cuppa and also the bush camp lunch, we were licky enough to have a great stew the day qe qere there. Great coveraations with all that worked there. Another must see Blacksmith. But there is much more as I said.
A truly interesting place, great staff who enhanced the day. Takes you back in time. If you love the old Australia you will be happy.
We met up with Darrin from our cruise ship in Port Douglas and Cairns where he took us on 2 days of tours. We visited some amazing places. Was a great 2 days! Darrin was so knowledgeable about the areas and was a great guide, even with the Dad jokes 😃
This privately owned and run historic village is a credit to those involved, just ensure to allow enough time to do it justice. The entry fee is not cheap, but it does allow entry for three days and is therefore great value for history buffs. We drove out from Cairns for the day, but for another visit we would stay locally and go back on a daily basis rather than run ourselves ragged in one day. A bit of something for everyone.
It was the most visually interesting step back in time, the artifacts, the massive area filled with so much history and preserved so well. It’s worth visit for all ages.
This is an absolute must for those interested in history. An outstanding array of buildings and memorabilia gathered together to showcase life as it was in the early days. Take your time to wander through and compare this to the mod cons we take for granted today!! An exceptional view of the heritage of the area and still cannot believe there was so much to see.
We were amazed at the size of the collection on display, as well as the attention to detail. Credit goes to the current and previous owners for having the passion to create such an acquisition over time. Allow for a full day so as not to miss any part and don't forget to view the film. We enjoyed our visit and highly reccommend this Herberton attraction.
This was my second time coming to this attraction. My first experience was amazing the place was full of action and the staff where also very friendly and knowledgeable. The cafe was delightful and very well kept and all of the facilities really made it an enjoyable experience My second experience was somewhat lacking. (I'm aware I'm writing this 1year into a world pandemic so I have to be fair to all) But considering the costly entry I expected abit more effort to create an astomphere to enhance the experience. No music was played throughout, staff looked like they would rather be anywhere else. I live in northern Queensland so we are trying to travel to places to support local business etc stay afloat. The staff in the cafe didn't make eye contact and when I asked for a menu they pointed to a board then carried on with tasks. I commented on the strange choice of menu for a historical village, I would have expected delicate traditional dishes fit for the villages time again enhance people's experience. But I was confused by the only choices being a selection of hot curries. I ordered a basic sandwich and milkshake as it was abit pricey and I wasn't very hungry and a cellophane cheap bread wrapped sandwich was graced upon me. For a $6 sandwich I kinda expected a plate and maybe a little garnish. The milkshake is still insane but I was confused. ( I did ask for a plate and got given a take away box ). I guess given this day and age I should probably greatful I'm even aloud the privilege of a sandwich outside. But money is money and I found the service lacking.
Have just silent the day at this wonderful museum village set on 16 acres of immaculately keep grounds and gardens. It cost us as pensioners $29 each and this entitled us to a three day pass. Had we not travelled 90 minutes to get there this pass would have been ideal as there was just so much to see and do. Mining, printing, saw milling, woodwork , toys and several original houses were just a small part of what was included. Everything was maintained in excellent condition. Toilets etc clean and plentiful. This place is a credit to the people who established it and those who are now maintaining it. Highly recommended
We passed the Village a few years before the current Owners acquired it and pulled off a Herculean effort to finalise completion and open to the Public. A commendable effort. It is unique and wonderful. Try to allocate reasonable time (3+ hours) to do justice to touring the Village. The big Pub sells food, drinks etc., and is the perfect place to pull up. Even the old style, corrugated tin amenities block was excellent. The Village has equal appeal for adults and children. There is ample free car parking at the entry. The Village wins our award as the best example we’ve seen of a recreated town, and we’ve been thru several around the world. Everything was spotless, beautifully sited, cool and shaded and the gardens were lovely and fragrant. There is no musty, museum like aura. It’s as if every building still has a family or proprietor in situ, looking after it. The Entry Building has excellent, very well priced souvenirs and gifts. Visitors wander around at their own pace in whatever direction they choose to go. Elderslie the majestic old Queenslander taking prime position at the front was beautifully decorated and themed. Loved it. My next favourite building, tho spoilt for choice, was The Apothecary. Again best example I’ve ever seen. The number of different sets of Apothecary Jars/Urns on display was stunning. The circular padded leather banquette for Customers in the centre of the huge room harked back to a time when Proprietors looked after their Customers. The beautiful, elaborate National Cash Register on the counter looked like it belonged in Tiffany. Worth a visit just to see it. There is a Suspension Bridge crossing the river to the rear grounds where a wealth of farming machinery is scattered about. Every building, posh or humble, had things of wonder inside. All Staff we met were helpful and pleasant. We could have spent an entire day here. My husband is a keen photographer and I love old. Anything/everything. Time flew and our visit was fantastic.
It is a great recreation of a tin mining village. The buildings were fantastic along with the contents inside. Would highly recommend going to if your on the Atherton Tablelands
best 6 hours I have spent in a long time totally immersed in memories of later years. will be back because I know there was so much I missed even after 6 hours.
We visited the village for the second time. It has been expanded over the creek. The village is fantastic. So clean and tidy. So much to see. The new area over the creek is great. A farm house and a tractor display. The old sawmill was interesting. We had a lovely lunch there too. Well worth a visit.
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