3 Day Cairns Itinerary: Exploring Tropical North Queensland

Alternative Activities

If you’re already planning to go snorkelling on the Great Barrier reef outside of Cairns, or want to spend a couple of extra nights glamping in the Daintree Rainforest, check out some alternative activities to add to your three day Cairns itinerary instead:

Atherton Tablelands & Waterfall Trail

We actually did this on our way out of Cairns, but it works as a day trip too! You can either book a tour with transportation from Cairns, or drive it yourself. If you’re self-driving, here’s how to see some of the best waterfalls in Queensland!

To get there, drop ‘Millaa Millaa waterfall’ into your satnav, and get ready for an adventurous drive along State Route 52 up a winding hill to reach the Tableland. (you can also take an alternative route along the A1 to Route 25, which is a bit less bendy!)

Millaa Millaa is the first of three waterfalls on a circular route, each with its own unique style. This one’s the easiest to access, via steps next to the car park.

Turn left back onto the road and continue round to Zillie Falls. This one was the most challenging, as there’s not a well-structured path. To get to the bottom of the falls we had to scramble down some muddy bits, but the view at the bottom is more than worth it. 

Next, take another left turn to continue the circuit with a quick drive to Ellinjaa Falls, which was my favourite! This one has steps built into the ground that lead all the way down.

Once you’ve done the waterfall trail, you can head Southeast on Route 25 to reach Mamu Tropical Skywalk, a 350m elevated boardwalk with an observation tower. Route 25 then loops back around to the A1, and it’s about 1hr 25mins drive back to Cairns.