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About Atherton Tablelands

The Atherton Tablelands are a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia.

It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming.

It has an area of around 32,000 km² with an average altitude between 600 and 900m AHD. The fertility of the soils in the region can be attributed to the volcanic origins of the land.

The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River, which was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tinaroo.

The area was originally explored for its mining potential where deposits of tin and a little gold were found.