Comments on: Atherton Tablelands Rail Trail

By: Sharon J.

Sharon J. — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 10:53:19 +0000

I loved the entire trail. My husband and I rode from Atherton to Mareeba, stopping for lunch and coffee at Coffee Works, then returning to Atherton. We covered around 72km in total. The path from Atherton to Walkamin is scenic going past windmills and farms. The path from Walkamin was long and straight but in a great condition, making it an eady ride. Well done.

By: Mike B.

Mike B. — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 05:04:25 +0000

We rode the trail between Mareeba and Atherton over a couple of days by riding the uphill towards Atherton , then downhill return towards Mareeba. The surface varies – but its exactly what we expect from a gravel rail trail. We ride mountain bikes.
Good signage and points of interest, except for the section in the centre of Atherton. Some good park improvements under development in Atherton too.

The FNQ Pioneer Bike Trail Atherton to Herberton is very, very basic. We rode a kilometre or so from Atherton before turning back to return to our vehicle at Tolga. We drove to the Herberton Range to walk the few hundred metres to the old tunnel. This trail is a credit to the volunteers and TRC.

By: Marty R.

Marty R. — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 03:34:14 +0000

Hello,
Rode from Atherton – Herberton Historic Trail Section from the Atherton Station Cafe to Peter Street on the 6th of June 2025.

Congrats to the committee and volunteers for the prep and upkeep of this complete trail. Keep up the good work.

Only a short section that is mostly beside the rail line as the rails are still in place.

If the track is slashed, going is good but if not slashed then it would be a bit harder.

By: Marty R.

Marty R. — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 03:30:04 +0000

Hello,
Rode from Atherton to Mareeba on the 6th of June 2025.

Congrats to the committee and volunteers for the prep and upkeep of this complete trail. Keep up the good work.

The trail is in great condition with the exception of the road underpass section at Rocky Creek where it passes under the Kennedy Highway but this is only for 100m or so and can still be ridden or push your bike.

A couple of extra signs on Grove St, Atherton would be good but we found our way.

We found from Walkamin to Mareeba, there was not very many signs but it is easy to follow the trail to Mareeba Airport and then onto Mareeba.

We rode the Trail all the way to the Old Mareeba Railway Station Site (as Google maps said). It would be better one day if there was more signage at the Mareeba end and possibly an interpretive sign where the Mareeba Station used to be.

We could not even find a sign to identify that the trail had ended.

A great trail to ride though and we did it in one go with no problems.

By: Peter T.

Peter T. — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 01:16:56 +0000

In reply to Caroline G..

Good morning Caroline thank you for your review!
The Central section of the Trail Guide suggests the following;

'From Walkamin heading north, the 7.5km trail to the Mareeba Airport adopts a gentle downhill grade but is rough and informally ridden'.

We fully understand your dissapointment in this section.
This said, the DTMR/RoadTek group have begun resurrecting this section and we were able to ride it last saturday – for the first time since december 2023 mind you!
As you may be aware we have had 2,500mm of rain between mid december and early July 2024 and this has complicated repair works for 6 months.

We are hoping that this section will be worked on over the next few months and that the Rocky Creek crossing will also be renovated in that time.

Thank you for visiting FNQ and we hope you return and ride the transformed Atherton Tableland Rail Trail in the future.

By: Caroline G.

Caroline G. — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 02:36:19 +0000

We rode this trail in three bits. The section from Mareeba to Mareeba Airport was pretty good with a fine to coarse gravel surface.
The section from Mareeba Airport to Walkamin is a crazy mix of rough goat track, soft sandy wheel grabbing parts and areas with large stones/small rocks, so was tough going.
We did meet some workers who were in the process of upgrading this section but I expect it will be a long process.
From Walkamin to Rocky Creek is a bit better but a mix of corrugated and sandy track. The track into/out of Rocky Creek with two crossings are steep and rutted.
Rocky Creek to Atherton was pretty good.

By: GRAHAM H.

GRAHAM H. — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 11:10:13 +0000

did the cycle from Walkamin to Atherton return and added in the 28km extra cycling loop. some patches of tyre grabbing sand near Tolga but otherwise not too bad. The additional loop was the highlight and you should do that if possible

By: John M.

John M. — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:33:04 +0000

I rode from Mareeba to Atherton on the rail trail (on loaded touring bike) on 3 November 2023. The track condition from Mareeba to Vicary road (to Mareeba aerodrome) is good. There is a track from there to Walkamin (about an 8 km stretch) which I would not recommend at all – soft sand and loose rock meant I had to walk the bike most of that stretch. The track condition from Walkamin through to Atherton is quite good. There is no potable water from Mareeba to Tolga (there used to be a shop in Walkamin- now closed, and Rocky creek only has non-potable supplies)- The Caravan park owner in Walkamin allowed me to fill up.

By: Mal B.

Mal B. — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 05:54:20 +0000

A beautiful ride through tropical countryside!
The start of the trail proper at the bridge over the river didn’t seem to be signposted.
There’s a drop in elevation of about 200m over the length of the trail from Atherton. The surface is good, but coarse in some areas, requiring good quality tyres. There’s plenty places to get refreshments or have a picnic, including at Rocky Creek campground.
A very worthwhile ride!

By: John O.

John O. — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 23:05:55 +0000

My wife and I rode this trail in July 2021. The first bit out of Atherton is hard to find, and you have to cross a busy road near a bridge. This is a really nice trail once you get on it and it currently ends at Walkamin. We would have liked to keep riding on to Mareeba, but it was too rough and overgrown.
There are lots of interesting and historical sights along the way such as Tolga and Rocky Creek. The station precinct at Atherton is really great, with coffee and cake in one of the old railway carriages on site. I believe there are plans to extend the trail to Mareeba, as well as further south towards Herberton. This will be fantastic.