Up on the Atherton Tableland, behind Cairns in far north Queensland, the land rises from the hot coastal plain to a cooler plateau of volcanic soil, rolling farmland and patches of dense rainforest. Near Ravenshoe, which claims to be the highest town in Queensland, the forest around Malaan is one of the components of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage site, a long strip of tropical rainforest along the coast and the Great Dividing Range that contains some of the oldest continuously surviving rainforest on Earth. The forests are home to tree kangaroos, possums, rare frogs and birds, and, in the lowlands, the cassowary, a large flightless bird with a bony crest that is best admired from a distance.
The tableland is a land of waterfalls. Millstream Falls, near Ravenshoe, is one of the widest single-drop waterfalls in Australia, especially impressive after the wet season, and the famous waterfall circuit around Millaa Millaa takes in several more, cascading over basalt into pools surrounded by ferns. The volcanic lakes, Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine, are great places for a swim in clear, cool water, and the giant curtain fig tree near Yungaburra, with its roots hanging like a curtain, is a sight not to be missed.
The riding is some of the best in Queensland. The Palmerston Highway descends from Millaa Millaa through the rainforest of Wooroonooran National Park towards Innisfail on the coast, with plenty of bends, and the Gillies Range Road from Gordonvale to Yungaburra climbs hundreds of metres in a long, tight sequence of curves, one of the most famous motorcycle roads in the region. The Kennedy Highway links Ravenshoe with Atherton and Mareeba. Roads can be slippery in the wet season, roughly December to April, and cattle and wildlife, including wallabies, can appear at any time.
Ravenshoe has fuel and a few shops and pubs, and Atherton, the main town of the tableland, has everything you need. Try the local produce, which is excellent: tropical fruit, coffee grown on the tableland, cheese from the dairy farms around Malanda, and avocados. The tableland can be surprisingly cool in winter, so bring a warm layer for the evenings.