The 14 best parks and gardens in Mareeba

Beautiful spot off a gravel/ unsealed road. Easily accessible but a very dry area. Beautiful short hike to a stunning waterfall. Bring swimmers and a packed lunch. There’s easy access into the pool at the bottom of the falls and a rope swing for all to try. If you’re ballsy some guys were jumping off the rocks next to the falls. Deep enough at the bottom. Stunning waterfalls unlike most other in the area and much less known. I got a tick on the trail so be cautious

Both the creek and the falls were great. Dog friendly. Plenty of parking and public toilet. Walking trails lead to the falls with different options to take you to the bottom or top view point. Other little trails to various parts of the creek where you can swim.

It's a bit of a drive and a short trek but so worth it for the views. We had the swimming hole to ourselves and chilled out on the rocks. Beautiful little piece of paradise.

What a gem, a short walk to the bottom on the Falls, can be a little slippery over the rocks. Pet friendly, beautiful chill flowing waters to cool down in. Take the creek access track to the left along the trail if you want a nice sandy water hole to relax in. About 8km of gravel road on way in, corrugations weren't too bad when we came (mid Jul), worst is in the second half of the track on the corners.

Great FREE activity for the entire family. Have a picnic while you’re there. Relatively easy walk to the falls and for a swim.

Beautiful Falls. Not the safest at the top for the kiddies but is manageable for a little dip and then head back to the creek on the walk back to burn some energy and let the kids splash!

Bit of a hidden gem, as it's a little off the main tourist roads. Wear your togs, bring your dog (it's not a National Park and is dog friendly) and do the lower falls walk. This leads to one of the best swimming holes in the region.

This was a lovely surprise. We were told about Davies Creek and falls by a local in town. The drive out is on a dirt road so take it easy. We passed the camping area and just before the falls was a nice spot for our picnic. Swimming here was awesome. Some people chose to park here and walk up to the falls which seemed to have a bigger swimming hole. This would be a better idea than driving up to the falls. We did drive up, but then hubby said it was a steep climb down and back up again with a lot of steps. I was glad to sit in the car and do my code cracker puzzles. Don't bother visiting Granite Gorge as they now charge $15 per person. Visit here instead.

Easy drive from cairns only 1hr. Gravel road once u turn off and it can be corrugated and dusty. The walks were well marked with signs and had some great views. I was pleasantly surprised at the toilets in good working order near the start of the national park. Most of the walks are pretty easy except the last one at the end of the road that is over 10kms so do that one first if you really want to do all the walks. Great spot for a day trip or camp. No mobile phone reception so download or screenshot the maps and parks info before you get there.

Gorgeous. Ensure you drive to the top of you want to swim in the infinity pool above the falls.

Loved it. Great spot. Relaxing. Safe for kids. Definitely coming back

Beautiful scenery and swimming along the creek!

It’s a long drive in on a gravel road which hasn’t been graded for a while so was very bumpy. The first thing you come to is the lower campground. This has beautiful rock platforms and plunge pools. There is no map or informational signage at this point on the park. You then draw another two kms to the falls on a very narrow road. There is only parking for 3-4 cars. The viewpoint over the falls is impressive. When we went to go for a swim there was no map showing where the safe swimming places were. We had heard you could swim at the pool of the top of the falls but there was no signage indicating whether it was safe to do so. The one place we did find to swim was more of a plunge pool. Improved signage and information would make this trip more worthwhile. For the drive involved in getting there I wouldn’t recommend it. Suggest if pushed for time Emerald creek falls is better.

Spectacular place. Just for a sunny chill day or a camping night this place is simply amazing.

Only did a day pass for $15 for adults to feed the wallaby’s and do the hikes. We did both the easy & the challenging red hike. Both hikes were good but the best was the challenging one. Definitely have appropriate footwear on. Had a great couple of hours and would highly recommend

I regret coming here. I was in shock to see birds in small cages, with no space to fly and little stimulation for them to exist. The place is beautiful, and we spotted some rock Wallabies, so that was cool, but I feel it is unethical to have birds in such a small enclosure. The place has so much potential to be great, it is beautiful by itself and does not need captive birds! I regret visiting it, hopefully my review helps prevent others from supporting a business that keeps birds in such bad condition.

Disappointed by our day visit to Granite Gorge Nature Park. The place is quite pretty, but not breathtaking, and the entrance fee is $15 per adult just for a 1.5 km walk. Even taking our time, we didn’t spend more than 1.5 hours in the park, which makes it quite expensive for what it is. We only saw three wallabies and no turtles, but that’s part of the game and not really the main issue. The animals are completely domesticated, far from the wild and natural experience you might expect. Birds and reptiles were kept in cages, which doesn’t align with our values either. The only positive point was the kindness of the receptionist when we arrived.

We arrived and asked the lady if we could view the map to see what was on offer for the $15 per person they charge.. she told us No! And said she would walk us into the deck to point out where we hold go and what’s available- then there’s the poor birds geeze.. very sad, kept in small cages with nothing but a stick or two to stand on, then over in the cocky cages those poor buggers are in there 24/7 they can’t fly and again just a stick or two to stand on, only seed and water no fresh foods - you’d think charging $15 a hit she could afford to care for the animals better then she does, very disappointing and not supporting someone who doesn’t care for animals and is only in it to make a dollar

Went for the walk around the nature park - spectacular rocks and pools, cute wallabies eager to be fed, rumours of turtles. Path was a little hard to follow in some places and a few of the concrete steps bolted into some of the step rock sections have come adrift. Allow at least an hour for the short walk. $15 per adult. Worth the trip if you are in the area

I gave this a 5 as I really enjoyed our afternoon there. It's a very cool landscape and we enjoyed the boulder hopping. My son loved holding the python. There's a spot to swim in the weir. We didn't camp but facilities looked fine. I'd happily of stayed a couple of nights in my camper.

Despite the gorge being naturally beautiful, it was not worth the money. They have many birds in small cages with nothing but a couple sticks to stand on. I have worked in animals rescue and we would never keep birds in conditions like this. They have no form of stimulation at all and have no room to freely fly. They clearly don’t have much care for the animals happiness and it was extremely disappointing. It doesn’t matter if birds are “bred in captivity”, that is no excuse for the size of the cages. I would not recommend supporting a place that treats their animals like this.

What a fabulous place to park up overnight or much longer. Dog friendly too. Fabulous hosts, great community, best camp kitchen with everything available to cook with, long tables and cosy lounge chairs. Good clean amenities - central location to everything. Pizza nights, games afternoons, etc - highly recommend this friendly park.

My husband and I stayed at the Walkamin Caravan Park for 6 nights. We loved the place as soon as we arrived! It has character and a great community feel. Mark and Katri are fabulous at their job, they are warm and friendly and take the time to help their guests! We were shown to our camp site by Mark who was very helpful in showing us the facilities. The facilities are immaculate.The communal kitchen is a great place to meet other travellers and residents. Many events are planned for people to come together, including art sessions and BBQs. We would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the Tablelands. Nearby attractions are the Drive in at Mareeba, The Golden Drop winery, Lake Barrine Teahouse and the Millaa, Millaa waterfall circuit. Plenty to do and see!

Wonderful hidden Gem of a caravan park on the Tablelands. Best Camp Kitchen we have encountered in our year on the road. Every appliance, large area to work, a fireplace., comfortable lounges, and even spices to enhance your meals. Katri could not be more accommodating. Large van sites too. We left our van and boat for a week while needing to fly back to Brisbaneand only $10 per night storage.

We had an absolutely fantastic stay at Walkamin Caravan Park. From the moment we arrived, Mark and Katri went out of their way to welcome us and make sure we felt right at home. Their genuine friendliness, helpful advice, and willingness to go above and beyond truly made our visit special. The park is beautifully maintained and perfectly located for exploring the area. Including a rail trail for riding our bikes. Facilities were spotless and well cared for, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Mark and Katri’s hospitality really set this park apart — nothing was ever too much trouble, and you could tell they genuinely cared about their guests having the best experience possible. We will definitely visit again.

Great caravan park! Located very convenient near the main road but still able to get a quiet nights rest. If you are in the area I totally recommend you to stay here. The owners Katri and Mark are so welcoming, they make you feel as part of the family since the first moment you arrive. They are very passionate about this place and you can tell by the way they keep the facility. From the surroundings to the bathroom everything is top notch. Also nice common area with inviting fire in the evening and plenty of seating. Can’t recommend this caravan park enough :)

What a treasure this park is! Friendly welcoming and always ready to help in any way with a smile. After only 4 days we felt like part of this wonderful park community. A fire in the camp kitchen with long tables bring tesidents together to make and share memories. Congratulations to Mark and Katri making this visit so enjoyable! Bailey and Hudson were an extra bonus with their daily visits for a pat.

Mark & Katri, with the assistance of Bailey and Hudson operate one of the best parks we have stayed in. Great amenities, the most wonderful camp kitchen, very well maintained grounds. A very relaxing and quiet park. Make sure you give it a try!!

Basic caravan park close to town. Sites are level and most drive through and we could pick one. Unfortunately the couple of trees in the park had vans beside them so we had to choose from what was left. Sad to see not many trees, bushes or gardens and lots of concrete around the Office. Not worth more than $40 per night.

Clean, modern self contained units with a friendly reception. Call or show up for a booking as not listed on the usual booking sites. Noisey cleaners talking loudly outside guests unit was irritating

Our home away from home for two months for work. Rooms were extremely comfortable, clean as were all the facilities. Enjoyed a bbq or two and sitting, relaxing after work. Would highly recommend.

The facilities are nice, especially the new camp kitchen. There's an oddly positioned TV in the kitchen though, so you're in people's way if they want to watch their favourite programmes at dinner time.. It is near a busy road, and yes you can hear it. Ear plugs will drown out most of the noise through the night. We were kept awake one night due to a group of Asian men in their 30s playing pool, music and shouting for hours between 1-4am. They weren't camping, they were in some house on site. Good spot to stop off for a night of road tripping.

We stayed in a queen room and was very surprised considering other options around town. Room was new and very well kept. Cleaners and managers have high attention to detail and it shows. Heading back from the cape so I’m glad we had somewhere beautiful to stay before heading home.

First Class caravan park! Outstanding facilities, new and immaculately cleaned daily. Kitchen and laundry areas the best we’ve seen. Staff friendly and extremely accommodating. Thanks for another great stay!

I stayed here back in April, arriving late and leaving very early. Not only was Jenny down-to-earth and super helpful (thankyou Jenny - you are truly amazing!!), however the accommodation itself blew me away! This place offers great value for money, very modern and incredibly spacious facilities. And the people are pretty good too! :-) In summary I will happily stay here again, and encourage you to do the same, I don't think you can go wrong.

Thanks for the stay Dave. Absolutely fantastic!!! Damper, feeding the cows and horses was such funny. Kids learnt so much, thank you for your time and patience. We will definitely be back.

This has been our most favourite spot so far. The property is a beautiful spacious paddock. You get to pick where you'd like to park, leaving the inside free. It's a great idea as it keeps the kids and Bunji free to play safely. Dave and Jan were such characters, and we all spent lots of time talking to them. Sunday Damper night is amazing!!! It's free style camping but there is a toilet and cold shower. Excellent value for money. We initially planned to stay 3 nights and stayed almost 3 weeks. It's a great base to explore the region and only an hour or so from Cairns. We highly recommend!

What a great find this place was. $10/night, potable water 🚰 and a compost toilet 🚻 No dump point but it's super quiet just what you need after travelling a long day. Dave the owner is a character and has a lot of tails to tell. And Jan the caretaker and is also super friendly. Totally recommend this place 😀

Dave has a fantastic, dog friendly set-up here on the outskirts of Mareeba. A great character who will go out of his way to make sure you are comfortable and happy. From friendly horses and cows to evening campfires, Dave's Ringers Rest is a must do experience. We loved our time here and will definitely be back again.

What a warm welcome we had, Dave is a true gentleman and genuine. So were the others when we arrived. Such a shame we were on a time schedule and couldn’t stay longer. Woke to see horses and cows nearby, able to feed them too. Setup lovely, lots of space, toilet provided and communal campfire area. All for $10 what a win Thanks for having us (and letting us ‘rock up’ ) last minute

What a great RV stay. $10 per night, so quiet and peaceful in a large paddock plenty of space between camps Horses and cows in the next paddock come up to the fence. Dave is a fantastic host. Water is available, composting toilets on site. Camp fire area available to use with wood supplied and Dave does damper on Sunday night. You have to take your own rubbish away. Bin provided for 10 cent refundable items. Only a few minutes drive into Mareeba where they have most things you would need, including dump point and rubbish bins . Pet friendly, must be on a lead.

We stayed at Dave's for one night, and it sure is a diamond in the rough. Peaceful, secure, and if you want to talk about old times then Dave is your man - what a wealth of life experiences on the farm. It was $10, and we didn't need to pack up until 'sundown' which was great because we had rain and our camper needed to dry out. We thoroughly recomme d and will return if you this way again. Lisa and Steve.

A beautiful place to stay and well within all budgets. Sadly I would be cautious when staying, the owner is elderly and is forgetful, you will have to find him amongst the 150 acres to pay your fees, which is a task in itself. If you are a day late, even if you have tried to find him, he will brutally ask you to leave. In my opinion it's time for the fellow to retire.

We booked a powered site for two nights. The very nice owner, Norm, accompanied us to the powered sites, which unfortunately offered no shade on this hot day. Norm offered us the use of the veranda with a table and chairs in the adjacent building for our stay. When we were sitting on the veranda in the evening, Ian, the caretaker, approached us and asked what we were doing there. We explained that Norm had offered us the use of the veranda. Ian then very unfriendly informed us that he did not want any campers on this 80 square meter veranda. We then left the veranda. It is still unclear to us whether the veranda and the adjacent buildings are private or public areas – clear signage could provide clarity here. From our point of view, however, Ian had no interest in how the guests of Mareeba Bush Camps were doing and what impressions they would leave the campsite with. His personal well-being takes precedence over everything else, even over what his boss offered the guests. Despite the great grounds and the friendly owner, our stay was overshadowed by Ian's very unfriendly and uncustomer-oriented behavior.

We stayed in an unpowered caravan site. The 5 star rating doesn't mean there's a 1st class pool and cocktail bar. It's all relative. But the quiet location, facilities provided, and upkeep of the pleasant grounds at $15pn (currently) for an unpowered site is extraordinary value in today's escalating prices. Be prepared to hunt for a level site, but with acres to choose from, they can be found. The compensation is the hilltop location provides great views. Thumbs up from me.

If you're looking for a fantastic farmstay, this is it! It’s truly one of the best places we've ever stayed. We loved exploring the 150 acres of rolling green grass, with lots of small shady trees and open spaces—great for our solar and Starlink setup. The facilities were excellent and always clean: toilets, showers, and a handy dump point. It was also helpful to have so many non-potable water taps throughout the farm. We made good use of the book swap and the info desk for ideas on what to explore around the Tablelands. The two large shelters with a camp kitchen and fire pit made for some lovely communal evenings. And get this, they'll have five stunning glamping tents available shortly! An absolute gem.

Would love to stay longer. Peaceful, with plenty of room to find your own little plot on 50 acres of cleared land with ample trees remaining. There are carefully placed pot plants around to make the area more attractive. On this 150 acre property there are slashed pathways to go for a decent walk. Around 4 pm the friendly caretaker puts some seed out to attract the local birds. This place has a relaxed carefree atmosphere. Tis a dog friendly camp. Dogs would love it here too. 😁

Well what a top 3 days I’ve just had at Mareeba Bush Stays. Especially as I was only going to stay for 1 night! I was in a motorhome and was able to find a great parking spot without having to use leveling ramps near the top of the unpowered range and close by the toilets. There are no bins so you need to take away your rubbish but there is a dump point. So lovely to have a sunset and sunrise on your doorstep. My dog enjoyed his walks and swim in the dam, we saw 2 Echidnas and plenty of Wallabies and great bird life. Very friendly and helpful caretaker. Highly recommended

Quiet, pleasant spot to park the van and relax for a few days, nothing here but peace

Amazing place to visit. Feel the rain forest immerse your soul with the wonders of living.

Couldn’t cross the creek in my mid size SUV but will be back 😀

cool board walk with tones of fig trees and swimming at the first river crossing you can go swimming you need a 4x4 to get in nice and easy with the Nissan patrol

4wd only. To get here you have to cross three 1 meter deep creeks (depending of the season how deep creek is. I was in march). Despite of it it's worth to drive here. The highlight of this place is the curtain fig tree. Apparently it's 1000 years old (i have heard it from locals). Its short 300m boardwalk through rainforest where you can see two massive fig trees.

4WD only access to the area. Three large fig trees are hidden spectacular!

Wow! Such an enormous wonder of a giant tree! You need a 4wd for sure to get there though as there are three water crossings with some steep exits.

Beautiful place worth the detour

Unfortunately, the track is in bad condition. Very overgrown. You'll need a convoy to help get each other out of the bog.

Really nice falls either from the bottom or after a 2 km drive to the top quite spectacular and just a short walk from the car park. The last 2 km drive is quite narrow!

An excellent location for a picnic and a swim. The signs are confusing between what is the camping facilities and what is the day use area but definitely worth a visit. Camping and swimming seems to be the main activity and there is not much parking for day visitors. Lovely bushland all around, and great birdlife.

Very cool spot, water temperature is perfect to cool off in on a hot day. There are a bunch of very tiny leaches, once I got out of the water I had about 20 on me, if you don't mind that, then it's a solid spot

Excellent place for relaxation. Best i've seen for a long time. Running rapids, little waterfalls, heaps of still pools and massive rock areas to bake. There was a fair few picnic tables and shady tree's beside the creek. Heaps of car parks. Suns out buns out seem to be the flavour of the creek. About 6 kms of good dirt road into the place, No worries for any vehicle. You can go for walks to see more if you want to. We went in February ,water levels were perfect, I'm not sure if it flows as much all year round. We loved the place and will be back for beer's and swims. Happy to find this place, And only 30 mins from north Cairns. If you found this review helpful please smash a like for me. Cheers.

This place is excellent for swimming and climbing up multiple levels of the gorge. The camping spots are brilliant, although there aren't many and the ones that are there are huge (Upper Davies Creek). No phone reception at Upper or Lower campsites.

Great Spot fir a Relaxing Day by the water.Would be great for a Camp if you had applied fir the required permits before you arrived there. Great waterflow. The Entrance Road of 6.2 km is very Rough with Furrows on the Surface.

Fabulous granite flat boulders that are easy to jump over as we followed the creek which was stunning. One small issue for those who find leeches abhorrent....I sat on a rock in a gorgeous white water spot in the creek and my son soon noted some dark spots on my face....they were small leeches. On further inspection I had a huge collection of them around the costume line where I had been sitting on the rock and took a good 30 mins removing them all....so choose your swim spot with care. These were tiny leeches but in great numbers. I think we were unlucky because no other review mentioned them. Perhaps it was due to recent rains. Nonetheless, it was a magical place for leisuring in nature and many stunning picnic spots ✨️ 😊

I love this little park, enough uphill to test the heart and fast sections to test the mettle. It has a toilet block and big Carpark. The trails are loose over hard pack so watch out. Early mornings are advised As it can get very warm. After your ride drive up to the creek for a very lovely dip.

Great network of trails, especially those still getting comfortable with mountain biking. For hikers, it's a bit open, which could be nice on a cool day, but not on a hot one.

Best and safest riding for the less experienced. Handles wet conditions better than other nearby parks

Good trails. Just cow shit everywhere.👍

These trails are typical of the area - dry. the low trails on the circuit are not very intense but the loose surface means you can't let your guard down. the downhill run is fast but not overly technical, its also at the back of the mountain bike park so not very accessible unless your willing to put in some effort to climb to the top of it. definitely a track to do after it has had some rain on it as this transforms the surface completely.

A really awesome laid out mountain bike track. I only did the beginners track and did it in 70 minutes round-trip. I would’ve thought I’d be able to handle the intermediate tracks but maybe I’m not such an awesome mountain biker after all. LOL

Davies Creek trails are the best alternative to Smithfield and Atherton in times of inclement weather and you want to get on your MTB. The trails are very friendly for the inexperienced and far better suited to the beginner rider than Smithfield's world cup orientated technical trails. Davies creek drain well and offer some high speed downhill sections to put some fun factor in and to build your confidence; however these trails lack jumps and more challenging lines for the riders looking for a bit more of an adrenalin rush. Overall well worth the riding experience and the nearby Davies creek overs a great spot to cool off after you have finished your ride!

Beautiful National Park. Great camping facilities and the sites are a good size. Davies creek winds through a couple of sites that make the camping experience an absolute pleasure.

Beautiful rainforest, some great tracks on both sides of the range

Beautiful campsites amazing place

Great place for a picnic lovely view

So peaceful & relaxing

Perfect 4wd drive

well up in the scrub here

Great amount of shade, the two playgrounds are covered and there are trees offering heaps of sun protection. Playground has: - spiral slide - small slide - big kid climbing walls - toddler slide - tiny swings The footpath goes to nowhere so it was a little disappointing.

Dump of a place. Unkept, dirty tables and chairs. Descent playground,toilet available but don't have high expectations

Very pleasantly surprised. A hidden gem. Gym equipment for the outdoors types. Love it.

Great park, kids love it. Equipment spread out through the park and a really good shed over the kids play area

Great area to relax and for kids to run about. Toilets and sheltered picnic tables.

I love this park. It's so big and beautiful. A water park would go so nicely here. I do think the play ground itself is rather out dated and could really use a make over.

Two playgrounds to suit all ages, both under cover which is a huge bonus. Clean toilets and excerise equipment around the park too.