We visited the beautiful Misty Mountains recently for a picnic and a swim at the South Johnstone Campground. We were so enchanted by the rainforest that we ended up spending the day exploring the area.
About
The Misty Mountains is a beautiful rainforest area which features waterfalls, mountain streams, rivers, more than 500 different species of rainforest trees and a diverse range of wildlife species including tree kangaroos, possums, the tiny musky rat-kangaroo, the rare northern bettong, platypus and rainforest dingoes as well as numerous species of frogs, insects and birds.
History
The indigenous tribes of the Mamu, Jirrbal, Wari and the Dulgubara lived in and near this area and have a special connection to this land. The region was first explored by Europeans in 1882 when explorer Christie Palmerston, along with his Aboriginal guide Pompo, walked for 12 days from Innisfail to Herberton across the deeply forested mountain range which is now the route of the Palmerston Highway. A monument to Pompo and Christie Palmerston is located in the Millaa Millaa township.
Picnics
A number of picnic areas located close to the Highway are easy to find and have facilities such as sheltered tables, barbeques and toilet facilities. Goolagan’s and Henrietta Creek are both great places to stop.
Wildlife
The Misty Mountains is an excellent place for wildlife spotting. Birdwatching is great during the day and you can try spotlighting for possums, owls, glow worms and other nocturnal creatures at night. Freshwater turtles and platypus are often seen in the rainforest creeks too.
Walks
For walkers 130 kilometres of tracks through the Misty Mountains have recently been opened. Five trails of medium and long distance follow existing ex-logging roads which take you through the mysterious, ancient rainforest located between Innisfail, Tully, Ravenshoe and Malanda. As many of these long distance tracks are one way and on unsealed roads it’s a good idea to arrange for a vehicle drop off and pick up if you can.
Camping
Camping is also available at a number of places in this area, the Henrietta camping area and the South Johnstone campground are both located on the Palmerston Highway, although it’s a 12km drive on unsealed road to the South Johnstone Campground. Both have quite good facilities with toilets and sheltered picnic tables. Contact the EPA to arrange camping permits.
Cafes
There are a few nice little cafes and teahouses to try in this area, we like the Mungalli Creek Dairy ‘Out of the Whey’ teahouse for its extra fresh produce all made onsite. The Mungalli Falls Waterfall Cafe is also a good place to visit as you can enjoy a walk around the falls while you’re there too. Make sure you get there early for afternon tea though as they both close at 4pm.
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