Atherton Tablelands Events
Each year the Atherton Tablelands hosts an incredible array of events from mountain biking competitions to Queensland’s largest folk festival. See below for our list of events that you can add to your list on your trip to touch the top!
Ongoing Events
Visit the various markets during your stay in the Atherton Tablelands. The local markets are a great way to access fresh produce while supporting local industry. There are several local markets operating throughout the Tablelands, packed with local and regional fresh foods, preserves, plants, arts and crafts.
Find out specific locations and times.
Past Events
April
Mt Garnet Races
29th & 30th April 2022
Surrounded by the dry sclerophyll forests of the north Australian savannah, Mt Garnet is a tin-mining town on the brink of extinction. However each May it is transformed when approximately 3500 people descend on the town to attend its annual racing carnival.
Mt Garnet Amateur Turf Club is a country thoroughbred racing club in Far North Queensland. Originally established to provide entertainment in the local area, the Club is now in its 80th year.
Yungaburra Triathlon
30 April – 1 May 2022
This event brings almost 600 participants and more than 1,000 spectators and sponsors to the picturesque Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland.
May
Mt Garnet Rodeo
1 May 2022
June
Dairy Farmers Malanda Show
24 – 26 June 2022
The premier agricultural event on the Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland.
July
The Atherton Show
10 – 11 July 2022
The Atherton Show has a history dating back to 1903, and is now run by the Atherton Tableland Agricultural Society.
Tour of the Tropics
3 – 10 July 2022
The Tour of the Tropics festival spans 8 days, starting on Sunday 3 July with the Ride for Isabel Gran Fondo (Yarrabah to Gordonvale). Midweek will welcome our track and social events, followed by the grand finale – the Tour of the Tropics three-day tour on Friday 8 to Sunday 10 July.
August
7-8 August 2022
ELEV8 Adventure Weekend
ELEV8 Adventure Weekend is multievent biking event which makes that most of the incredible biking trails in the Atherton Tablelands.
Victory in the Pacific Memorial Service
14 August 2022
Every year in August, on the Sunday closes to VP Day 15 August, returned soldiers, their families and descendants gather to remember Victory in the Pacific at the Rocky Creek War Memorial Park. During WWII the Tablelands became the largest military base in Australia. Rocky Creek was the site of the largest military hospital in the Southern Hemisphere and treated over 60,000 patients from 1943 to 1945.
September
Targa GBR
1 – 3 September 2022
TARGA Great Barrier Reef is a TARGA event like no other as it passes through iconic tropical landscapes that are truly unique to Tropical North Queensland. Sugar cane and banana plantations line the various TARGA stages and the weather is anything but cold. The local hospitality is more than welcoming, and the regions that surround our home at Cairns literally come out in their thousands to see our cars. From Innisfail to Atherton and the amazing roads at Gillies Highway and Kuranda Range, TARGA Great Barrier Reef is a genuine money can’t buy experience.
Tinaroo Barra Bash
9-11 September 2022
Tinaroo is well known amongst fisherman for its Monster Barra, it currently holds 19 World Records (as of July 2021) making it the perfect setting for this popular weekend event. The “Barra Bash” as it is commonly called amongst locals began in 1987 with a Fishing Exposition organised by the Walkamin Fisheries Centre with celebrity anglers.
October
Torimba Festival
1-15 October 2022
High on the Tablelands of North Queensland, the township of Ravenshoe has been celebrating the “Torimba Festival” since 1969. This community event is a celebration of Tourism and Timber with events running over two weeks in October each year.
Part of the Torimba Festival:
- Mardi Gras and Street Festival 8 October – celebrate and participate in old fashioned games and activities, tractor pull, woodchop, amusement rides and market stalls.
- Torimba Ball 15 October – the culmination of the festival, this is the Queen Entrants night of nights with the crowning of the Torimba Queen, Charity Queen and Miss Personality.
Jacaranda Festival
15-16 October 2022
Held annually when the Jacaranda trees are in full bloom includes market stalls, train rides and other community activities, including the Herberton Pocket Film Festival.
Tablelands Folk Festival
21-23 October 2022
Held annually on the 4th weekend of October in the beautiful heritage village of Yungaburra, surrounded by world heritage rain forest, this unique boutique festival presents a refreshing look into original music arts & culture, featuring some of Australia’s best singer song writers. TFF is Queensland’s longest running Folk Festival.