TAT Office, Author at Tourism Atherton Tablelands

Discover Your Trail campaign launched for Atherton Tablelands

May 28, 2026

Atherton, 26^th May 2026 – Visitors are being encouraged to discover their trail across the Atherton Tablelands through a new tourism campaign launched today by Tourism Atherton Tablelands.

Delivered through a partnership between Tourism Atherton Tablelands, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Tablelands Regional Council and local tourism operators, the campaign encourages visitors to build their own journey across the Atherton Tablelands through curated themed trails focused on nature, food, adventure, culture and local experiences.

The campaign includes the production and distribution of 50,000 printed trail guides across Queensland and interstate caravan and camping shows, a new 72-page digital Discover Magazine, updated app content and a targeted Autumn/Winter digital campaign promoting the region to drive and experience-led travel markets.

Tourism Atherton Tablelands Chair Michelle Bell-Turner said the campaign reflected changing traveller behaviour, with visitors increasingly looking for personalised and experience-driven holidays.

“Discover Your Trail has been designed to help visitors find their way across the Atherton Tablelands, exploring the breadth and depth of experiences that can be found here,” Ms Bell-Turner said.

“It is also a strong example of what can be achieved through collaboration between industry, local government and regional tourism organisations.

“Without those partnerships and the support of local operators, Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) and the Tablelands Regional Council (TRC) campaigns like this would not be possible.”

The campaign targets the core self-drive market between Cairns and Townsville, while also focusing on interstate travellers from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne seeking short breaks, adventure experiences and sustainable travel options.

A visually-led social media campaign running from April to June across Facebook and Instagram has already reached over 600,000 people, generating more than one million impressions and driving traffic to campaign landing pages and digital visitor resources.

The campaign is supported by a comprehensive, digital version of Discover Magazine and a Discover Atherton Tablelands app.

“A further 15,000 Discover Your Trail themed books will also be distributed to high-traffic visitor information centres, brochure boards and tour desks in Cairns, Port Douglas, Cassowary Coast and the Atherton Tablelands, and to high-traffic visitor information centres between Cairns and Townsville,” she said.

The themed trails include Eco Explorer, Waterfalls and Lakes, Artisan Foodie, Geological Wonders, Adventure Trails, Origins and Echoes, Hidden Gems and Character Stays. Youtube videos themed around these trails are also highlighted as part of this campaign.

“We continue to see an uplift in the use of Atherton Tablelands digital assets and through the use of the Discover Atherton Tablelands app we can reach a great audience,” Ms Bell-Turner said.

Overall for the 2025/26, Atherton Tablelands social media assets have reached over four million people.

“The Atherton Tablelands is a popular self-drive destination and we also encourage people who live within one day’s drive to experience for themselves why it is so special up here,” Ms Bell-Turner added.

ENDS

ISSUED BY:

Tanya Snelling

Strategic PR

P 0417 202 663

E tanya@strategicpr.com.au

Atherton Tablelands Touring Map focus on Self-Drive Family Market

Aug 23, 2022

A fully restored steam locomotive engine will be centre stage at the launch of Tourism Atherton Tablelands’ 2022-23 Discover Touring Map at the Atherton Herberton Historic Railway, today August 23.

Eddy Nye, chair of Tourism Atherton Tablelands, said the Discover Touring Map campaign had targeted the domestic self-drive family market looking to have a holiday in Australia with images and information on the many trails and attractions throughout the region.

“We want to inspire families to cherish the time while their children are young to make new and special memories together – a lifetime of magical holiday memories,” Mr Nye said.

“We are delighted to launch the Discover Touring Map at the Atherton Herberton Historic Railway and showcase their pride and joy.

“It’s not just the kids who are delighted and excited by trains, especially glorious old steam engines that suggest fun, adventure, history and cultural heritage, all of which can be found on our beautiful Atherton Tablelands.”

He said 150,000 copies of the DL double-sided fold out touring map had been printed. A targeted advertising campaign across Townsville and Mackay coincided with the distribution of 100,000 touring maps into these major regional areas via targeted letterbox drops.

“A further 50,000 had been distributed to high-traffic visitor information centres, brochure boards and tour desks in Cairns, Port Douglas, Cassowary Coast and the Tablelands, and to high-traffic visitor information centres from Innisfail south to Rockhampton and west to Charters Towers and Emerald,” he said.

The campaign is supported by a comprehensive, digital version of Discover Magazine 2022/23, a seven themed drive trails booklet with content featured in the magazine and advertising in the Discover Touring Map, and a Discover Atherton Tablelands app.

The themed drives – Heritage, Great Outdoors, Museums and Galleries, Waterfalls and Waterways, Geological Wonders, Landscapes, and Wildlife and Food Trails — are designed to link tourism attractions and activities across the region.

New Youtube videos themed around ‘Discover Your Joy’ feature four unique family adventures – Overnight Camping, Crater Lakes and Outdoor Movies, Herberton Mountain Biking, and Misty Mountains Adventures.

Between April 1 and June 28, Discover Atherton Tablelands social media assets had two million impressions, as part of its touring map campaign.

“We continue to see an uplift in the use of Atherton Tablelands digital assets and through the use of the Discover Atherton Tablelands app we can reach a great audience,” Mr Nye said. Overall for the 2021/22, Atherton Tablelands social media assets reached 10 million people.

Mr Nye acknowledged Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ), which partnered with Tourism Atherton Tablelands in the $70,000 Discover Touring Map campaign.

The touring map is part of the Atherton Tablelands Discover Perfect promotion of the region, aimed at attracting the self-drive and fly-drive market to experience the rich heritage charm, outstanding natural beauty, and foodie and cultural attractions the Atherton Tablelands offers in its unique altitudinal setting in the tropics.

“The Atherton Tablelands is a popular self-drive destination and we encourage people who live within one day’s drive to experience for themselves why it is so special up here,” Mr Nye added.

Industry Event

Aug 8, 2022

Join us on Tuesday 23rd August 11:00 am at Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway for a member and industry networking event.

This is a great opportunity to network with other members, hear the outcomes of the Atherton Tablelands Touring Map campaign, the results of the last 12 months marketing activity delivered by Tourism Atherton Tablelands and see the incredible work by the team at Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway.

LOCATION

Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway is located on John Street, Herberton.

Coming from Atherton, at the end of the main street turn right down the hill, over the grid. Normal parking is over the track but for this event, park along the tyre wall near the workshop.

Google Map

RSVP HERE

http://athrail.com/

Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway
A not for profit organisation formed , run and managed by a group of passionate volunteers who are dedicated to bringing our 107 year old railway history to life for the benefit of the Atherton Tablelands community and visitors.

Atherton Tablelands’ Stars Tell It Like It Is In Tourism Promo Videos

Aug 31, 2021

The people and personalities of the Atherton Tablelands feature in a series of new videos encouraging self-drive and fly-drive visitors to experience the region’s heritage charm, outstanding natural beauty, and foodie and cultural attractions.

From innovative trail blazers in the gourmet and bush tucker food industries to Indigenous cultural heritage, pioneer history and wildlife interpreters to nature loving adventurers, each gives a unique insight into why the Atherton Tablelands is such a special place and why people should visit.

The two-to-three minute videos are part of the six-month ‘Discover Perfect’ campaign, highlighting the Atherton Tablelands and its hero experiences.

‘Stars’ tell their unique stories amid naturally beautiful environments, from the rainforest and waterfalls of the southern Tablelands through to the open forest and crystal waters of Davies Creek near Mareeba and beyond to the sculptured savannah landscapes.

Full of warmth and wonder, the compact works were created by Tanya Snelling for Tourism Atherton Tablelands, to centre around the organisation’s themed trails map booklet, published in the trademark Discover Magazine.

Eddy Nye, chair of Tourism Atherton Tablelands, said the videos aimed to show just how special the people of the Atherton Tablelands were and to shine the spotlight on some of those in the industry.

“The Atherton Tablelands is a special place and that is reflected by those who live here. They are the real stars and the perfect choice to promote the perfect experiences we have here,” Mr Nye said.

Those featured include Frank Gallo from Gallo Dairyland, famous for its cheese and chocolate, and Geraldine Maguire from Rainforest Bounty (Food Trail), Darryl Cooper from the Historic Village Herberton (History Trail), Willie Brim from Buluwai Country (Cultural Heritage Trail), hiker and adventurer Michael Warren (Great Outdoors Trail), and Alan Gillanders (Wildlife Trail).

Mr Gillanders has operated Alan’s Wildlife Tours, a natural history tour specialising in birds and mammals, for more than 20 years.

“It is a real delight when somebody has wanted to see something for a long time and we manage to give them a good view of it. They just light up and, in some cases, they tear up,” Mr Gillanders said.

Willie Brim, Buluwai Cultural Custodian, is proud to share stories and the wonders of the savannah and rainforest, including ancient rock art, of his country.

“Keeping the culture alive and sharing stories is very important – it helps people really understand the way we look at country and the way we look at life in general,” he said.

For Geraldine McGuire, the destruction of thousands of acres of prime rainforest in Indonesia was so devastating that on her return home to Australia, together with her husband they purchased an old farm and began replanting rainforest together with tropical fruit trees.

Today, Rainforest Bounty is known for its innovative and award-winning tropical fruit products and cooking school.

“We want to leave a legacy of a whole new industry that’s available for the Atherton Tablelands that is based on regenerative farming, regenerating soil health and promoting diversity,” Ms McGuire said.

This project was funded under the Commonwealth/State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018 Community Development Program provided through the Flexible Funding Grant program.

Tourism Atherton Tablelands 2020/21 Annual Report

Jul 15, 2021

Tourism Atherton Tablelands has released the 2020/21 Annual Report with the Marketing Snapshot detailing the results of marketing activities delivered throughout the year promoting the Atherton Tablelands as a holiday destination.

Click on image above to download