Crater Lakes National Park — Attraction in Lake Eacham

This is a wonderful destination, especially on a sunny day when the lake reflects the sky and is an amazing blue . There is so much to do ... walk around the lake for an hour or so through the rainforest, admire the beautiful cultivated gardens, take an informative one hour boat trip on the lake, learn about the history of the building and geology of Lake Barrine and its co-joined twin Lake Eacham, both extinct craters connected deep underground. Then there's the small gift shop and the tea rooms. With magnificent views all round from this quaint, post World War 1 building, this is a delightful break on any journey around the southern Atherton Tablelands. My only complaint this time (which to be fair was Easter Saturday) was that some staff seemed stressed and not as helpful as usual, and the choices on the menu were a bit restricted. I had the pulled lamb and tsatsiki wrap and my friend had the vegetarian arancini balls....

Lake Barrine is a lovely, easy walk around the lake through the rainforest, nice and shady. Being that it is rainforest, expect leeches. Bring salt or sunscreen to put on leeches so they drop off. If you sunscreen all over your your feet and legs to knee height prior to putting shoes and socks on, leeches generally leave you alone. 5.3km loop with 53m elevation (so pretty flat), suitable for kids, older people, anyone with moderate fitness and balance that can walk 5km. I would say this track is not wheelchair accessible. Swimming, kayaking, snorkelling and scuba diving are all options at lake barrine, just be aware of the tour boat that runs a couple of times a day.

Lake Barrine Cafe is lovely, there is also public gazebo and...

Such a beautiful area, we had the cafe verandah at Lake Barrine all to ourselves. Lovely hot cappuccinos with 100 year old scone recipe scones, overlooking Lake Barrine. Lovely chatty staff, very clean amenities and a foyer with lots of historical information and photos. A decent stinging tree sample was there to see also, great for those who don't know what they look like.

We swam in Lake Eacham's clear deep waters, it too is a stunning spot which has toilet amenities, picnic areas and lovely grassy spots. No cafe here so bring your own flask and lunch. You can walk around the whole of the lake, it's an easy but stunning 3km walk bringing you back to the main swimming area. There is a little concrete ramp for those who fancy a...