Atherton, QLD 4883
Ranked 25th best suburb by locals in Far North Region, QLD
Great for
- Parks and recreation
- Clean & green
- Neighbourly spirit
- Safe and sound
- Lack of traffic
Not great for
- Public transport
- Nightlife
Who lives here?
- Families With Kids
- Retirees
- Professionals
- Singles
- Tourists
Reviews of Atherton, QLD
"Let your tastebuds and sense of adventure guide you"
Celebrated for some of the best food experiences in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, in the Atherton Tablelands, an hour from Cairns, you'll find an abundance of flavours to try.
Visit the many farms to sample home-grown produce, starting with Australia’s oldest coffee plantation, then graze your way through the farmers’ markets in Yungaburra or enjoy a tipple at a distillery. Learn about sustainable and organic farming practices and breathe in the fresh Tablelands air while enjoying a cheese platter for two.....
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
"Nice; but lacks culture, public transport and a decent playground"
weather is perfect. Very few jobs and a huge lack of diversity in employment. most people I know have been some sort of unemployed for well over 40 years that's how bad it is. Theres zero public transport which means kids are bored and those vulnerable are cut off from a social life. Bogan attracting retail such as Big W and Bunnings have also moved into town meaning fantastic boutique stores of the 90s are no longer. The far north struggles with culture in general but the locals are friendly and hopefully in 50 years time there will be more public services for kids, the elderly and less abled. Hopefully more choice in dining than fatty, English food of last century; replaced with healthy eating. Another thing; there are almost zero schools I'd be happy to send my kids to here.
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
Dozzal, a fair assessment.
"Awesome small town community"
Beautiful place mountain bikers paradise! Amazing climate beautiful scenery and outdoor hikes.
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Singles
- Families with kids
"Lovely place but no work"
Atherton is lovely but there is no work. Close to amazing waterholes and camping spots. Lovely town but zero work so a lot of bogans and unemployed.
Great for
- Camping
- Friendly
Not great for
- No jobs
- Low income
- Boring
- Poor bus service- bus to Cairns twice a day, but no local service.
Who lives here?
- Retirees
"Lovely place bit no work"
Atherton is lovely but there is no work. Close to amazing waterholes and camping spots. Lovely town but zero work so a lot of bogans and unemployed.
Great for
- Camping
- Friendly
Not great for
- No jobs
- Low income
- Boring
- Poor bus service- bus to Cairns twice a day, but no local service.
Who lives here?
- Retirees
Rentals in Atherton
"An airconditioned paradise"
Lived on the coast in Ingham for 18yrs (sorry could not wait it get out of that place) and always holidayed up in Atherton. Love the beautiful cool climate with, little hot muggy humidity of the coast, amazing mountains and natural beauty, an outdoor persons paradise. For a small town we have great boutique shops amazing coffee shops, Big W, Harvey Norman, Target, Bunnings etc & only an hour away from Cairns. I would recommend this place to everyone who wants the tropics but with out the horrid heat of the coast. Oh yeah and we have an excellent range of dinning places & great food!!!
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Singles
- Families with kids
- Retirees
- Tourists
- Country Lovers
- Trendy & Stylish
"A great town with fabulous free activities"
Moved here from the UK 10 years ago- best decision we ever made. The locals are friendly & welcoming. There are lots of natural FREE attractions, such as lakes & rainforest AND close to Cairns & an international & domestic airport.
FNQ gets hot & sticky in summer, but Atherton is 3 to 5 degrees cooler than Cairns, plus less humid.
It does get drizzle for 2- 3 months from April to June, but that's why it's SO green!
There is a Big W & Target Country, plus some great locally owned stores that go above & beyond when it comes to pricing & service. Plus FREE parking.
A great place to bring up a family, everything is within walking distance & the crime rate is very low.
We LOVE this place!
Not great for
- Poor bus service- bus to Cairns twice a day, but no local service.
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
- Retirees
- Tourists
- Country Lovers
"Only an hour and 20 mins south-west of Cairns"
In the tropical tablelands, Atherton has beautiful lakes, waterfalls, rich red soil and tropical rainforest. Everyone is relaxed, the climate is cooler.
They produce peanuts, maize and potatoes. Worth a visit is the Curtain Fig Tree, Millaa Millaa Falls, and crater lakes - waterskiing on the lakes is a blast!
Plenty of accommodation options, from B&B's to hostels and caravan parks - worth checking out.
Atherton sounds great to me, as a retired bogan I can't wait to move there next year. Favorite stores are Bunnings and Big W, would not move anywhere that did not have those stores. So if its so bad why are you still there and who wants to live in the past. As far as I can tell there are plenty of boutique stores and great coffee shops, as for culture you have a regional art gallery and Atherton performing arts and I imagine there are other groups as well, plus lots of sporting activities for kids.