What's On Tablelands October 2018 - FINAL EDITION | Page 11

Tableland Trails and Destinations
B AC K R OA D S A N D BY - WAYS
Part Two – The Mt Haig Circuit
by Paul Curtis
Spectacular greenery along Mt Edith Road. Photo: Paul Curtis
W
here the heck is Mt Haig did I hear
you ask? Well, this is just my name
for what is otherwise known as the Mt
Edith and Kauri Creek Roads and Mt Haig
sits in the middle of this circuit – so it
seemed like a good name. The Mt Edith
section of the drive was once featured on
the old Getaway TV show so it must be
good! the east of Mareeba at Tinaroo Ck Road
and continue passed the turn-off to
Emerald Creek Falls. The road soon starts
to increase in altitude and the forest gets
damper and more attractive. At around
900m altitude and around 13km from
where the bitumen finishes, you come to
an intersection and the commencement
of the ‘circuit’ – turn left here.
This is a super scenic mountain drive that
can be accomplished in a 2WD vehicle
with reasonable ground clearance for
most of the year, but a 4WD is preferable.
Start from the Kennedy Highway just to The road rises and falls as the track
meanders through tall eucalypt forest
until it eventually crests a ridge and
drops down into the upper Emerald
Creek valley – but not before passing an
obvious viewpoint. Tall eucalypt gives way
to rainforest as the road follows Emerald
Creek upstream for a few kilometres. There
are a number of spots to pull over and
enjoy the fern encrusted banks and pools
of this pretty stream.
Where the road veers right and starts to
head uphill, you might notice a small sign
that says "Vartch Creek Track". This rough
trail will take adventurers over to upper
Davies Creek over the course of about
8km. Continuing the drive uphill for about
2km you will notice a small pull-over area
on your left before the road descends. This
The view from Mt Edith. Photo: Paul Curtis
October 2018 What’s On & Where To Go 11