Best & Worst Country Towns Visited

[Garpal Gumnut]

It's a long way from most of Australia, but the Atherton Tableland of far north Queensland offers some charming little towns and villages and tourist attractions in the most picturesque region of QLD and perhaps Australia.
A few Tableland towns that spring to mind are Malanda, Kuranda and Yungaburra.
The scenic beauty of the area is unsurpassed - brilliantly green high rainfall country, relatively high altitude a couple of thousand feet above the adjacent coastal lowlands, superb scenery with spectacular views, rainforests, mountains, waterfalls, volcanic craters, pristine rivers and creeks, mild year-round climate without the uncomfortable humidity of the nearby coastal regions.
Tourists are well catered for, and the area is only a short drive west of the coastal centres of Cairns and Innisfail....definitely one of my favourite places in the whole of Australia.
Do a Google search for 'Atherton Tablelands' and see what comes up.

I agree totally, one of the most beautiful parts of Australia.

gg

 

[awg]

Out of interest - can anyone offer an opinion on Tenterfield and Stanthorpe? We're thinking of spending a long weekend this year visiting a couple of the national parks and wineries in the area - but will avoid the Apple and Grape Festival. I'm sure winter woolies will be a necessity, but will it be worth it?

I like both places for a visit - by small country town standards I think they stack up as well as most places.
I was in Tenterfield last May and one thing I remember is the spectacular Autumn colours of the trees.

Agree Tenterfield, granite belt countryside is different, went camping up there for a week once, and when I got back to town, had the best Chinese food ever, nearly wept with joy, and the price was absurdly cheap.

Will add Dungog, antiques, gateway to the temperate rainforests of south-east Barrington Mountains

 

[craigj]

in far noorth qld i agree with the atherton tablelands sensational so many photos and the worst bowen on the coast shocking dump

 

[Rumpig]

The worst- Halls Creek and Fitzroy Croosing, if you've been there you'd know why.
The best - Byron Bay(Strop's Pub)

 

[rock86]

The worst- Halls Creek and Fitzroy Croosing, if you've been there you'd know why.
The best - Byron Bay(Strop's Pub)

You'd call Byron a country town, lived in that area all my life (only recently moved 8 months ago) and Byron is more a coastal tourist town, not country at all. Yet such a beautiful area, geez I love when I get the chance to go home. One last thing, The Beachy (Strop's Pub) is one of the best pub's in Australia IMHO.

The place I moved, Roma QLD. Which is a great country town, as well as the surrounding area, just really friendly people.

 

[Tink]

We spent the day at Marysville yesterday. Was a beautiful town.

Quite a few heading up there for the one year anniversary since the fires next weekend.

What a shock to see it the way it is to the way it was : (

Back on topic, another town I enjoyed was Woodend

 

[ormond]

5 best-
Duel towns of 1770 and Agnes Waters
Port Lincoln
Robe
Lorne
Lakes Entrance

5 worst-
Pt Pirie
Morwell
Wilcannia
Howard
Whyalla

 

[nunthewiser]

Worst- Adelaide


Best- Ellis beach .... actually the Ellis beach hotel to be precise

 

[Trembling Hand]

Worst- Adelaide

 

[sam76]

Ballarat - beautiful town but now over populated with feral bogans and unruly kids.

Has taken a massive change for the worse over the last three years.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/had-enough-attack-youths-charged/1733754.aspx

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/l...-day-assault-boy-16-refused-bail/1735918.aspx

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/l...-charged-over-cab-driver-assault/1736643.aspx

 

[bassmanpete]

beautiful town but now over populated with feral bogans and unruly kids.

That seems to be happening in many places now unfortunately.

Agree about the Atherton Tablelands. I particularly like Yungaburra and it has a great market. I sold books there on several occasions in 2008/09.

Best- Ellis beach .... actually the Ellis beach hotel to be precise

Ellis Beach north of Cairns? I've driven through it umpteen times but never stopped

Lots of good places but Surat in QLD sticks in my mind for the friendly locals (or at least the ones I met were). My worst would be Mossman FNQ, and Cobar NSW.

 

[nunthewiser]

Ellis Beach north of Cairns? I've driven through it umpteen times but never stopped

Yep, worth spending a cupla hours having a quiet ale and watching the world go by ....... never know who you might run into there

 

[danno75]

Worst: South Hedland in Western Australia, it goes along with Rumpigs Fitzroy Crossing. Nothing but a desert wasteland supported by an iron ore port. Port Hedland the supposedly upper class neighbour (same place if you ask me) is just as bad. The whole town is tinted iron ore red and the Pier had the reputation and the roughest pub in Australia. Still probably hasn't changed. Only good thing was the constant stream of skimpies to keep the boys from killing each other once the amber fluid started flowing

Best: not sure there are so many little towns in Victoria and NSW around the coast that offer the kick back and relax atmosphere. I suppose it depends on what you're after really.

Danno

 

[GumbyLearner]

The Portsea Hotel.

Great Pub.
Best cooked Steak in Oz.
They have the plaque to prove it!

Went there with the missus and she ordered Barrumundi
and I ordered Angus 12 ounce Porterhouse well-done.

The place was packed and the food was fantastic!!!!!

If you ever want to eat at a Pub Lunch that's the place.

This was all done in Jan 2010

 

[Tink]

The Portsea Hotel.

Great Pub.
Best cooked Steak in Oz.
They have the plaque to prove it!

Went there with the missus and she ordered Barrumundi
and I ordered Angus 12 ounce Porterhouse well-done.

The place was packed and the food was fantastic!!!!!

If you ever want to eat at a Pub Lunch that's the place.

This was all done in Jan 2010

Yep great place

I enjoy it down there

 

[Junior]

The Portsea Hotel.

Great Pub.
Best cooked Steak in Oz.
They have the plaque to prove it!

Went there with the missus and she ordered Barrumundi
and I ordered Angus 12 ounce Porterhouse well-done.

The place was packed and the food was fantastic!!!!!

If you ever want to eat at a Pub Lunch that's the place.

This was all done in Jan 2010

That surprises me, did you order from the Bistro? I last had a meal there in November 09. Had a terrible Parma experience. It was $26 for a very average Parma, and they told me I need to pay extra for salad....the chips were a small portion of soggy luke warm chips - not happy!

 

[DocK]

You'd call Byron a country town, lived in that area all my life (only recently moved 8 months ago) and Byron is more a coastal tourist town, not country at all. Yet such a beautiful area, geez I love when I get the chance to go home. One last thing, The Beachy (Strop's Pub) is one of the best pub's in Australia IMHO.

The place I moved, Roma QLD. Which is a great country town, as well as the surrounding area, just really friendly people.

OMG rock86 - I grew up in Roma, and eventually wound up at the Gold Coast (which I agree would be much nicer if it had as little traffic as Byron..). I agree that Roma is a great town, but I can't imagine moving from Byron to Roma, much better to do it the other way around, imo I went back for a visit a few years ago and it seemed so much smaller and shabbier than I remembered - not to mention the main street was almost deserted on a Sunday arvo. All people who hail from there are excellent types though

 

[Boognish]

I have fond memories of Mullumbimbi, Blackwater, Clermont, Balarat, Dalby, Maleny and Montville. We love to go camping at a place called Miva and the best country pub I have been to is out there, at a place called Theebine.

Gympie is pretty ugly to look at these days.