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Heading to Savannah in the Round 2026 in Mareeba? Don’t make the festival your only stop.
Savannah in the Round returns to Mareeba in October 2026, bringing live music, country atmosphere and thousands of festival-goers to the heart of Tropical North Queensland.
But beyond the festival gates, there is an entire region waiting to be explored.
Mareeba Shire stretches from the World Heritage rainforest surrounding Kuranda, through the farms, coffee plantations and wide-open landscapes of Mareeba, west through Dimbulah, and all the way to the ancient limestone caves and outback country of Chillagoe.
Whether you have one extra day or an entire week, turn your festival weekend into a Tropical North Queensland road trip.
Come for Savannah. Stay for the Shire.
The Campers Concert kicks things off on Thursday 8 October, before the main Savannah in the Round festival runs from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October.
Mareeba is approximately 70 kilometres from Cairns Airport and makes the perfect starting point for exploring the wider Mareeba Shire.
Mareeba + Granite Gorge + Local Food
If you’re short on time, spend an extra day discovering what makes Mareeba much more than a festival destination.
Morning: Discover Mareeba
Start your morning with locally grown coffee before exploring the town.
Visit the Mareeba Heritage Museum and Visitor Information Centre to learn about the agricultural, multicultural and pioneering stories that have shaped the region. While you are here, be sure to check-out the Savannah Cafe, located out the back.
Midday: Meet Mareeba’s Rock Wallabies
Make the short drive from Mareeba to Granite Gorge Nature Park, one of the region’s most memorable wildlife experiences.
Explore enormous granite boulders, walking tracks and freshwater swimming areas, and keep an eye out for the Mareeba rock wallaby — a species found only in this part of Queensland.
Afternoon: Taste the Shire
Spend your afternoon discovering Mareeba’s local produce.
During the day, explore Mareeba’s strong food and farming culture with visits to Jaques Coffee Plantation, Emerald Creek Ice Creamery, or a mango wine tasting at Golden Drop Winery.
If you’re travelling with kids or feeling nostalgic, an evening at the Mareeba Drive In where camping is also included.
Kuranda → Mareeba → Savannah
Flying into Cairns for Savannah in the Round?
Instead of driving directly to Mareeba, make Kuranda your first stop.
Day 1 – Kuranda: Rainforest, Markets & Waterfalls
Kuranda is a destination in its own right, and an easy place to spend one or two full days of your long weekend. Set in the rainforest, the village is known for its creative spirit, iconic attractions and walkable streets filled with galleries, markets and locally owned businesses.
Start with a wander through the Kuranda Heritage Market and the Original Kuranda Markets, where stalls spill over with art, jewellery, textiles and handmade goods. Pop into studios and galleries like Didi La Baysse Art Studio & Gallery, Emu Ridge Gallery, Kuranda Arts Co-Operative and Terra Nova Gallery to see local creativity up close.
Kuranda is also home to some of Tropical North Queensland’s most loved wildlife attractions, including Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Birdworld Kuranda and Kuranda Koala Gardens, making it an ideal stop for families.
For something slower paced, a cruise with Kuranda Riverboat offers a peaceful perspective of the rainforest, while the journey itself can be part of the experience via the iconic Kuranda Scenic Railway.
Between exploring, refuel at local cafés, browse shops like Not Just Chocolate Shop or Just Gorgeous and Rare Earth Oils, and don’t rush; Kuranda rewards wandering.
Day Two – Mareeba
As you travel west, watch the landscape transform from dense rainforest into open woodland, farms and savannah country.
Spend the day visiting natural wonders, such a Davies Creek, Emerald Falls and Granite Gorge.
Then it’s time for the main event.
Savannah in the Round awaits.
Kuranda → Mareeba → Dimbulah → Chillagoe
Want to really make a trip of it?
Add three days before or after Savannah in the Round and experience one of Tropical North Queensland’s great landscape transitions, from rainforest to outback in just a few hundred kilometres.
Mareeba Shire is home to colourful markets, World Heritage rainforest, waterfalls, coffee plantations, farms, historic townships, granite gorges and ancient limestone caves.
Tuesday 6 October – Kuranda
Start your Savannah adventure in Kuranda.
Spend the morning exploring the village’s markets, boutiques, galleries and cafés before heading to Barron Falls.
Nature lovers can explore rainforest walking trails and wildlife experiences, while those who prefer to slow down can spend the afternoon wandering the village and discovering its creative community.
Stay: Kuranda or Mareeba
Don’t miss:
Kuranda markets
Barron Falls
Rainforest walks
Wildlife experiences
Local galleries, shops and cafés
Wednesday 7 October – Mareeba
Leave the rainforest behind and continue into Mareeba’s drier, open country.
During the day, explore Mareeba’s strong food and farming culture with visits to Jaques Coffee Plantation, Emerald Creek Ice Creamery, or a mango wine tasting at Golden Drop Winery.
If you’re travelling with kids or feeling nostalgic, an evening at the Mareeba Drive In is a long-weekend favourite.
Then head out to Granite Gorge Nature Park to meet the locally endemic Mareeba rock wallabies and explore its striking granite landscape. Granite Gorge also offers camping for travellers wanting to extend their stay.
Spend the afternoon tasting your way around the region.
Mareeba’s surrounding farms produce coffee, mangoes, tropical fruit and other local produce, making it an ideal place to explore farm gates, cafés and agritourism experiences. The existing Mareeba Agritourism Drive links several of these experiences across an approximately 82-kilometre route.
Stay: Mareeba
Don’t miss:
Mareeba Heritage Museum
Granite Gorge Nature Park
Local coffee
Farm-gate experiences
Local food and produce
Thursday 8 October – Chillagoe: Caves, History & Outback Country
Finish your three-day Mareeba Shire road trip with a journey west to Chillagoe, where the landscape transforms into dramatic limestone country and classic Queensland outback.
Set off early from Mareeba and follow the Wheelbarrow Way, passing through Dimbulah and changing landscapes along the way.
Once in Chillagoe, start at the Chillagoe Hub and Visitor Information Centre before exploring the spectacular Chillagoe–Mungana Caves National Park. Join a ranger-guided cave tour, discover impressive limestone formations and uncover the fascinating mining history of this unique outback town.
Allow time to explore the historic Chillagoe Smelters, take in the surrounding limestone landscape and grab lunch in town before making your way back to Mareeba.
Then it’s time to check into your festival accommodation or campground and get ready for the Savannah in the Round Campers Concert that evening.
Don’t miss:
Chillagoe–Mungana Caves
Historic Chillagoe Smelters
Limestone formations
Wheelbarrow Way road trip
Chillagoe’s mining history
Stay: Mareeba / Savannah campground
Savannah + Mareeba Shire Road Trip
Savannah in the Round and a caravan road trip are a pretty perfect match.
Festival camping is available immediately adjacent to the Savannah festival site, with facilities and shuttle services connecting campers with Mareeba town during the event.
But don’t unhitch and head straight home when the final song finishes.
Turn the festival into a longer road trip.
Kuranda → Mareeba → Savannah in the Round → Dimbulah → Chillagoe
Add stays around:
You’ll find everything from national park camping and bush stays to caravan parks, farm stays and festival camping across the wider region.
Give yourself at least five to seven days if you really want to slow down and explore.
Because few destinations let you experience this much variety in such a short road trip.
One morning you can be walking beneath tropical rainforest, the next you can be drinking coffee metres from where it was grown.
You don’t need to travel far to feel like you’ve travelled somewhere completely different.
Caves, cabins and night skies
For something completely different, head west to Chillagoe, where limestone landscapes and outback skies set the pace.
Base yourself at Chillagoe Cabins or the Chillagoe Tourist Village, both offering easy access to the town and surrounding national parks.
Chillagoe is known for its guided cave tours, scenic lookouts and epic sunsets, but Easter is also a great time to slow down, stargaze and soak up the quiet. Experiences with Chillagoe Eco Lodge & Observatory add a deeper appreciation of the region’s dark skies and storytelling under the stars.
Heritage charm and station stays
If you’re up for a drive from Mareeba, Irvinebank is rich in history and an ideal place to truly unplug.
Secure your spot early at Mont Albion Station, a much-loved station stay that fills quickly over long weekends. Spend your days exploring the town’s mining heritage, visiting the Loudoun House, or simply enjoying the slower pace of outback life.
Off-grid escapes and cool-climate calm
If your ideal Easter break involves fresh air and minimal distractions, Julatten is calling.
Book a stay at Sweetwater Lodge, or settle in at the Tablelands Caravan Park, perched at the top of the hill with sweeping views.
Julatten is a hotspot for birdwatching and scenic drives, and its cooler climate makes it perfect for long walks, early nights and slow mornings.
From rainforest villages and creative hubs to outback towns, station stays and star-filled skies, the Mareeba Shire offers endless ways to shape your Easter break. Whether you stay in one place or link a few together, the journey between destinations is part of the experience.
Plan ahead, book early, and give yourself permission to slow down. Easter in the Mareeba Shire isn’t about ticking boxes, it’s about making time for the moments in between.
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