The direct road to Atherton up the Gilles Range starts at Gordonvale so we headed straight up to the tableland again.
At the foot of the escarpment, a little Orange-thighed Frog hopped onto the windscreen. We stopped at the next turnout to inspect, identify and photograph it before putting it back in the forest.
The drive up onto the tableland was very good with marvellous views back to the coast. The road is smooth, not too steep and the curves are entirely manageable even in a truck. The only hazard is very steep drop at the side of the road and the mad drivers who need to save ten or fifteen minutes at significant risk to themselves and to others.
In Atherton I talked to the service station owner who is a Ulysses Club motorcyclist and his worst experience on the road was following a four-wheel drive ute down the mountain only to see it do a 360 in front of him and carry on without stopping!
We visited the sights of the tableland, The Catherdral Fig Tree, Lake Barrine, Lake Eacham and the Curtain Fig Tree, all very worth seeing, before going into Atherton to find Gallo Park, the free camp area provided by the local council.
We spent a peaceful night in company with half a dozen other motorhomes.