Quick Answers
What are the Undara Lava Tubes?
Underground tunnels formed about 190,000 years ago, when lava drained out from beneath a cooling crust.
Where are the lava tubes?
In Undara Volcanic National Park, around three hours southwest of Atherton, towards Mount Surprise.
How do I see them?
On guided tube tours run by Undara Experience.
“The Undara Lava Tubes were formed when lava flowed through the interior of a cooling crust 190,000 years ago, and walking through them now is the closest most people will ever come to being inside geological time.”
Undara Lava Tubes: Ancient Geological Wonders of the Gulf Savannah
The Undara Lava Tubes are among the longest and most accessible lava tube systems in the world — a network of underground tunnels formed 190,000 years ago when lava from the Undara shield volcano flowed west through the landscape. As the outer surface of the lava flow cooled and solidified, the molten core continued to drain away, leaving behind a series of hollow tubes of extraordinary length and geological significance.
The tubes are located in the Undara Volcanic National Park, around three hours southwest of Atherton on the road toward Mount Surprise — a drive that passes through some of the most dramatic landscape in the Gulf Savannah. The site is managed by Undara Experience, a family-run ecotourism operation that has been offering guided tube tours for over 30 years.
The tours take visitors into several of the collapsed tube sections — cathedral-like spaces where the tube roof has fallen in, creating circular amphitheatres of basalt and vine thicket, inhabited by enormous colonies of bats. The smaller intact sections reveal the lava tube in its original form — a smooth-walled, curved tunnel that runs for kilometres beneath the savannah.
What to Pack
Weather
Atherton Tablelands Wildlife
Atherton Tablelands HistoryUndara Experience also offers accommodation, dining, and guided wildlife tours for visitors who want to make a full overnight or multi-night experience of the destination. The savannah wildlife — including wallabies, echidnas, and a range of nocturnal species active around the campsites — adds another dimension to what is already an extraordinary geological visit.
A Hot Getaways destination. Where Care is Our Compass.
Travel Kindly
At Hot Getaways, care is our compass — and a little kindness makes every journey better. When you visit the Atherton Tablelands, we gently ask you to:
- Tread lightly — stay on tracks and lookouts, and take special care around waterfalls, which can be slippery and swift.
- Respect the wildlife — never feed the platypus, tree-kangaroos or birds, and observe them quietly from a distance.
- Support local — choosing local operators, cafés and guides helps this beautiful place thrive.
- Honour Country — we travel on the traditional lands and sea Country of Australia’s First Peoples, with gratitude and respect to the Traditional Custodians past and present.
- Be kind to each other — a smile, a little patience and a helping hand make the day lovelier for everyone.
Small acts of care add up to something wonderful. Thank you for travelling kindly.
