THE FIRST thing many people do when they arrive in a town is to visit the visitor information centre, but be warned. When you visit the one in Mareeba, you’ll find that it’s an attraction in its own right.

The Mareeba Heritage Museum and Information Centre at Centenary Park in Byrnes Street does furnish you with information. But it also has an aboriginal cultural display area, historical memorabilia inside a settlers’ hut, a rail ambulance and a wet tropics display showcasing the cassowary, a flightless bird that lives in the rainforest. Other displays highlight the tobacco industry, mining, forestry and agriculture of the region. So make sure you set aside a little more time than usual for this particular information centre!.