L ocated near Malanda just an hour's drive from Cairns via the scenic Gillies Highway, Lake Eacham is the centerpiece of the Crater Lakes National Park.

Like nearby Lake Barrine, the lake is actually the crater of an extinct volcano which, over the years, has filled with rainwater and is now approximately 65 metres deep.

Lake Eacham was gazetted a national park in 1934 and in 1988 it was included within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. In 1994, it joined with Lake Barrine under the one name - Crater Lakes National Park.

The Lake is protected and managed on a day-to-day basis by the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Lake Eacham is popular for swimming, canoeing, bushwalking, and bird watching, however, no motor boats are allowed on the lake.

There is a walking circuit through the tropical rainforest that surrounds the lake that takes around 45 minutes.