Mount Hypipamee crater, Volcanic diatreme in Atherton Tablelands, Australia.
Mount Hypipamee, also called The Crater, is a diatreme south-east of Herberton on the Atherton Tableland, 61 metres in diameter and 82 metres deep. Its sheer walls drop to a water-filled floor whose surface is covered with duck weed. Dinner Falls, at the head of the upper Barron River gorge, lies within the same national park.
The crater was discovered in 1879 when a gold prospecting group led by Weate nearly fell into its opening while exploring the Mulgrave River area. This accidental finding made it one of the region's notable geological features.
The name comes from the Aboriginal word 'nabbanabbamee', connected to a story about two men who vanished after cutting down a sacred tree. Local traditions continue to shape how people understand and experience this place in the landscape.
The crater sits south-east of Herberton on the Atherton Tableland, reached from the Kennedy Highway; the viewing platform at the rim looks down 82 metres to the water. Dinner Falls, at the head of the upper Barron River gorge, lies within the same park and can be visited on foot from the same area.
The crater was long thought to be connected underground to Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine, but this is incorrect. A local legend tells that an Aboriginal woman who fell into the crater later surfaced in Lake Eacham. The water at the bottom is covered with duck weed.
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