Yesterday we ticked off one of the “must do” items on Helena’s Cairns wish list. A trip up to the Kuranda village via the Skyrail gondolas. I’m not much on tourist attractions, preferring, usually, to make my own fun and find my own way around, but this attraction was certainly worth the price of admission. Included in the trip was a scenic bus ride around the town and then to the base of the mountain, the 7.2km ride in a gondola high above the rainforest and the Barron River, time to spend exploring the quaint and hippie community of Karunda and then a 27km train trip back down the mountain on the Kuranda Scenic Railway.
The gondola ride was amazing, sometimes high above the canopy and sometimes virtually skimming the trees, it gives you a real appreciation of how dense and lush the rain forest is. There were all manner of trees and flowers, birdlife swooping below and a constantly changing vista all around.
I’m not sure what these are but they were spectacular.
Kuranda is a bit like Nimbin only further north. The village has a population of 7000 but 3500 of them are unemployed so, while the place is busy, it has a sort of care-worn appearance. Hardly surprising.
Civilisation has, however, reached Kuranda. This was parked in the main street.
Later in the afternoon we boarded the train for the trip back to Cairns. The Cairns to Kuranda railway was completed at grossly inflated costs, late in the 19th century and was for its time, and still is, a major engineering marvel. Carved out of the steep mountains using only manual labour, the railway rises over 300 metres in just under 20kms. There are 15 tunnels and 55 bridges along the way, all built without the benefit of machinery. While it is dubbed the scenic railway, the encroaching rain forests do impede on what would be spectacular views and only occasional breaks in the forest allow you to see some truly amazing sights.
The trip back is slow due to the need for the train to avoid gathering too much momentum down the steep inclines, but it is made very enjoyable by a well-written and presented commentary on the history of the railway over the loud speaker system.
We arrived back in Cairns late in the afternoon and repaired to the motel room for rest and lots of it. Would I recommend the Skyrail experience? Absolutely. If you are not afraid of heights, it is a “must do” part of the visit.
dunc says
glad the 2 of you are enjoying the far north of aus
as to your previous post you cant go much further north without falling off the edge of aus
both the skyrail and the train return sounds like a great sight seeing/picture opportunity to me
enjoy the rest of your holidays
Phil Hall says
Having a great time, mate.