Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING THERE
Getting to Kuranda is part of the fun. Some people drive up the winding 25km
(16-mile) mountain road, but undoubtedly the most popular routes are to chuff
up the mountainside in a scenic train, or to glide silently over the rainforest
canopy in the world's longest gondola cableway, the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
The most popular way to get there is to go one way on the Skyrail (mornings
are best for photography from the Skyrail) and the other way on the train.
BY SKYRAIL
The
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
(
&
07/4038 1555;
www.skyrail.com.au) is a magnificent feat of engineering and one of Australia's
top tourism attractions. About 114 six-person gondolas leave every few seconds
from the terminal in the northern Cairns suburb of Smithfield for the 7.5km
(4
1
⁄
2
-mile) journey. The view of the coast as you ascend is so breathtaking that
even those afraid of heights will find it worthwhile overcoming their nervous-
ness. As you rise over the foothills of the coastal range, watch the lush green of
the rainforest take over beneath you. Looking back, there are spectacular views
over Cairns and north towards Trinity Bay. On a clear day, you can see Green
Island. There are two stops along the way—at Red Peak and Barron Falls—and
about 90 minutes is needed to make the trip properly. After about 10 minutes,
you reach Red Peak. You are now 545m (1,788 ft.) above sea level, and massive
kauri pines dominate the view. You must change gondolas at each station, so
take the time to stroll around the boardwalks for the ground view of the rain-
forest. Guided walks are run every 20 minutes.
On to Barron Falls station, built on the cleared site of an old construction
camp for workers on the first hydroelectric power station on the Barron River in
the 1930s. A rainforest information center has been established here, and there
are boardwalks to the lookouts for wonderful views of the Barron Gorge and
Falls. From Barron Falls station, the gondola travels over the thick rainforest of
the range. It's easy to spot ferns and orchids and the brilliant blue butterflies of
the region. As you reach the end of the trip, the gondola passes over the Barron
River and across the Kuranda railway line into the station. A one-way ticket is
A$32 (US$21) for adults and A$16 (US$10) for children 4 to 14; a round-trip
ticket, including transfers from your Cairns or northern beaches hotel, is A$61
(US$40) for adults, A$31 (US$20) for children, or A$153 (US$99) for a fam-
ily, and A$78 (US$51) for adults, A$39 (US$25) for children, or A$195
(US$127) for a family from Port Douglas. You must make a reservation to travel
within a 15-minute time frame. Don't worry if it rains on the day you've chosen
to go—one of the best trips I've made on Skyrail was in a misty rain, which
added a new dimension to the rainforest. The cableway operates from 8am to
5pm, with last boarding at the Cairns end at 3:45pm. The Skyrail terminal is on
the Captain Cook Highway at Kamerunga Road, Caravonica Lakes, 15km (9
1
⁄
2
miles) north of Cairns' city center.
BY SCENIC RAILWAY
The 34km (21-mile) Kuranda Scenic Railway
(
&
1800/620 324
in Australia, or 07/4031 3636; www.traveltrain.qr.com.au)
is one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world. The train snakes through the
magnificent vistas of the Barron Gorge National Park, past gorges and waterfalls
on the 90-minute trip from Cairns to Kuranda. It rises 328m (1,076 ft.) and
goes through 15 tunnels before emerging at the pretty Kuranda station, which
is smothered in ferns. Built by hand over 5 years in the late 1880s, the railway
track is today a monument to the 1,500 men who toiled to link the two towns,
and the ride on the steam train adds to the atmosphere. The train departs Cairns
Central at 8:30am daily and 9:30am Sunday through Friday (except Christmas),
