Kuranda is a small picturesque tourist village in the mountains near Cairns in Queensland, Australia. A village in the Rainforest. Kuranda today is famous for the iconic Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway which afford breathtaking views of the rainforest and its’ canopy.
We went up with the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and down with the Kuranda Scenic Railway.
skyrail rainforest cableway
This is a magical gondola ride over the rainforest canopy. There are two stops on the way:- Red Peak Station and Barron Falls Station. At Red Peak Station join a short but very informative free guided tour with one of the Rangers. At Barron Falls Station enjoy the lookouts at Barron Falls and the Gorge below. Breathtaking.
kuranda village
There are lots of structured activities to do in the village:- Birdworld, Butterfly Sanctuary, Kuranda Koala Gardens and more. We opted to simply stroll around the village. There are markets, restaurants and loads of tourist shops most of which all sell the same souvenirs. We did however stumble along two shops worthy of mention. Rare Earth Oils – they sell natural and organic products. The profits go to support the Rare Earth Foundation which works to protect and promote Aboriginal culture. Not cheap but worthwhile and I recommend their products which I have been using since visiting them. The second shop is for those with a sweet tooth, as I have, Kuranda Candy. We bought their homemade candy – you can really identify the different flavours!
kuranda scenic railway
This is a spectacular ride through the rainforest. The train winds its way for about 90 minutes from Kuranda to the first of the two stops: Freshwater and then Cairns. This railway line is an amazing engineering feat. Work on it began in 1882 and went on for about 10 years. The train goes through 15 tunnels and over 37 bridges. The views from the train are spectacular. I suggest returning from Kuranda on the train. The view of the Barron Falls from the train is magnificent and far more spectacular than the view from the lookout on the Skyrail. So keep this view for last!
My other posts on the area that might interest you:-
Snorkeling on The Great Barrier Reef;