Riding the Kuranda Vintage Railway and the Skyrail , Queensland, Australia

As far as I'm concerned any opportunity to ride on a vintage train is well worth taking. Being in Port Douglas gave me the perfect opportunity to ride on  the Kuranda Scenic Railway, a vintage train which travels from just north of Cairns to Kuranda, high up in the Queensland rain forest.

Waterfalls so close you could almost touch them

I love trains so was really looking forward to both the train ride and the chance to get up into the forest. Our small group tour of 12 consisted of 4 Spaniards, 2 Americans, 1 New Zealander (that's me!) and 5 Australians  guided by the charming Hilary, who provided an informative commentary on the hour's drive south to the train station, then it was "all aboard!" for our trip up into the mountains.

Gold Class carriage

Stoney Creek falls bridge

Construction of the Kuranda Railway began in 1887 as a way of taking supplies up to the gold miners working in the mountains. 1500 men worked on the railway, creating 15 tunnels and 37 bridges, all by hand. The track is 75km long, includes 93 curves and by any standards is a remarkable feat of engineering and a lasting testament to those workers. The journey through thick rain forest, over ravines and past dramatic waterfalls is incredibly scenic and an easy, comfortable way to get up close and personal with nature. All the carriages date back to the early 1900s and are full of lovely vintage details, such as pressed tin ceilings and dark polished timber and you can open the windows to enjoy the cool, fresh mountain air.
 I traveled in the gold class carriage, a little more expensive but worth it. Extras included comfortable club chairs, a glass of

Kuranda Station

wine to start the journey, yes, you guessed, I had bubbly, and a delicious morning tea.  What luxury, that's what I call traveling in style! There are countless photo opportunities along the way including a 10 minute stop at Barron Falls for passengers to disembark and take in the spectacular 265 metre high water fall.  Apparently in earlier times people crossed this gorge by flying fox....um...no thank you!

The train ends its journey at Kuranda's heritage listed (1915) and very pretty  Federation style railway station set in tropical gardens.

We had an hour and a half to wander around the village of Kuranda, a bit of a Hippyville packed as it is with markets selling the usual markety stuff.  But there are also  a number of attractions including a Butterfly Park, Koala Gardens and Birdworld so plenty to keep you happy if markets aren't your thing.  I chose to just wander around, exploring the markets, enjoying the mesmerising aboriginal art at the Doongal Gallery, housed in an extraordinary Noah's Arc-like building, listening to a didgeridoo player while pondering the mechanics of circular breathing, visiting the tranquil little church of St Saviour's and sipping on coffee amidst lush tropical plants. A very pleasant hour and a half.

A Kuranda Market, one of several

The Didgeridoo, this skilled player  could make all sorts of bird calls

Aboriginal art

Then our group rejoined to catch the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway back down to Cairns. This cableway is 7.5km long and takes about an hour and a half, one way, allowing for a couple of stops at scenic points along the way. I have to admit I felt a bit squeamish as we sailed high over a crocodile infested river but soon settled into the spectacular scenery and enjoyed the ride.  

Crocodile alert!

Enjoying the Skyrail

It is a fantastic way to see the pristine rain forest and to do a bit of tree spotting using the handy tree guide. We stopped for a short board walk through the bush at Red Peaks Station to get the feel of the rain forest and spot some of the prolific bird life.  The last part of the journey took in panoramic views out over the town of Smithfield and along the coastline and out to sea.  All in all amazing.

To round off a truly wonderful day we stopped off at Palm Cove on our way back to Port Douglas. This held special interest for me since my son and daughter in law had honeymooned there.  It is a very pretty little seaside resort which for some reason reminded me of the Carribean, I think maybe because of the ice cream colours on some of the buildings. There we enjoyed conversation and cocktails  at a seaside bar before heading back up the coast.

Carribean colours at Palm Cove

If you are going to North Queensland I highly recommend this day out. I also highly recommend Brett's Day Tours.  Our guide was thoroughly professional, giving good advice on things to do and places to see.  I particularly like small group tours and the fact that there was free time to do our own thing in Kuranda.

Note: these views are my own. I was not sponsored by Brett's.

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