Scenic railway trip to Kuranda (18^th November 2014)

We drove down to Freshwater station, just north of Cairns, and took the scenic railway to Kuranda. The railway covers 37 kilometres and was built to service the bustling gold mining industry. It was started in 1886 and required 15 tunnels and 55 bridges. The terrain, as part of the Far North Queensland’s World Heritage-listed rainforest, is certainly quite dramatic for such a construction. 

  

The construction required 1500 men and they had their own beer making facility on site making 2000 gallons of beer a day!

The views of the distant mountains as one ascends are magnificent.

At one point of the journey the train goes through a right angled bend.

Kuranda is a picturesque town, once a hippy commune but now quite commercialised with numerous gift shops and cafes.  We spent a couple of hours looking around, particularly admiring some of the art galleries/shops,  but knowing that we had no room whatsoever in our suitcases for extras.

The route we took down was on the Skyrail. 

This has 33 towers across the top of the rain forest that provides a bird’s eye view of the forest canopy. A mini-bus links the Skyrail terminal at the base with the Freshwater Railway Station to enable one to pick up ones car.