9/16: Kuranda Rainforest and Jungle via scenic train & skyrail

The second activity we’d come to do in Cairns was to take the 2 hour morning Scenic Railway Journey to Kuranda, a village in the rainforest 1000 ft above Cairns, and return on the afternoon Skyrail that I had reserved months ago through the hostel. After the last minute change up with cruise companies yesterday, we were sure hoping there wouldn’t be any blips today with getting picked up on time, etc. Hope sprung eternal but unfortunately we were left standing at the hostel, having been forgotten by the driver or the scheduler. Luckily a driver delivered us to the train station just before the 8:30 departure so we were off for another exciting day.

We were told that the construction of the railroad we’d be seeing today had earned a National Engineering Landmark in 1899. We could soon learn why!

Tall plants we saw growing in the fields outside of Cairns were sugar cane.

The old time train was pretty packed with passengers, so many of whom were Chinese, that much of the commentary during the journey was also in Chinese. Cairns was built with the arrival of the railroad; earth excavated for its construction was returned to Cairns which had been a tidal swamp. Planes first flew in and out of Cairns in 1928 but the international airport only opened in 1984.

Pretty skinny emergency cord to pull, don’t you think?

Sort of looks like Thomas the Tank Engine train. It was going so incredibly slowly at the begining of our journey but it finally picked up speed, actually climbing 1m in every 50m. 
This 180 degree turn is known as Horseshoe Bend.

Gorgeous view of Green Island in the Great Barrier Reef 
in the distance but not sure you can see it.

This area was a huge staging area for troops leaving for WWII. Some of the carriages we learned were built 100 years ago while the others came from the 1930’s when people were hunting for gold.

 Over 150 men worked on the construction of just this section of the railway. They lived in tents or in basic bark huts and had to supply their own tools if they wanted a job.

Passed through Stoney Creek Station: A record 43 troop, hospital and supply trains passed through here in just 1 day in 1944. It was also an important stop for trains to take on water for the Kuranda rainforest further up the track.

Entering Barron Gorge National Park.

One of  15 tunnels we went through.

Men building that steepest stretch of the line had to descend by ropes to gain traction, we discovered. It took 2 full years just to build one tunnel here.

Barron Gorge: The train came to an almost complete standstill so passengers could alight and take photos of the amazing granite Gorge and the waterfalls.

Looking back at Cairns

Robb’s Monument: Named after the crew chief, it was dedicated to all those who worked on the railroad. There were so many Italians among the crew, that they flew the Italian flag to let everyone know they’d help build the railroad.

The railway rose 328m (almost 1100 ft) that took us through 15 tunnels was built by hand in the late 1880’s and is regarded as a monument to the 1,500 men who toiled to connect Cairns to Kuranda.

Beautiful Barron Falls.

The Barron Gorge stop completed the climb so it was straight through to Kuranda from there, arriving at 10:30. Kuranda is a smallish town heavily dependent on the tourist trade especially day trippers like us. Most tourists choose to ascend the mountains by either the train and then descend by the stunning views achieved on the Skyrail as we did or doing that in reverse.

The first wave of European settlement in Kuranda was based on timber felling, agriculture and farming. It soon became known as a tourist destination and a cool mountain retreat away from the hot and humid conditions of the tropical coast. 

Bench made from train tracks that we saw on the short walk to town from the train station.

We were told that we had 3.5 hours to wander around Kuranda before beginning our Skyrail journey back to Cairns so we walked around a bit. 

I never knew the story behind these dolls before seeing the description in a store in Kuranda.

Remember my telling you that there were a lot of Chinese and Asian visitors on the train? The photos above and below prove that.

Sure looks attractive and comfy, huh!

Steven was really intrigued by these Geo Mobiles but not enough to buy (or carry) one.

Kuranda must have had opal stores on every block but since we weren’t in the market for more opals, we looked in some galleries I had researched ahead of time and some other sights before embarking on one of our favorite activities, namely hiking. It was a beautiful day so doing the Circuit Walk sounded like fun.

The Kuranda Walk took us through the rainforest which is what the town is so famous for. We saw vines everywhere and speculated what constitutes a rainforest. The initial part of the walk was on a paved surface which seemed like an appalling waste of resources and a desecration of such a stunning environment.  

Saw vines everywhere which is typical in a rainforest;
 just fantastic to see something we never come across around us at home.

Soon though the concrete trail gave way to a winding, wooden boardwalk which seemed far more in keeping with a rainforest.

Must be a stream nearby as we could hear water running just below us.

 Aha, it was Rum Jum Creek we had been hearing.

Interesting patterns or striations on the tree, we thought.

That concluded the Jum Rum Creek portion of the Circuit Walk. We just had to cross the road to begin the next section, the Jungle Walk.

All of a sudden we saw profusions of tiny, bright red berries about knee high for the first time. They were gorgeous as they went on and on for quite a stretch. We had seen no color but marvelous shades of green before that so the vibrant red was even more spectacular when we came on the berries so unexpectedly.

Moss covered railing – didn’t think I wanted to put my hands there to hold on though.

Next up on the interesting sights to see on the aptly named Jungle Walk were these ‘Hairy’ trees with very sharp, tiny spikes. Had never been in a jungle before so we found this walk particularly fascinating.

You wouldn't want to get too close to these very sharp, and
tiny spikey things as they'd cut you up pretty badly.

It looked like a heavy rope had been tightly tied around the tree. I could imagine a python had wound itself around its prey trying to strangle it – the marvels of nature again.

Looking up under the train trestle which seemed to appear out of nowhere from the jungle.

Glad to confirm we were heading in the right direction! That led us to the next section of the trail, The River Walk with more just stunning views.

You don't often see a lichen covered picnic table.

Bark was just peeling off these trees in sheets; wonder if these were the types of trees Aboriginal artists use (d?) for their bark paintings.

I can’t begin to tell you what an amazing hike this was for us up at Kuranda; we loved it! 

The Kuranda lifestyle prompted a ‘hippie invasion’ in the 60’s. The alternative lifestyle movement provided the base for vibrant arts and crafts which remains very popular still today (according to the tourist literature at least). Back in town after our walk, we still had time to stroll through the original area that was, and still is, very much a hippie area. You could only ponder how the merchants there could possibly make a go of things as there were virtually no other tourists in sight.

Almost 2 by then so finally time to head back to the train station and Skyrail depot to head down the mountain. We had a choice of taking the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway down and getting off at a few stations en route or stay on for one long ride down. The lure for us, and for most people we saw, was definitely the former. 

We just needed to make sure we were down the mountain at Smithfield Station at the bottom by 3:15 where we'd be picked up and taken back to the hostel. At least, that was what we had been told.

I was surprised to find out that this magnificent feat of engineering is one of Australia’s top tourist attractions.

Each car could take up to 6 people but since the waiting line for the cars wasn’t too long, the attendant had the flexibility of only putting 2 or 3 people in each one which was great.

It reminded me of riding the chair lift up at Camp Fortune many decades ago when I skied, Lina.

Steven only likes cable cars on tracks, definitely not cable cars above hills and rainforests that sway in the wind! But I think he would be the first to say the views were worthwhile.

Not to worry: Just a fake 'I'm scared.'

As you can see, we had some jaw dropping views of the rainforest way below us.

We first alighted at Barron Gorge so we could see it from this angle instead of from across the gorge where we’d stopped earlier while on the train . The Station here was built on the site of an old construction camp for workers for the first hydroelectric power station on the Barron River in the 1930’s. 

We spent a short while at the Rainforest Information Centre there and finally found out what does constitute a rainforest! 

We walked on the boardwalks to the lookouts for wonderful views of both Barron Gorge and the Falls. The roar and power of the falls was immense.

Photos below of Barron Falls from the cablecar station:

A longer wait this time for the cable car to take us to our next stop, Red Peak Station; we were joined by a lovely Australian couple our age whom we chatted with. 

Until 1958, the river was a raging torrent but the Hydro Electric Station at the bottom of the gorge harnessed its power.

Incredible views over the treetops from the cablecar on our way to the Red Peak Station.

Read at the signposts at Red Peak Station that only 1% of the sunlight reaches the forest floor. Again more boardwalks to stroll for ground views of the rainforest.

Photos from the Red Peak Station:

The Hole in the Canopy.

 This giant tree with no leaves or branches til it reaches the sky is called the Kauri Pine.

Basket Ferns were up next.

The brown, papery leaves are known as nest leaves; 

they trap litter and other nutrients and provide food for the plants.

I spent SO much time trying to take photos of this Southern Cassowary but it kept running about so the other photos were blurry. Thought it was a turkey til I saw the sign. Christine: I know YOU and Mike would have kown straight off it wasn't!

Left Red Peak Station and onto our final stop, the Smithfield Station near Cairns, which was nestled on the coast below us. 

 Chatted in the cablecar with another Aussie, a Vietnam vet, on this leg of the journey who mentioned that his wife was waiting at the station down below as she refused to get o the cable car. He asked us what we had liked most of our stay in Oz, where we were next heading, etc. He mentioned that New Zealand was not a place that Aussies he knew generally visit as it’s too cold and there are far more exciting places in the world to visit. We’ve noticed a lot of Aussies we’ve encountered seem to be fairly dismissive of New Zealand and Kiwis, i.e. residents of the country. 

Got to the pick up point 2 minutes late for our 3:15 pick up back to the hotel even though we’d taken the Skyrail down at 3 as we’d been instructed to do by the shuttle driver who’d picked us up in the morning. Turns out our names had never been put on the return pickup list as they’d forgotten us in the morning so we had an hour to wait for the next shuttle although we had no idea then when or if one was coming. Luckily the driver rolled around at 4:15 and then waited 20 minutes for a couple who was supposed to be there then.

The driver, in his commentary on the 30 minute drive back to Cairns, mentioned that the privately owned Skyrail had just celebrated 20 years of service last week and that 114 cars had bee built in just 14 months. Ten of the cars were 4 seater, glass bottomed ones – they would NOT have been Steven’s favorite way to go down the mountain! He said 32 men had died during the construction of the railway.

Saw a lot more sugar cane on the ride into town; the drive said the farmers get 3 crops out of 1 plant but the sugar content decreases each time. Just 10 years ago, there were o buildings in Cairns higher than the treetops, now though there are lots of skyrises. Progress? I wonder.

Rather than being dropped off at the hostel, we asked the driver to let us out at Cairns’ Night Market, our first of many I am sure we will see this trip as Asian countries are so well know for their night markets.

Photo of kanagaroo/crocodile/emu jerky for you, Mike and the girls, Tawnya! Fun wandering through the market for a bit as it only served to whet our appetite for those still to come.

Then strolled through town and back to the Cairns’ Esplanade where there was a huge festival going on celebrating Papua New Guinea’s (known as PNG) 40 years of independence.

Just another fantastic day discovering another part of Australia - how lucky are we!