Kuranda Rail and Sky

At 9:10 am this morning, we were picked up at our hotel by Michael from Relax Tours to head on our Kuranda Adventure. Kuranda is a village that is located in the middle of a world heritage rainforest, 1000 feet above Cairns. Kuranda means, "place of the platypus" to the Ngunbay, the traditional people of this area.
Michael drove swiftly around several roundabouts and along the highway to ensure that we made it to board our Scenic Rail Train with 5 minutes to spare. He is an Australian who has visited Canada on several occasions and had amusing stories to tell of his trip to the Rocky Mountains on the back of a mule. He was very entertaining.
The Kuranda Train travels 1 1/2 hours on a 100 year old train and rail line up to Kuranda. There is a recorded commentary that provides interesting history of the rail line and its construction in the 1800's. There are 15 hand carved tunnels and 55 bridges on the route to Kuranda. It's history is rich with tales of the struggles and hardships of the workers and their families as well as train robberies and devastating weather that has affected the line. The views were beautiful and we were able to see waterfalls and deep gorges as well as the rainforest foliage.
Because the train is over 100 years old, there were not the modern travel conveniences that we are accustomed today, such as air conditioning and we found that our shorts were sticking to our bottoms when we stood up to disembark. It's a good thing that the windows opened. Still, we enjoyed the ride and the rich history.

When we arrived in Kuranda village, we were quickly tempted by an Aussie bloke with a whip to come and try some barrimundi and mango daiquiris in his restaurant. We were hungry and he was interesting so we went in. He had Sam hold a fern leaf in his hand and through a series of whips cracks, he was able to shave it bit by bit, right out of Sam's hand.
















After lunch, we spent some time exploring Kuranda. We visited Traditional art galleries and shops. The boys bought some homemade giant lollipops and had ice cream cones. Dad bought a four sided boomerang and mom bought a watch. There were so many original pieces of art and craft that we would have loved to have bought more, but space and money curbed our enthusiasm.

Before we knew it, the afternoon flew by us and it was time to board the Sky Rail. The Sky Rail is a gondola line that runs 7.5 km's from Cairns to Kuranda and was completed in 1995 after 1 year of construction. All of the towers along the line were lifted into place by helicopter so that the rainforest would not be disturbed. The tallest tower is 40.5 metres (133 feet). As you ride, you can stop at stations about every 10 to 15 minutes to walk the boardwalk and take in the scenery. Red Peak Station is the highest at 545 metres (1788 feet).

I must say that the Skyrail was really enjoyable. The boys loved it and mom and dad looked OUT at the views but did NOT look down. We mused at what would happen if the gondolas were glass bottomed. I imagine they would ride it in the fetal position. We could see trees and birds as we "flew" that we marvelled at. It was great fun and everyone was enthusiastic as we hummed along. At the Red Peak station we took in a short guided tour where we learned a bit about the "fight for light" the plant life in the rainforest must endure as well as the Cassowary Bird (remember the movie, Up) and its diet and fierce habit as well as it's truly colourful appearance. I guess it is not mythical after all.

At the bottom of the line, we entered yet another gift shop and picked up a few things before meeting Michael to head back to our doorstep. The boys couldn't wait to head back to the beach when we got back so Mom and Dad took them down once again. By the time I arrived at the beach, there was a sand castle village, and the boys were rolling in the surf. Jack was curled up in a towel and looking rather dozy. We headed up for dinner and Jack was asleep on the couch within minutes.

Tomorrow, we head off at 7:00am to the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. We've heard that this one is a favourite so we can't wait!