Winter Holiday, Week Two - Kuranda

On Sunday (day two) we headed upward and inland to the rainforest! We took the Scenic Railway 25 kilometres northwest of Cairns to the rainforest village of Kuranda. The Kuranda Scenic Railway was created over a century ago by North Queensland's earliest pioneers who were desperate for a railway to the coast. Once the proposed project received government support it took five years (1886 to 1891) to build. The railway climbs from near Cairns, which is 5.5m above sea level, and continues upwards to its altitude of 327.1 m. It includes 15 tunnels, 93 curves and dozens of difficult bridges mounted many meters above ravines and waterfalls. Here are a few pictures from the train ride.

We were seated in a car near the middle of the train. This is the view out of the window going around a deep turn, capturing the back end of the train.

We're not at the top yet, but this is the view looking back toward Cairns, which is tucked in (to the right) behind the hill in the foreground, and the airport is just behind the same hill (to the left). You can also see a bit of the Barron River just right of centre in the picture.

A very kind couple sitting across from us took this family shot..........Then we arrived in Kuranda, which is smack dab in the middle of World Heritage Rainforest. The town is full of touristy shops, aborigine art galleries and other attractions that show off the area's unique wildlife and culture. We viewed zillions of digeridoos and many pieces of aborginal art - beautiful! William's priority that day was to find a shark tooth necklace - and we were successful. Here he is with his bronze whaler shark tooth.....

After a nice lunch and exploring the town, it was time for the trip back. This time, we took the Skyrail, a cableway or gondola that takes passengers on the 7.5km trip over the rainforest of the Barron Gorge National Park, back down to the coast. The cabins glide just metres above the rainforest canopy - it is amazing! - and you can get out twice along the way to explore the rainforest floor. These pictures don't really do it justice.

The Barron River....

That evening we met up with our friends the Lalande family (Christian, Isabelle, Maryline and Dominique; the other Canadian family here for Staff College) and we had a great supper with them at a local pizzeria in Trinity Beach. That was Sunday.......!