Bart Bear's Blog

There are 2 ways to return to Cairns from Kuranda. You can go back by the train or you can take the Skyrail. This way you sit in a small gondola that carries you above the dense rain forest and down the range to the station where you can get a shuttle bus back into Cairns. There are 2 stops along the way where you can leave the skyrail and walk some of the trails to scenic lookouts. From the gondola you can see all of the flowers, creepers, vines, and birds that live at the top of the forest trees. There are also great views of some of the waterfalls and gorges. The drop down the range gives you splendid views of the northern beach suburbs of Cairns. I love this trip but the Oldies sometimes get a bit jumpy when the wind makes the gondola sway or when there is an unexpected bump and rumble as it passes one of the support towers. If you visit Cairns you really must do the railway and skyrail trip to Kuranda.
 

Labels: Cairns, Kuranda, Queensland

A must-do thing anytime you visit Cairns is to take a trip on the tourist train to Kuranda. Kuranda is a small village in the rain forest on top of the mountain range inland of Cairns. The railway was built between 1886 and 1891 to provide a link between the mining towns on the Atherton tableland and Cairns. During WW2 it linked the ports of Cairns and Port Douglas with the military camps and hospitals on the tableland, and the railway between Cairns and Brisbane. The line is 75km long and rises to 327m above sea level. It was built entirely by pick, shovel and dynamite, one of the great engineering feats of colonial Australia. Today it is one of the world's great tourist railway trips. Although the engines are now diesel electric the carriages are restored vintage units, including a "luxury" Gold Class carriage (drinks and snacks all during the trip). I bought the Oldies seats in this one from my pocket money.The line passes through 15 tunnels, has 93 sharp curves and passes over dozens of bridges across ravines. From the train you see many waterfalls. The train makes a photo stop at Barron Falls, usually the most spectacular one, but this time the best was Stony Creek. The almost-last image is a view across the Barron Gorge to Stony Creek Falls and the long railway bridge which crosses the ravine here. We have done this trip 4 times now and will definitely do it again if we have the chance. And about those bars across the windows to stop passengers leaning out, well they don't stop determined small bears.

Labels: Cairns, Kuranda, Queensland, train

On the way up to Kuranda on the train you can see several waterfalls tumbling down into the Barron River Gorge. Here are the two that are easiest to see, both about 130m high. The one on the left is Stoney Creek Falls and the train goes right alongside it. The train is moving fairly slowly as it passes the falls because it is going across one of the longest curved lattice railway bridges in Australia. The one on the right is Barron Falls. It used to be really spectacular, but now most of the water is dammed and used to run a hydroelectric station that powers the Cairns area. The train stops for a photo break at Barron Falls station, and you can also get photos by taking a short walk from the Skyrail station on the other side of the gorge on your way back to Cairns. The trip from Cairns to Kuranda is really one of the most scenic short trips in Australia, so do it sometime (and take your small bear with you).

Labels: Cairns, Kuranda, Queensland, waterfall

One of the best day trips that you can do from Cairns is to take the Kuranda Scenic Railway up to the market town of Kuranda, and come back down via the Skyrail cableway. I have done this trip 3 times now and absolutely love it. This time the train was very long, around 16 carriages, and needed two big diesel locos to haul it. Cairns was, of course, jam-packed with visitors for the eclipse and lots of them were visiting Kuranda. The train runs through rain forest for most of the trip and it has dozens of trestle bridges and 15 tunnels. It also has a station near the top of the climb where you can get out for a short stop to see Barron Falls. It was raining gently this day and it made the views a bit spooky, with clouds right down on the tops of the hills. We even saw a lyrebird fluttering down the embankment near where the bottom photo was taken. Do the trip if you are visiting Cairns, up by rail, back by Skyrail. Lots of shopping for Mums at Kuranda. You will enjoy it.

Labels: Cairns, Kuranda, Queensland, train

One of the best train trips anywhere has to be the trip up from Cairns to Kuranda. Lots of tunnels and bridges and a real scary track in places where the hill goes straight up on one side and drops straight down on the other side. This is my favourite bit of the whole trip. The trestle bridge we are on takes the train across in front of the cliff and over the creek at Stony Creek Falls. It is one of the longest and highest bridges like this in Australia. I like to have the window up so the wind can ruffle my fur, but Mum gets all panicky in case I fall out and end up way down the gully. Actually, I hang on pretty tight. We take this trip every time we go to Cairns, usually up on the train and down on the Skyrail because that way you get the scariest rides.

Labels: Cairns, Kuranda, Queensland, train

Scruff and I are sitting in the Butterfly house at Kuranda. This is one of the places we visited during our Cairns trip last year. It is an interesting place, just like a small rainforest but totally indoors. It is full of butterflies of all descriptions. Some of them are almost as big as me. The most speccy ones are the blue Ulysses and the green Birdwings. The butterflies flutter right around you and land on everything, including visitors. I don't really like moths and butterflies fluttering around my head, neither does Mum.

Labels: animals, Cairns, Kuranda, Queensland

One of the things we do every time we go to Cairns is ride the Skyrail from Kuranda. We go up in the train and back on the Skyrail. Here's Scruffy and I in our gondola at the start of the trip, before the ground gets so far away. The scariest part for small bears is when the cableway drops over the edge of the range and down into Cairns. It is also when you get the most spectacular views so you don't really get too scared, not as much as some big people do.

Labels: Cairns, Kuranda, Queensland, skyrail