23/07/2026
Over-seaing. Day 6. Australia
One of the most popular things to do when visiting Cairns is to leave Cairns and go to Kuranda. Kuranda is a small rainforest village popular with visitors because of its chill vibes, markets and wildlife attractions. It is only a 45 minute drive, but there is a more popular way to get there that only takes twice as long. This is the Kuranda Scenic Railway. This is a historic train journey that takes you through the rainforest. It passes spectacular waterfalls and deep gorges. It was never intended for tourism but to link Cairns with inland mining towns. In order to achieve this engineers and hundreds of labourers had to carve the railway through steep mountains, dense forest and steep gorges. It was considered impassable. The construction took 5 years opening in 1891. The path of the train was carved by hand including 15 tunnels and 55 bridges. It is still considered one of the greatest engineering feats in Australian history.
The trip really is as scenic as it promises, riding in carriages that are over a century old. It might take a little longer than driving but it is worth it. The commentary tells of the history of not only the railway but the communities it served through gold rushes, world wars and the growth of tourism. The train stops briefly before arriving in Kuranda overlooking the Barron Falls. In 1958 a dam was built at the top of the falls, but regardless the view is spectacular looking down from the tablelands towards the coast with Double and Green Islands in the distance.
Joining us in today’s adventure was Constance, legendary Tour Guide from The Road Trip. Not our guide or my colleague today, but friend. We got to play tourists.
Arriving in Kuranda we meandered through the market There are multiple markets. The Rainforest Market, The Historic Market and The Original Market. Many artisans have studios here and there are numerous galleries selling original paintings and more. Including crocodile belts (who knew that crocodiles needed belts. There are wildlife parks here too with koalas, birds and butterflies. By the time we had explored the markets and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Hail Mary’s we did not have time for any wildlife encounters before it was time to board the train for the return journey.
Usually a trip on the Kuranda Scenic Train would be a one way experience with a return trip on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. This alternative takes you by cable car above the canopy of the ancient rainforest. Providing panoramic views and a unique perspective of the forest. But this was not an alternative today as just a few days ago the Skyrail closed for scheduled maintenance. So next time.
A great day out. Thank you Constance for your company and great to catch up… see you Road Tripping again soon in Aotearoa.
