Kuranda Scenic Railway

The Kuranda railway was built between 1886 and 1891 to supply tin miners on the Tablelands, cut by hand through the Barron Gorge with fifteen tunnels and dozens of bridges in conditions that killed a substantial number of workers. The line climbs 328 metres over thirty-seven kilometres, hugging the gorge wall with the rainforest above and the river below, and stops at Barron Falls, which are spectacular in the wet season and a trickle by late in the dry. Kuranda at the top is a village of markets, wildlife attractions and shops. Most visitors ride up by train and return on the Skyrail cableway, which passes over the canopy with two rainforest stations.

History

Building began in 1886 and the line reached Kuranda by 1891, with passenger trains from 25 June that year; its 15 hand-cut tunnels and 37 bridges climb from sea level to 328 metres up the Macalister Range, three million cubic metres of earth were dug out, and many workers died on the tunnels and bridges. The first tourist train ran from Cairns to Kuranda in 1936, major repairs followed a rock fall in 1995, and on 26 March 2010 a landslide derailed a train, injuring five of its 250 passengers and closing the line until 7 May (Wikipedia, Kuranda Scenic Railway).

What you'll find

• The gorge route - hand-cut tunnels and bridges along the Barron Gorge wall.
• Barron Falls - the falls seen from a stop on the line, seasonal in strength.
• Kuranda village - markets, wildlife parks and shops at the top.
• The Skyrail - the cableway return over the rainforest canopy.

When to go

April to October for the dry season; Barron Falls, however, are strongest from January to April when the wet season fills the river, and can be nearly dry in October. Trains run daily on a fixed timetable and book out in high season.

Things to know

The train is slow and the trip one way takes around ninety minutes. Barron Falls disappoint late in the dry. Kuranda is heavily geared to tour groups and the village can feel like a shopping stop. Combined rail and cableway tickets are expensive.

Nearby

Cairns is at the bottom; the Atherton Tablelands continue west from Kuranda.

Key facts