Rain Forest Wonders in Cairns
Cairns is surrounded by the most incredible natural landscapes, littered with spectacular features such as the Atherton Tablelands and the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest.
February 17, 2014
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Be with Nature, Welcome to Cairns!
Cairns is the only place in the world where two World -Heritage-listed areas are side by side. One can dive into the depths of the Great Barrier Reef, or soar above the world’ s oldest tropical rain forest at the Barron Gorge National Park. A Rain forest exists where at least 1,300 mm of rain falls each year, being distributed throughout the year. Australia`s rain forests receive up to 4,000 mm of rain annually. Today, we chose to be at one with nature and see the spectacular tropical landscapes via the Skyrail and the Kuranda Scenic Railway.
The Skyrail is one of the longest, it is a 7.5 km Gondola cable way journey through Australia’s Tropical Rain forest. We boarded our Skyrail at the Caravonica Terminal which is located 15 minutes north of Cairns. As soon as we got into our cablecar( gondola), we were eager to look down. We were rewarded with rugged mountain scenery, steep ravines, rich wildlife, and tropical rain forest. The view presented us with magnificent trees of all heights everywhere. The entire view was a solid mass of interwoven branches, ferns, and creepers.
Our first stop was at the Red Peak Station. From there we were able to get a closer look at the diverse array of plant species, including the towering 400 year-old Kauri Pine. The boardwalk meandered through the undergrowth taking us past majestic Buttress roots, beautiful tree ferns, and climbing wait-a-while palms. Occasionally, there were areas bathed in light which filtered through the maze of foliage. Every vine and shrub seemed connected like snakes.
“ Look at that super tall tree,” I exclaimed.
“Oh and that vine, it’s like what Tarzan would have used!”
The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a spectacular journey comprising unsurpassed views of dense rainforest, steep ravines and picturesque waterfalls. This famous railway winds its way on a journey of approximately 1 hour 45 minutes from Cairns to Kuranda, the village in the rainforest.
We covered two miles before we got off on the second stop which was at the Barron Falls Station, and it is one of the most visited sites. The majestic Barron Falls, at a mighty 260 meters tall, attract visitors, and artists from around the world. There were three lookouts and everywhere I looked, there were stunning panoramic views. The pathways were also relaxing to walk as we listened to the singing of Cicadas, and the rustling of leaves. There was a light breeze blowing from time to time. After the Barron Falls station was the Kuranda terminal, and Kuranda village. There were so many things to do and see in the village, such as the Butterfly sanctuary, colorful bird aviary, and a Koala park
There was also a diverse array of art galleries, shops, cafe’s, and restaurants. The Kuranda Arts and Crafts market was also a delight. We took the Kuranda railway on the way back to Cairns. The 1720 class locomotives were built between 1966and 1970. The carriages we were travelling in were built in 1909, and were the originals made from Silky Oak timber. Today, the Kuranda Scenic Railway is decorated in the vivid Buda Dji colours.
The paintings were created by the local aboriginal artists and they portray the legend of Buda Dji the carpet snake, said to have carved out the Barron Gorge. Sitting in our carriage, and watching the trees go by in at a relaxing speed, we observed a different vista of the wonders of the rain forest. On and on we went, on what seemed to be a solid mass of forest, with a few trees that stood out boldly against a myriad of other plants and trees. A few times, I spotted mangoes, banana and other tropical fruit trees amongst what seemed like an impenetrable wall of matted and tangled vegetation.
Construction of the Cairns- Kuranda railway was, and still is, an engineering feat of enormous magnitude. Supply routes were primitive and perilous. The routes were also untraversable, and thousands of people came close to starvation during construction. As we sat in our carriage, we could only imagine the number of men who died from malaria, dysentery, anaconda and other snake bites.
We had a ten minute-stop at the Barron falls station and viewed the falls from a platform. The railings were crowded with people gazing at the falls. The occasional heard sound from the waterfalls, seemed distant. By the time we got back to Cairns, we had passed through 15 tunnels, 55 bridges and saw several cascading waterfalls making, this port our best Aussie stop ever!
P.S. Track Facts:
Labor: 1,500 men majority were of Irish and Italian descent
Distance: 37 kms of train track
Ascent: 327 meters above sea level
Engineering and earthwork: removal of 2.3 million cubic meters of earth, 106 cuttings, 15 hand carved tunnels (1,746 m in length), 55 bridges (244 m of steel bridge spans and 1,894 m of bridges), 98 curves
Comment
What a delightful description with great photos of Kuranda scenic railway. We like to try it next time. We also enjoyed all your Austrian big city blogs. Doing something, when being photographed, is a good idea. It present a picture of having fun, and even humor at time. A big thank you to you, Charlotte! From Kim L., on Mar 3, 2014 at 01:12 a.m