It is a cute
small
rainforest village up in the mountains of the
Great
Dividing Range west of Cairns.
If you only visit Cairns and don't go to Daintree National Park
or the rest of Cape York, it is a great
place where to discover the local tropical
rainforests.
But it is mostly known for
its markets;
and it is famous as a destination
of a day
trip from Cairns - which can be made with a scenic
historical train one way, and a skyrail
the other.
There are the
old, Original
Markets as well as the new Heritage
Markets,
which sell all
sorts of things from locally produced honey to fashion clothing and
gemstones.
Kuranda
Australia Wildlife Parks
There are also some great wildlife parks. The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
is the largest of its kind in Australia.
There is also the Birdworld
with both Australian and exotic birds, and the Koala Gardens with all
kinds of Australian animals. And there is the Venom Zoo, with
dangerous animals.
Kuranda
Rainforest
The
town promotes itself as a rainforest village and this is exactly what
it is. It is surrounded by some of the best tropical
rainforests in Australia.
There is a
nice circuit walking
track
along the
river
and through the rainforest where you can discover the local flora and
fauna.
Falls
and
Lookouts
A little farther from the town centre are Wright's Lookout,
and the beautiful Barron
Falls
- some of the most impressive in the
whole tropical north Queensland.
It's a little
walk from the car
park, but it's worth every step - once down, the views are absolutely
beautiful.
Tracks
around Kuranda
And
even further out, if you have a four wheel drive like Cape York
travellers, there are an amazing amount of excellent walking and 4WD
tracks around Kuranda. Bridle Creek Track, Clohesy
River Road,
and McDonalds
Track only to name a few.
Kuranda
Accommodation
There
are a few places to stay in town: The Hotel Motel, a backpackers hostel and
Kuranda Villas are central in the town.
A resort and
spa, a caravan park and two bed
and breakfast places are a bit further than walking distance from the
central streets.
Restaurants
There
is a surprising variety of restaurants in town -
everything from
fish and chips and typical Australian tucker like barramundi
and kangaroo, to European cuisine such as Italian and German,
and
other international like a Curry House, and Vietnamese.
Kuranda
Tours
There
are a few tour operators that take you to Kuranda from Cairns. There
are also a few in Kuranda itself, and one of the most popular is the
river boat tour on Barron
River. It takes you past some dense
rainforest where you can see some birds, turtles and
freshwater crocodiles.
Kuranda
Train
The
riverboat tours depart from the jetty just behind Kuranda Train Station
- which is a tourist attraction itself.
A lot of
people arrive
here from Cairns with the Scenic Railway, which takes you through the
rainforests of Barron Gorge National Park and past the
impressive Barron
Falls.
Kuranda
Skyrail
Most people take the Skyrail
back to Cairns. It is a great ride across
the top of the rainforest canopy with views
over the ocean. The Skyrail trip ends in the Cairns
northern suburb of Smithfield, next to the famous Tjapukai
Aboriginal Cultural Park.
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