Kuranda
is a popular place to visit in this part of Australia.
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.
And it is
just as easy, and much
cheaper,
to drive up to
the
rainforested mountain range.
Markets
of Kuranda
The
famous Kuranda markets opened in 1978, and today they are the town's
biggest
attraction.
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.
Kuranda
Tours
On this
page you have the Kuranda tours.
The most
popular one is to
make the day trip from Cairns,
with
the Old Scenic Railway one way, and
the Skyrail the other.
The day can be spent discovering the famous markets, rainforests and
Kuranda's wildlife parks.
In
the end of the Skyrail trip is the famous Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural
Park - a great place to learn about the culture of local indigenous
people. But there
are
many other tours. You can also take
helicopter flights as well as tours that combine Kuranda with a Great
Barrier Reef trip on the water.
The full
list is in the
Destination Guide.
Kuranda
Markets
Kuranda
markets are very popular.
There are
also the
rainforests
and wildlife parks,
but the
markets are the most
popular thing to visit in Kuranda. And they are not all the same markets.
The most original are the oldest - Kuranda
Original Markets,
sometimes also
called Rainforest
Markets.
At the same location, sometimes - about once a month, there are also the Night Markets.
But there are also newer ones - such as the Heritage Markets.
And on
top of that,
now there are also the "Kuranda
New Markets"!
Kuranda
Rainforest
Kuranda
rainforest is beautiful.
It is
dense
and lush, and covered in vines.
You can experience it by
taking
some of the walking tracks in and around the town.
The most central one is the one starting at the train
station (take the steps down to the river).
It goes
in a
circle back to the town.
Kuranda
Circuit Walk
The walk first follows the river,
... then
goes under a bridge and enters the
so-called Jungle Walk,
Which goes through some beautiful
rainforest,
.. with some old big
vines,
.. and Jumrum Creek Walk,
which has more beautiful
rainforest..
... and crosses Jumrum
Creek,
.. before it comes
out to Kuranda Bat Rescue and
the central streets in town.
Barron
Falls
Barron
Falls are excellent looking waterfalls.
They are some of the best
waterfalls in the whole north Queensland.
They are tall, they are huge, and they roar massively after rains.
They are a little drive
away from the
town centre, there is even a
shuttle bus.
In case you are visiting with Skyrail
or Scenic
Railway you also get to
see them on your trip from Cairns
to Kuranda. If you
are driving, just
follow the signs from the
town.
From the Barron Falls carpark,
there is a little walk.
It goes through some beautiful
rainforest.
Past a few lookouts
...
You can also see the train
station, and the Skyrail
going past.
After about 600m walk you
come to the main lookout (from here you can also walk down
to the railway station, for a different view again).
The falls are beautiful
even in the Dry season ...
But wait until you see
them in the Wet!!
In fact it does not need to be the Wet season - if you are in Kuranda and it has
rained, head to the falls, they are roaring.
Get
this 50 pages
guide totally for FREE.
It
contains information that helps you getting started with planning of your trip.
You get to make early-stages desicions such as when to go, how long time you
should take, how to get
there and get
around, where
to stay (general info), what
will it cost..
and a short insight to what is there to see and do in Cape York.
This complete 300 pages
travel guide is all you need before and during your trip. Besides the
background chapters on the peninsula's history and wildlife; and the comprehensive detail about all
the places (down to prices, opening hours and full contact
detail), it has invaluable information on at least 10 four wheel drive tracks,
at least 30 guaranteed FREE
camping spots on the Cape (and at least 150 on your way to
the Cape), at least 40 best
swimming holes, all mapped; as well as practical things -
from fuel, roads, wireless internet and mobile phone reception,
how to deal with the national
parks booking rules; and Aboriginal land entrance and camping permits
and alcohol restrictions - to vehicle preparation and accessories and necessary recovery
gear by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner).
Not to mention locals'
tips on how to spot that croc and palm cockatoo ;-)
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This site uses British
English, which is the English we use in
Australia.
Disclaimer:
Although
best efforts have been made to ensure that all the information on this
website is correct, this site is not to be blamed should there be a
mistake.
This is the ORIGINAL Cape York Travel Guide run Locally on the Peninsula.