Blogs from Kuranda, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 6

This morning we get up early so to miss the hot morning sun and rush to the train station to board the Kuranda Scenic Railway that is over 100 years old and goes through the rainforest up to Kuranda. It takes 1.45 hours to travel along this scenic route, through 15 tunnels and over some spectacular bridges high up on the mountain side. The train stopped at a lookout for Barron Gorge and Falls a huge waterfall that in the wet season roars down the mountain, but today was a small trickle. At about 10.15am we arrived back at Kuranda village where we spent a couple of hours looking round the markets and shops. The 7.5km cableway Skyrail was our route back to Cairns over the jungle canopy. It was amazing travelling down over the ... read more

October 18, 2008 We needed to “regroup” this morning. So we grabbed the laptop and bit the bullet and paid $5 an hour at the “Rehab” Internet cafe in downtown Port Douglas and forced ourselves to make some real plans. A cup of coffee for Joe and a mocha for me helped ease the chore of calling and connecting with hotels and airline companies. We were able to book a hotel in Darwin (we fly there on Oct. 20) and a flight from Melbourne to Christchurch, NZ on November 13. Got a good rate on the flight and the Australian dollar’s big decline is making this trip cost a lot less than we had predicted. We also hadn’t planned on sleeping in a Jucy van so many nights and that has cut the expenses. Had a ... read more

I had a few days before I left for home but very little money to do much with, so after coming back from Undara I headed once again to Kuranda. Its nicer and quieter and cheaper to stay there than in Cairns, and of course I still didn't have a cassowary to my name. Not having seen a cassowary on a trip to north Queensland is like not seeing an elephant when you go into the elephant house at the zoo. I mean, what kind of birdwatcher can't find a six foot tall bird?! So Kuranda was my best bet. Last ditch effort was spending a night at Cassowary House just outside the town. All the birders that come to north Queensland go there and they all see cassowaries because the damn things come visiting the ... read more

Vanochtend hebben we Port Douglas voor de laatste keer achter ons gelaten en zijn we op weg gegaan richting Cairns. We hadden na een paar dagen relaxen voor de verandering een action-packed dag voor de boeg. Vlak voor Cairns zijn we de weg af gegaan op weg naar het opstappunt van de Skyrail naar Kuranda. Deze Skyrail is 7,5 kilometer lang en voerde ons over een enorm regenwoud. Onderweg kon je op twee plekken uitstappen. Bij het eerste station kon je rondlopen door een stuk van het regenwoud. Onderwijl kreeg je allerlei informatie over alles wat er groeit en leeft. Op het tweede station had je een prachtig uitzicht op de Barron Gorge Falls, een enorme waterval. Kuranda is een klein dorpje in het midden van het grote regenwoud en is uitgegroeid tot een grote toeristische ... read more

We headed up the mountain range to visit the town of Kuranda. We took the skyrail up and loved the opportunity for a birds eye view on the forest canopy and nearby Barron Gorge. The town was very much touristy but we enjoyed it nonetheless. They especially had some neat markets and a couple of spectacular art galleries! We took a walk along the river and through the forest which was pleasant. After a nap in the local park (no we weren’t the only ones looking like bums) we met our host for the night Frank and Helen (HC). They were great. We actually stayed in their caravan which was parked into the rainforest and again we enjoyed the freedom of showering out in the nature (albeit breezy). We partook in conversation and a drink around ... read more