Day 3 - 11 June - Kuranda

Most of the team had lined up for a game of golf. Col was being a caddy and Jan planned her own day. Joye and Don chose to drive down towards Cairns, catch the scenic railway at Freshwater station, spend lunchtime in Kuranda (the village in the rainforest) and come back to the coast via the SkyRail. We had spent a couple of days in Kuranda some 20 years previous... so it would be good to see what had changed.

We left Port Douglas at 8:15 AM and became caught up in the peak-hour traffic heading towards Cairns. During the drive we read the brochures and saw that the train departed the station at 8.50 AM... and gave ourselves little chance of catching that train. When we arrived, we saw the train still in the station. Joye jumped out and secured tickets while I managed to find a car-park right across the road from the station... a great start to a day that just got better and better.

The history of the railway is a rollicking tale in itself.  

The setting was the prolonged North Queensland wet season of 1882. Desperate tin miners on the Wild River near Herberton were unable to obtain supplies and were on the verge of famine. The boggy road leading inland from Port Douglas was proving impossible. As a result, the settlers at Herberton raised loud and angry voices and began agitation for a railway to the coast.

Upcoming general elections and increasing cold weather in the south saw visits to the north by leading politicians. All promising a railway. 

In March 1884, the Barron Valley Gorge route was chosen for the rail line to the Atherton Tablelands. The storm of indignation which followed from competing schemes anchored in Port Douglas and Geraldton was as enormous as the jubilant celebrations from the people in Cairns.

Construction of the Cairns-Kuranda Railway was, and still is, an engineering feat of tremendous magnitude. This enthralling chapter in the history of North Queensland, stands as testimony to the splendid ambitions, fortitude and suffering of the hundreds of men engaged in its construction. It also stands as a monument to the many men who lost their lives on this amazing project. The line was to total 75.1km and surmounts the vast Atherton tablelands leading to Mareeba.

The climb begins near Redlynch 5.5m above sea level, and continues to the summit at Myola with an altitude of 327.1 m. In all, this section included 15 tunnels, 93 curves and dozens of difficult bridges mounted many meters above ravines and waterfalls.

On January 21st 1887, John Robb and his men tackled the jungle and mountains .... not with bulldozers, jackhammers and other modern equipment, but with strategy, fortitude, hand tools, dynamite, buckets and bare hands. Great escarpments were removed from the mountains above the line and every loose rock and overhanging trees had to be removed by hand. 

Earthworks proved particularly difficult. The deep cuttings and extensive embankments that were removed totalled a volume of just over 2.3 million cubic metres of earthworks. Slopes averaged 45 degrees and the entire surface was covered with a 4.6 m – 7.60m layer of disjointed rock, rotting vegetation, mould and soil.

During construction, navvies’ camps mushroomed at every tunnel and cutting. Even comparatively narrow ledges supported stores – some even catering for the men’s need for groceries and clothes! Small townships were thriving at Number 3 Tunnel, Stoney Creek, Glacier Rock, Camp Oven Creek and Rainbow Creek. Kamerunga, at the foot of the range, boasted no fewer than five hotels. At one stage, 1500 men, mainly Irish and Italian, were involved in the project.

By April 1890, Stoney Creek Bridge was almost complete and the project was paid a vice-regal visit by the Governor of Queensland, general Sir Henry Wiley Norman. To His Excellency’s astonishment, John Robb prepared a full banquet atop Stoney Creek Bridge with tables, food and wine dizzily suspended many metres over the gorge. History records that there were no speeches that day due to the roar from the waterfalls.

Trade at Port Douglas died off rapidly and the town became a quiet little retreat.
With a reliable supply of goods and freight, the Tablelands bloomed into a wealth of rich grazing land. And Cairns was destined to become the modern, international tourist centre it is today, still expanding in leaps and bounds.

Kuranda had changed very little since our last visit. It has retained its village environment and avoided high-rise development. It has emphasised aboriginal art and still has a 'hippy' feel. We grabbed some exercise with a 3 klm walk through the local rainforest... a walk we had enjoyed some 20 years previous.

We returned to the coast via the SkyRail that spans 7.5kms over pristine rainforest providing a glimpse of the most botanically fascinating and diverse areas on earth.

Gliding just metres above the rainforest canopy in a gondola, the Skyrail journey immersed us in an intimate rainforest experience where we could see, hear, smell and become part of the tropical rainforest environment.

We were able to alight at two rainforest mid-stations, Red Peak and Barron Falls.

We joined the golfing group for tea and heard of unbelievable feats of courage, good luck and misfortune as each player explained why they had not played a better game.

Our evening meal was organised by Joan and Jenny with Jeff and John providing bar-b-que skills. The poolside setting provided the best dining experience in town. We were fortunate to have a motel with such facilities.