Wednesday June 21st – Today was our day to visit the town of Kuranda. The town is located 300 meters above sea level just outside of Cairns in the Great Dividing Range. It is referred to as “the Village in the Rainforest” and was founded in 1876. Kuranda is known for its arts and crafts markets filled with locally made and grown products. Part of the charm of the town is the transportation to and from town. While there is a road for driving the most popular way is to use a combination of a scenic steam train ride and/or a gondola sky rail. We elected to ride the steam train there and take the sky rail back.
The Kuranda Scenic Railway takes 1hr 45 minutes to wind thru 34 km of gorgeous rainforests passing through 15 tunnels all dug out by hand in the late 1880s the longest of which is 490 meters long. The railway took about 7 years to complete and conditions for the workers, both living and working, were pretty awful. The train passes the impressive Barron Falls which is 395 meters above sea level and drops 265 meters.
Once arriving at the town we first headed for the animals. We had purchased the “wildlife” option which gave us access to the Koala Park, Bird World and the Butterfly Sanctuary. When we arrived at the koala park we discovered you could take a photo with the koala, much to both of our delight, for this photo you can actually hold the koala in your arms. Of course, we had to do it! It was pretty cool, you stand in position and the keeper takes the koala by its arms and puts her into your arms. She grabs right onto you as it you were the tree she is hugging and they snap your photo. The staff is really nice about taking a couple with your own camera as well. I was surprised at how light a koala is, and she was docile and calm. Rules governing public interaction vary from state to state and Queensland is the only state which allows you to “cuddle” the koala. They do have strict rules such as each animal is only allowed to “cuddle” for 30 minutes each day and a total of 180 minutes per week. The koala park at Kuranda has enough koalas that each one does not get near its ‘work capacity’. It was an incredible experience that I will remember for a long time.
Other than the koalas, the park was pretty much like many others of its kind. We passed through a small kangaroo enclosure where Grant got to feed and pet his first kangaroo. He was a bit nervous at first which made me remember how nervous I was the first time I got close to a ‘roo. There was a small reptile house and an enclosure for some smaller fresh water crocodiles.
Next we went to “Bird world” which was small but really good. They had a large variety of birds, not all native to Australia. You could purchase a small bag of food (which we did). The birds were quite tame and readily landed on you for some tasty tidbits. The highlight for me at Bird world was when I handfed a Cassowary. The Cassowary is the second-largest bird in Australia and the third-largest remaining bird in the world (after the ostrich and emu). Adult Southern Cassowaries are 1.5 to 1.8 m (5½ feet) tall, although some may reach 2m, and weigh about 60 kilograms (130 pounds). Cassowaries have a bright blue neck and head and have a bony casque on the head that is used to batter through underbrush, making them the only armoured bird in the world.
The Butterfly Sanctuary was excellent with tons of striking butterflies flitting all around. I only got a few good photos there as butterflies are rarely still enough for good photos, but the photos in my head are wonderful!
We did a bit of shopping around the markets before heading for our return via Sky Rail.
The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway spans 7.5kms (4.7 miles) over Australia’s pristine tropical rainforests and at the time of completion in 1995 was the world’s longest gondola cableway. It glides just meters above the rainforest canopy before descending through the canopy layers and deep into the heart of the forest and has two rainforest mid-stations which have stunning lookouts of Barron Falls and the guided walks through the rainforest. It takes approximately 1½ hours one way. All the towers were lifted into place by helicopter to avoid disturbance of the rainforest. Again the views were amazing, what a ride!
After we returned to town we got some food and embarked on the last adventure of the day; learning to play, and buying a didgeridoo! I have been looking for the ‘perfect’ didge since I arrived in Australia. What better memento from the land down under than a combination musical instrument and work of art? We finally found one we liked both the look and the sound of. We got a quick lesson and both of us were able to produce the basic sound. The shop will be giving us a couple of more free lessons before we leave Cairns. We are pretty excited to have purchased one so here’s a few bits of trivia;
10 DIDGERIDOO FACTS
1. Possibly the world's oldest musical instrument
2. A wind instrument originally found in Arnhem Land, Northern Australia.
3. Is made from limbs and tree trunks hollowed out by termites (insects).
4. Is cut to an average length of 1.3 metres and cleaned out with a stick. or hot coals.
5. Was used as an accompaniment to chants and songs.
6. Produces a low-pitch, resonant sound with complex rhythmic patterns.
7. In sure tribal groups only played by men but in most groups by men, women and children.
8. Traditional various forms at the didjeridoo where found in Central Australia around Alice Springs.
9. The Didgeridoo is the sound of Australia.
10. If the earth had a voice it would be the sound of the Didgeridoo.
