Kuranda & the Scenic Railway

I went yesterday on an excursion to the village of Kuranda, which seems to be more of a tourist destination than a residential village.  There were some homes there, but I think that the tourism industry is the lifeblood that drives everything there.  Anyway, it was a nice day, starting with a skyrail ride (gondolas running on a cable overhead) over the rainforest.  There were a couple of stops along the way to see the rainforest up close and I went on a guided tour on one of them.  Very informative!  It was interesting to learn how the various plants and animals have evolved to thrive in an environment where they are all competing for sunlight and nutrients.

After a couple of hours to look around the village of Kuranda, browsing the shops, markets, and getting a delicious lunch (a crepe with bacon, egg, cheese, and baby spinach), it was time top board the train for the return trip to Cairns.  Although the locomotives were diesel/electric (modern), the wooden coaches were all about 100 years old.  They had nice stamped tin ceilings inside and comfortable bench seating.  Best of all, there was some empty space so everyone had plenty of room.  The rail line itself was started in about 1880 and is considered one of the biggest engineering feats in Australia.  The terrain is mountainous and wild.  They had to hand dig for 15 tunnels and many workers lost their lives to accidents and disease.  I think the figure quoted was 240,000 cubic meters of rock and dirt was moved by hand...a staggering amount!

Today I am going on another excursion, this time into the rainforest, but more at sea level, and there will be the kinds of critters that can eat you, you know, like crocodiles!  Looking forward to it,but am going to keep my distance.  G'day mates!