Kuranda Village is a picturesque mountain retreat just 25km northwest of Cairns in Far North Queensland, Australia.  It is surrounded by World Heritage Rainforest rich in wildlife, with numerous walks and lookouts. Although tourism has been in Kuranda since the 1920's, it first attracted interest as a centre for those choosing an alternative lifestyle in the late 60’s, It's come along way from those days and though it is still laid back, it has a style and sophistication that sets it apart from other Cairns Highlands Venues and Attractions. 

Visitors can travel to Kuranda on the Historic Scenic Railway from Cairns, or by car or bus via the spectacular 11.5 km long Kuranda Range Road, or over the rainforest on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. The most exciting and rewarding way to get there is to take the leisurely one and a half hour railway trip up to the village, and the Skyrail cableway with its great views of the rainforest canopy back down.

Kuranda’s many first class nature based tourist attractions include a bird park, butterfly sanctuary, a bat rehabilitation centre, snake and venom park and koala sanctuary. Don’t miss the breathtaking Barron Falls or the chance to travel on a riverboat on the mighty Barron River! You can also take an Army Duck ride through the rainforest and see traditional Aboriginal dancers perform at the Tjapukai Indigenous Dance Theatre,  located adjacent the Skyrail base station at Caravonica.

The Cairns Post circa 1921 said about Kuranda, " no township in the world has such splendour within its environs, no wonder that journalists, authors, artists and poets have tried to express in permanent form, the emotions which it has stirred within them". Despite the number of tourists that flock the village each day, Kuranda is still one of the most delightful and must-see places around Cairns.

A constant stream of visitors arriving from the coast has turned KURANDA into a stereotypical resort village - something, ironically, this once atavistic community was keen to escape. But despite expanding development and heavy market-day tourism, it's hard not to like the place. Buses , and the highway, stop at the top of town, trains and the Skyrail cable car 500m down the hill, with essential services - post office, store (EFTPOS), bank, cafés - laid out between them along Coondoo Street. Cafés are legion, though pricey; Annabel's Pie Shop , across from the main markets, has excellent pasties and pies; and if you're staying the night, Billy's at the Middle Pub (halfway down Coondoo) does tasty charcoal grill and salad fare.

This accessible from Cairns, Kuranda is not a place where many people stay overnight - it's virtually a ghost town after the markets close - and there's little accommodation . Just up from the cable-car terminus and orchid-shrouded train station , you'll find the quiet and slowly mouldering Kuranda Backpackers' Hostel , 6 Arara St, with a plentiful supply of bunks, large grounds (where you can camp), kitchen and laundry. Around the corner is The Bottom Pub and Motel, whose bar has more than a little atmosphere on Friday nights.

While some stalls operate every day, the markets that attract so many tourists operate 8.30am-3pm on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Don't expect bargains - the market is a commercial affair hawking crafts, fruit and clothes, set around a fake plane wreck and "rainforest pool", with an overflow of stalls across the road. Nearby, forest fauna can be seen close up at the Butterfly Sanctuary, a mix of streams and "feed trees" where giant ulysses and birdwing butterflies are the most obvious of the dozen local species protected by the breeding programme. Birdworld , behind the markets, is a superb aviary with realistically arranged vegetation and nothing between you and a host of native and exotic rarities such as ecclectus parrots. The Noctarium , at the upper end of Coondoo Street, has a collection of glider possums, wallabies and bats. Tucked away down a backstreet, the Aviary is partly a replay of Birdworld with purely Australian species, but they also have a collection of snakes and frogs, and a freshwater crocodile.

Destination Guides > Australasia & South Pacific > Australia > Queensland > Tropical Queensland and the Reef > Tropics: Rockhampton to Cape York > Atherton Tablelands > Kuranda

Links

• Kuranda - Village in the Rainforest
• Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
• Kuranda Scenic Railway
• Atherton Tablelands Travel Guide: Kuranda