Kuranda

Posted on 27 Feb, 2009 11 comments

This little place is situated at 350 m above sea level,Northwest of Cairns in the hills. It can be reached by train or cable cart from Cairns, Smithfield, or you can wind your way along the many sharp bends for about 18 kms until you get sick in the stomach. But it is all worth your while. The views are magnificent and the road is beautiful, surrounded by rainforest.

Kuranda itself is on top and a very busy tourist village. Many little coffee shops and restaurant and colourful clothing and souvenir shops make it a lively place.
We talked to the information centre lady and got to know quite a few things. In the 60ties Kuranda used to be a hippy place where little wooden cottages and mudbrick houses were built and they all enjoyed the alternative lifestyle and nature around them, whilst swimming in the creeks. It gest quite cold up there in the forest and the houses all have chimneys. One thing I definitely wanted to see was the butterfly sanctuary. Firstly we sampled some ice coffee on the terrace, then went back and after crossing the Barron River we turned left, going to the nice area where people have one acre blocks and lovely homes, some hidden in the forest, only to be seen by driving up or down their steep drives to the clearing where the house is. We found out that you cannot fence off your property, only your garden, as the wildlife has to move freely through the forest. Well, if we’d live there we have to do something about that, as we have to keep our dogs on the property, with Cully for instance who is very adventurous. Also to keep strange dogs out. The “streets” are lovely there, green cut verges, palms, ferns, shrubs, just like driving through the botanical gardens. And the only sound ( or should I say noise ? ) to be heard was that of the cycades. After checking out the area we visited the Butterfly Sanctuary. It was beautifully done with every tropical plant imaginable and a range of flowers on them which attracted the butterflies. They eat honey too. There were little waterfalls and ponds, some fish. Just really really nice. And of course there were the butterflies. Green, red, black, white, brown, yellow, blue or combinations of them, small and large. You could see the little coccoons and caterpillars, the food they eat and all with very informative descriptions of their wonderful names. I did recognise some of them, as they also flutter through my garden.

After this and before going home we walked through the mainstreet with its beautiful Ficus virens, gum trees with all the birdnest ferns, basket ferns and other creepers growing on their branches. Just so pretty.
The descent was just as magnificent as we stopped at some look out spots to see as far as the Coral Sea and Cairns in the flats.

Comments

Sandra

what a great sounding place. thanks for the pics ;-))

27 Feb, 2009

Bulbaholic

Sounds facinating

27 Feb, 2009

Steve

hi marguerite,
you've brought back some happy memories of our last trip to aus.went up the cable car and came down by train, great day out , finished off with a meal in cairns.then back to palm cove......now thats a place to stay!! the sandy cove was fabulous. looking forward to another month in aus this year (november).......................steve

27 Feb, 2009

Marguerite

You are welcome Sandra. Thank you all for your comment. Steve, I have also been to Palm Cove, lovely little village. I've combed out the coastal area right up to Cape Tribulation, and I just love all the littel coves and bays along the sea, going up and down the Captain Cook Highway. Tell me why you choose November to come here, or are you going down South? November here is very humid as we are experiencing the build up when heavy cumulus clouds look angry in the skies and often we get thunder and lightning. But down South November should be wonderful, when spring is showing its lustre and the weather is still mild for overseas visitors. You were very game going on the cable car, I would never dare!

27 Feb, 2009

Steve

hi marguerite,
going to sydney for a week then on to brisbane to stay with my wifes sister for 4 weeks.intend to visit various national parks for day walking into rainforests etc should get to see quite a lot in 4 weeks ( i hope).....................................steve

27 Feb, 2009

Marguerite

For sure Steve. That will be wonderful and no doubt we get to see some lovely shots from you. One week Sydney is plenty! But then, I hate cities. I was there for 3 days once and that was more than enough. We had a hired car and visited the harbour heads, had parked the car there. There are bandits in the bushes and as soon as you walk on to see the ships come in, they empty your car! Boy, we spend all day at the police station, what a waste of time! I tell you, be careful.

27 Feb, 2009

Aster

We really enjoyed Kuranda staying with friends who emigrated there 15 yrs ago.We went in '05 and it still has that 60's feel about the place.We even saw a VW campervan painted with flowers and complete with an old hippy. I regret not taking a photo of it but I came over all English and didn't want to intrude lol ! The train journey was quite magnificent considering the terrain and the poor workers who built it.
Lovely memories and blog thanks Margeurite :)

27 Feb, 2009

Heather

This is an amazing co-incidence, but my shorts came from that shop.

13 Jul, 2009

Marguerite

That sure is amazing Heather. And a girl in Japan might be wearing the same shorts, lol! This truly makes us think globally, doesn't it? Aster, nice to read you've visited this place as well. Those campervans you are talking about you can hire around here, they are called Wicked, lol. And yes, they all have flower power and hippy slogans splashed across the paintwork. They are cheap to hire and almost go anywhere.
http://www.wickedcampers.com.au/van-information/
for your memories.

14 Jul, 2009

Heather

I looked at the shorts and they were made in India, not 'proudly made in Australia' but they are useful here at the moment. We took the cable up and train down. This is a very worthwhile trip for tourists.

14 Jul, 2009

Marguerite

Heather, my son and daughter in law did that too the other day, when they visited us. The took the train up and planned to take the cable car down, but she chickened out, lol. I've got some nice pics they took and I will post some, cause the vegetation is just unreal.
Indian shorts? Huh? Be careful when you wash them as their dies run. Guess they get them cheaply and sell them dearly, so they can make some money.
There are not many clothes here which are made in Oz unfortunately as people want to earn too much. So it's cheaper from India and China etc. Hope you didn't feel cheated.

15 Jul, 2009

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