Overview
- Features: World’s longest gondola cableway over rainforests
- Opening Times: 9am – 5:15pm, daily
- Best Time to Visit: Mornings
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Transport Options: Car, transfers
- Cost: One-way – A$50 adults, A$25 children (aged 4 to 14), A$125 family of four
- Address: Captain Cook Highway, Cairns Western Arterial Road, Smithfield, Queensland, Australia
- Type: Cableway
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Summary
One of the popular places to visit from Cairns is Kuranda which lies 29km northwest from this gateway city of Queensland. Getting to Kuranda is part of the fun. If you’re considering a visit to Kuranda from Cairns, read on to find out why you should take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda.
Why You Should Take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda
Why You Should Take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda
Some people drive up the winding 25km (16-mile) mountain road, but the most popular approaches are to chuff up the mountainside in a scenic train, or to glide silently over the rainforest canopy in the world’s longest gondola cableway, the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. The most popular round-trip is one-way on the Skyrail (mornings are best for photography) and the other way on the train.
The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is a magnificent feat of engineering and one of Australia’s top tourism attractions. There are about 114 six-person gondolas, which leave every few seconds from the terminal in the northern Cairns suburb of Smithfield for the 7.5km (41⁄2-mile) journey. The view of the coast as you ascend is so breathtaking that even those afraid of heights will find it worthwhile. As you rise over the foothills of the coastal range, watch the lush green of the rainforest take over beneath you. Looking back, you have spectacular views over Cairns and north toward Trinity Bay. On a clear day, you can see Green Island.
There are two stops during the 90-minute trip, at Red Peak and Barron Falls. After about 10 minutes, you reach Red Peak. You are now 545m (1,788 ft.) above sea level, and massive kauri pines dominate the view. You must change gondolas at each station, so take the time to stroll around the boardwalks for the ground view of the rainforest. Guided walks start every 20 minutes.
You’ll continue on to Barron Falls station, built on the cleared site of an old construction camp for workers on the first hydroelectric power station on the Barron River in the 1930s. A rainforest information centre has been established here, and there are boardwalks to the lookouts for wonderful views of the Barron Gorge and Falls. From Barron Falls station the gondola travels over the thick rainforest of the range. It’s easy to spot ferns and orchids and the brilliant blue butterflies of the region. As you reach the end of the trip, the gondola passes over the Barron River and across the Kuranda railway line into the station. Don’t worry if it rains on the day you go – one of the best trips I’ve made on the Skyrail was in a misty rain, which added a new dimension to the rainforest.
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Skyrail Rainforest Cableway Price (as at July 2015)
A one-way ticket is A$50 for adults, half-price for children 4 to 14, or A$125 for families of four; a round-trip ticket, including transfers from your Cairns or northern beaches hotel, is A$98 for adults, A$49 for children, or A$245 for families; from Port Douglas, it’s A$120 for adults, A$60 for children, or A$300 for families.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway Timings
The cableway operates daily, except December 25, from 9am to 5:15pm. You must make a reservation to travel within a 15-minute time frame. The last boardings are at 2:45pm for a return trip, or 3:30pm for a one-way journey.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway Address
The Skyrail terminal is on the Captain Cook Highway at Kamerunga Road, Caravonica Lakes, 15km (9 ½ miles) north of Cairns’s city centre.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway Website
Tell us what you think. Are you planning to take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to or from Kuranda? If you’ve been on the Skyrail before, please share with us your experience.
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