A question about Kuranda. We want to do the Railway and Cable car, and have seen loads of tours, but is the trip also do-able if we just travel by ourselves? I'd like to have the freedom to go at our own pace and skip things like the 'native dancers' etc. Has anyone here done the trip independently? How, for example, would I get from Kewarra Beach to the railway etc.?

Hi Steve,
We went there in Oct 91 and we Thought Kuranda was a great place to visit, but the one thing we all agreed on was that we should have taken the trip by ourselves and not on a tour. Apart from being quite expensive the tour doesn't allow you to linger at certain things and rush quickly through others.
We felt hurried to get to the next point according to the tour guides schedule and not our own.
We took the train up and the cable down.
Personally next time I would prefer to do the cable both ways as the train is hot, crowded and has restricted views. It had not been raining recently so the water falls were quite dry, this made the train ride for me, quite un-interesting however the rest of the family enjoyed the train.
The local bus stops quite close and its really not difficult to get to.
We are back in Aust in Dec but not up as far as Cairns this time.

Good luck

and have fun.

Muck

I've been to Kuranda three times now. My first time was as a lone traveler and my first time in OZ so the safety of a group in a new place seemed to be a better choice. ('88)
My second time, in '92, a friend and I took the train up and down (before cable car option ? I don't remember it even being offered!) and spent an enjoyable day. If I remember correctly, there are certain days that are "market" days in Kuranda. We happened to hit it just right and it was an interesting search thru the flea market as well as other sights.
The last time was in '96 and this time the cable car WAS an option. Again, with a friend, we opted to do the tour and I'm glad we did because there was a mob and we had first dibs for the cable car time slots as we were with a group and not going solo. I don't know how crowded things are now, but it is possible to go to Kuranda on your own (and YES YES YES the cable car ride is soooooo peaceful) but just beware that the tour groups might get the pick of the cable cars first.
As far as getting to the rail station, I can't help you. I've always stayed in Cairns and the station was nearby. The cable station is a bit out off the beaten path outside of Cairns and a bit of a ride back into town.
Have a great time! The butterfly sanctuary was fascinating! You can skip the dancers.. I've seen many on other trips to OZ so "been there, done that" and don't need to see it again.

I agree with the above posters. There is absolutely no reason to take a tour. I also agree that it is preferable to take the SkyRail (cable lift) both ways, as opposed to the train. There are two intermediate stops along the way that most folks bypass. There are some interesting strolling trails though, that are worth checking out by getting off at those intermediate stations. Kuranda itself is quite compact and easily walked in a few hours. There are many restaurants, shops, and attractions that you can choose from without being constrained by tour times.

We did the trip to Kuranda on our own. Were picked up by a tour bus that took us to the rail station. Went up to Kuranda by rail and at that time the Tjabukai (sp) dancers were in Kuranda.

We saw the show and found it very interesting. Since that time the show is now done at the base of the Sky Rail.

We returned on the Sky Rail which had only opened a months before our arrival (our TA didn't even know it was open yet). Unfortunately, there was an electrical storm and the Sky Rail was shut down. Several tourists were doing the Sky Rail before heading to airport and there was a flurry of having to get buses to get them down the mountain and to the airport.

We returned to the base of mountain by bus and they transfered us back to the hotel in Palm Cove (short distance), but we arranged for the tour company to pick us up the next morning, bring us up by road so we could take the Sky Rail down. They did, and we did and it was great at there were few tourists that early in the morning.

I don't know exactly how far Kewarra Beach is to the Railway, but check with your hotel and have them arrange a transfer for you to/fr.

We did the train and cable car independently using tickets arranged for by e-mail. The train had much better views than the cable car (and the cable car was hot and stuffy on a sunny day), but I'd take the cable car one way so you can do the walk from the station it stops at along the way.

Steve - Skyrail has a shuttle bus which picks up at Kewarra Beach and takes you to Skyrail. If you come back by train the shuttle will pick you up at Freshwater Connection station and take you back to Kewarra. This is not an organised tour - just the easiest way of getting to and from your accommodation. If it was me and only had limited time, would skip the train - take early Skyrail to Kuranda - spend an hour or so there (it's all you need unless you're a mad shopper) then hook up with Wait a While tours which will take you onto Mareeba Wetlands where you'll see a fantastic variety of birdlife and kangaroos in the wild. Mareeba is only about 40 mins drive west of Kuranda - this will give you an idea of the incredible contrast of tropical rainforest and "outback" dry country. Of course they will return you to your accommodation at about 8pm. Your tour desk at Kewarra can arrange either trip for you.

Go to Kuranda by Skytrain and return by rail - we found that most of the tours went by rail and returned by Skytrain and in the afternoon, the train was almost empty. Incidentally, try to go on a market day - there is lots more happening at Kuranda on market days.

Hi,

I am planning on spending an afternoon in Kuranda and plan on going independantly by just getting a return skyrail ticket:
When/where should I get the tickets?
How should I get between central Cairns and the station?
Do I need to be specific about the timings of the cable car that I want to take?

Thanks,

david.

Yes, David - you do need to book Skyrail - it runs in 15 minute segments to avoid bottlenecks - both at base and top stations as well as the 2 stops it makes in the rainforest - Red Peak Station and Barron Falls station. Your accommodation will book for you or you can phone on 4038 1555 - Skyrail has shuttle buses to pick you up from or near your accommodation and from Cairns city it's easy to get a public bus - Smithfield or Northern Beaches - ask the driver to let you off at Skyrail which is practically on the corner of Kamerunga Rd and Capt Cook Highway.

Try to spend a little more time, get out of the village and take some of the rainforest walk trails. Make sure you wear appropriate footwear.

Hi Pat,

Do you have to specifiy which 15 min slot you want to travel on? Do the SkyRail buses only travel at set times also? (I emailed them but got no response).

Yes David - you do need to specify the time slot when making Skyrail booking -Skyrail shuttles pick up in Cairns city at 8.30am; 9.30am; 10.30am; 11.15am and the last one at 1.15pm. If you stay on Skyrail it takes about 45mins to Kuranda; to include the rainforest stops give yourself 1 and a half hours. Skyrail base station is right next to Tjakupai Aboriginal Cultural park, which is worth a visit and can be booked in conjunction with Skyrail - you need about 2 hours at Tjakupai.

Stevelondon88, my husband and I were pleased we got out and explored a little at the two Skyrail stops en route to Kuranda. I would recommend stopping if there's any way you can afford the time. At each stop there was a park warden who told us interesting things about the tropical rainforest ecosystem.

Thanks again guys.