Kuranda, Qld, 4881
Posted by: 
SeabreezeOZ
S 16° 49.128 E 145° 38.145
55K E 354634 N 8139989
A post office in a small tourist town in the highlands above Cairns Far North Queensland
Waymark Code: WMJ556
Location: Australia
Date Posted: 09/25/2013
Views: 4
Kuranda is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, it is 25 kilometres from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by tropical rainforest and adjacent to the Wet Tropics World Heritage listed Barron Gorge National Park.
The rainforest around Kuranda has been home to the Djabugay people for over 10,000 years. Europeans began to explore the area throughout the nineteenth century. It is believed a massacre of indigenous people took place at the location in Kuranda known as Skeleton Creek. Kuranda was first settled in 1885 and surveyed by Thomas Behan in 1888. Construction of the now famous railway from Cairns to Myola (later Cairns to Herberton) began in 1887 and the line reached Kuranda in 1891. The current railway station was built in 1915.
Although coffee was grown around Kuranda in the early twentieth century, timber was the town's primary industry for a number of years. Today Kuranda is a vibrant 'Village in the Rainforest' with tourism being the current backbone of the local economy.
The Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station was built nearby in the 1960s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Kuranda was popular with alternative lifestylers, a theme that still runs through the local community today.
The town receives thousands of tourists each week who arrive from Cairns either on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, the Skyrail gondola cableway, private car, coach or by public bus on the Kuranda Range Road, a scenic 40 minute drive from Cairns.
As mentioned, the town is surrounded by tropical rainforest, abundant with wildlife and is a birdwatchers paradise. There are several short walks around the village including the Jum Rum Creek Environmental Park (allow 1 hour to complete circuit) which includes The River Walk.
Walking to the Barron Gorge National Park to visit Barron Falls is also popular (allow 45 minutes each way + time spent in the park), you can drive there and park nearby to take a short boardwalk to the viewing platforms.
Attractions in Kuranda include a bird aviary, butterfly sanctuary, wildlife rescue/rehabilitation centre, reptile park and koala sanctuary. There is also a fossil and gemstone museum and candy making displays. Cruises are available aboard 'Kuranda Queen' on the Barron River.
Kuranda provides the visitor with many shopping opportunities, all within easy walking distance around the CBD, including the markets which consist of a range of stalls with locally made arts, crafts and produce. Kuranda has numerous art galleries and specialty shops offering a wide selection of locally made and designed art, clothing and handicrafts as well as a variety of sidewalk cafes and restaurants. Kuranda is also a major centre for opals and didgeridoos.
State/Territory: QLD
Post Boxes: Yes
Historical Significance: No
Current use: Yes
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