The Cairns-Kuranda Railway was constructed between 1882 and 1891. About 1500 men built the 23 miles of track, 15 hand-made tunnels and 37 bridges through the harsh tropical rainforest full of poisonous spiders and snakes. The train goes from sea level at Cairns to 328 meters up the Macalister Range. The original purpose of the train was to connect the tin mining town of Herberton to Cairns. During WWII, Kuranda was one of the busiest stations handling freight for the many troops which were stationed on the Atherton Tablelands from early 1943 for rest, rehabilitation and training in a malaria-free environment close to New Guinea. Traffic at this time was so great that the road from Cairns to Kuranda was constructed to relieve congestion. It also moved a lot of soldiers between huge military camps and hospitals.
The Governor of Queensland, Sir Henry Wylie Norman, in April 1890 visited the railway while still under construction. An open air platform with a banquet table, near the waterfall, had been set up on the almost completed Stoney Creek Bridge. There were no speeches due to the roar of the waterfall immediately behind the bridge.
Today it is a popular tourist attraction. The trip is narrated, telling the history of the train as well as the Aboriginal story of Buda-Dji, the Carpet Snake who, in the dreamtime, carved out the Barron River and the creeks that join it. Dreamtime is a word used by anthropologists to refer to Aborginal beliefs. The dreamtime is the Aboriginal understanding of the world and it’s creation.
Stoney Creek bridge where the banquet was held for he Governor of Queensland, Sir Henry Wylie Norman, in April 1890. I hope they did not serve alcohol. Imagine Sir Henry’s surprise, unable to give his speech due to the roaring of the waterfall.
TOAL-Trip of a Lifetime 