This presentation covers the preparation for, and journey of, the Kuranda Scenic Railway as it travels the picturesque Cairns to Kuranda line. It also covers the short term push-pull operation Kuranda to Barron Falls introduced in April 2010 following landslide disruption to the line in March 2010 Queensland floods.
This line owes its existence to the discovery of gold in the mountain areas north of Cairns. In 1882 devastating weather conditions disrupted access to the region and many miners and their families came close to starvation. As a result, legendary bushman Christie Palmerston was commissioned to find a suitable rail route to link the rich mining area to the coast.
Construction commenced in 1886 and up to 1,500 men were involved using picks, shovels and dynamite to shift some three million cubic metres of material. In 1891, after the completion of construction of 15 railway tunnels and 55 bridges, the line was opened, the 37 kilometre long line climbing nearly 340 metres. This line was later extended by Queensland Railways to Mungana, Forsayth, Ravenshoe and Milla Milla in 1901, 1910, 1916 and 1921 respectively.
Approximate run time: 90 minutes.