Cairns - Kuranda and Atherton

Monday 12^th September

Paul wanted to experience the scenic railway journey up to Kuranda, and I was more than happy to go again, I enjoyed it so much last time, so we set off for Freshwater station to catch the 9.50 train. The wooden station is pleasantly old –fashioned.

 The cafe is an absolute delight

The journey itself was just as wonderful as I remembered. It is hard to imagine that so many tunnels were built just using pick and shovel, and the bridges across the enormous chasms are quite amazing.

It was hard not to photograph everything.

The views down along the Barron River and across Cairns were as spectacular as I remember.

I managed an even more spectacular view of the Barron Falls than I managed when we went by road – still not much water over them, but the terrain, with steep beetling cliffs and a deep, almost circular pool, is amazing.

Rather than another visit to the tourist shops of Kuranda, we opted for a trip round the Tablelands, which was most interesting. We had not previously realised how fertile it was up there, and the variety of crops grown. We stopped at Lake Tinaroo for a picnic lunch. The lake is a reservoir, and is dedicated to water sports; boating, fishing,  swimming, water-skiing, sailing, canoeing and wind surfing are all catered for, in a very beautiful setting.

The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful day, in spite of the cutting wind. After lunch, we toured some of the towns like the charming Yungaburra, which looks delightfully old-fashioned. Some of the countryside looks surprisingly like parts of southern England – until you notice the row of banana trees. We paid a visit to the Curtain Fig tree, a species of strangler fig, which is nearly 50 feet tall. I see that Wikipedia describes it as one of the largest trees in Tropical North Queensland.

We visited lake Barine, which is a volcanic crater lake and very pretty indeed.

As well as having a very nice cup of much needed hot tea (the cutting wind had started again and it was absolutely freezing) we took a walk to see the giant kauri pines. These giant trees have mostly been cut down, but these two remain as a reminder of what the area used to be like.