Ride the 1891 Kuranda Scenic Railway between Cairns and the mountain village of Kuranda, through the World Heritage rainforest of the Barron Gorge, with a stop above Barron Falls. Choose the train up, the train down, or a return trip.
Days
- About 2 hours
Age
- All ages; under 15s with an adult
Group size
- Scheduled train
Start / finish
- Cairns station / Kuranda station
Return
- See itinerary for details
Transport
- Kuranda Scenic Railway heritage train, one way
Meals
- No meals are listed as included
Route
Included experiences
- Barron Gorge — climb 327 metres through 15 tunnels and over 55 bridges
- Stoney Creek Falls — cross the bridge beside the falls
- Barron Falls — photo stop on the way up
- Kuranda station — arrive at the garden station in the rainforest village
Pictures / Videos
Reviews
4.6
Based on 20 reviews
Verified from
Real reviews from travellers who've done this tour, gathered from around the web and paraphrased.
AI summary of 20 reviews
Travellers consistently praise the scenic railway for its outstanding natural views, particularly of Barron Falls and Stoney Creek Falls, along with the historic character of the heritage carriages and the engaging commentary about the line's history and construction. The most popular itinerary combines the Skyrail with the train as a return journey, with many recommending the Skyrail ascent followed by the train descent to Kuranda to take advantage of the different perspectives each offers; Gold Class upgrades receive particular commendation for their complimentary refreshments and attentive service. The primary drawback reported by several travellers is the heat and stuffiness in the carriages, particularly during warm months, with the journey's length and slowness causing discomfort for some, whilst seat allocation issues and difficulty hearing commentary over other passengers also merit mention.
How we collect and publish reviews
Where they come from. Our reviews are gathered from independent review sites and from guests who share feedback with us directly after their trip. They come from people who have actually travelled on the tour. Some longer trips are made up of shorter tours we also sell, run back to back — where a review was written about one of those legs, the review says so.
Why some are edited. Many of our guests travel in their second or third language. Where a review is hard to read, we lightly edit spelling, grammar and punctuation, or paraphrase a sentence for clarity. We never change the rating, the meaning or the sentiment, and we never write a review on a guest's behalf.
Reading the originals. Reviews sourced from public review sites appear there in their original form, and can be read in full at their original source at any time.
“Once”
I took the Skyrail up and the train back down. The train was very full, three to a bench, but I was lucky to get a window seat. The Barron Falls stop was longer than expected, the views were amazing, and I liked the audio commentary. All the staff were great; one even spoke Japanese to Japanese passengers.
“There & Back Again”
Kuranda is a top trip from Cairns, with a great mix of views, history and scenery. Most of the Skyrail was under maintenance, so we took the train there and back, which made for a long day, and booking was more confusing than expected. Good for all generations and enjoyable.
“Great experience for anyone”
We took the 9:30 train in Heritage Class, which was comfortable, though the seat allocation split up the members of our group who were on separate tickets. The Skyrail wasn't running so we came back by train too, which was a letdown but meant seeing the sights twice. Lovely crew and roomy seats, though I'd have liked more history along the way.
“Absolutely Wonderful Day”
We took the Skyrail up and the train down, which I think was the right call, since the cableway would get warmer in the afternoon and lets you choose your time at the lookouts. The train has one short lookout stop. Gorgeous views on both and the perfect amount of time in Kuranda.
“A unique train journey”
A unique trip on a historic early-1900s train, with commentary for the two hours from the top of the range down to Cairns station. Stunning scenery, a photo stop for Barron Falls, the spectacular Stoney Creek Falls bridge and 15 tunnels on the way down. Well worth doing.
“Great Experience”
We chose the Skyrail and train option with a bus from our city hotel. Gliding over the tall rainforest on the Skyrail, with two stops to walk around, was special. The train from Kuranda to Cairns Central had great lookout stops, but it was hard going at 30 degrees with no air conditioning in late October. Two hours is plenty in Kuranda.
