For a while now we've been wanting the girls to go on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, but have never done it. MrL, Monet and I had been on the train when we initially moved to Cairns in 2006, so Lily had never been on the train, which curves around the Ranges from Cairns to Kuranda. MrL wasn't keen on going again (not really his thing) so he dropped the girls and I off at Freshwater Station (there are only two stations on the route) with the plan on him meeting us up at Kuranda, some 90 minutes later. (A 25 minute drive as compared to a 90 minute train journey!)
Both girls were especially looking forward to going on the train....until Monet realised how long it took and Lily was constantly wanting to eat to pass the time. *heehee*
As the train hauls out of Freshwater it passes through some cane fields, which look rather lovely at a height. So lush and green...
You catch glimpses of the urban sprawl on the way up the range. The city of Cairns is nestled behind that first hill in the photo below.
There are some 22 bridges on the rail way track and you pass through 15 tunnels, the longest being some 450 metres long, which Miss Lily quite enjoyed!
The train makes a stop at Barron Falls Station, for 10 minutes, about 5 minutes away from the final destination of Kuranda. I quickly stepped off as the girls stayed put. The Falls were a trickle but when 'the wet' hits I will be sure to come up and visit.
True to his word, of course, MrL met us at the top of the stairs which lead to Kuranda's main drag. With a quick scourer of the strip we headed to the Kuranda Pub, a traditional, old, rickety, touristy Queensland Pub for (a rather ordinary) lunch and a pint of beer.
And we caught up on the Cricket scores from our table whilst the girls amused themselves for a little in the playroom.
Luckily for us, being locals, we get a pretty good discount on the train and children aged three and under travel for free in allocated seating. It is actually rather pricey to travel up and down (looking at around $250 for a family of four - one child travels for free) on the train but it is dedicated to tourists and I guess they think tourists have cash to splash. It is the oldest Scenic Railway in Australia and it is good to go on. At least once anyway. I'm glad we did it.
