The Kuranda Scenic Railway that runs from Cairns via Freshwater to Kuranda was opened in 1891. Originally, its purpose was to establish a rail link that would make it possible to transport felled tree logs down to Cairns Harbour for shipping. However, very early on, the route also became popular with the public, leading to the introduction of regular passenger services.

Buying Tickets

The Kuranda Scenic Railway is operated by Queensland Rail, who also operate the Spirit of the Outback train from Longreach to Brisbane. There is a dedicated website for the Kuranda Scenic Railway, which provides useful information for planning your trip. You cannot purchase tickets online, but there is a form you can complete if you wish to make an inquiry. The reservation team respond quickly. However, if you’re booking at short notice, it may be better to call them. You can, in theory, also visit the ticketing counter at Cairns Railway Station. However, it is only open in the mornings from about 08h00 to 09h30. Ticket collection is open from about 45 minutes before the train’s departure. The train sells out on most days, so it’s best to plan a trip on the Kuranda Scenic Railway quite far ahead. On the day I take the train, there are several people queuing up to buy tickets for same day travel, and they all end up being turned away because both trains are sold out.

The Cairns Terminus

The Kuranda Scenic Railway departs from Cairns Central Station. The original station building was torn down a long time ago, and has been replaced by the current structure, which sits at ground level underneath the multi-storey parking of the Cairns Central shopping mall. To access the station on foot, it’s easiest to just enter through the main entrance of the mall and just keep walking through to the back exit.

The Schedule

There are two trains every day in both directions. The first train departs the Cairns terminus at 08h45, with the second train leaving 45 minutes later at 09h30. For the return, the first train leaves Kuranda at 14h45, with the second train following behind at 15h30. The first train going up and coming down only has one class of service, whereas the second train also has three Gold Class coaches. When I made the original booking, Gold Class was already sold out. However, following the lovely sales staff’s advice, I call their office early at 07h00 in the morning on the day of travel to inquire if perhaps any of the tour operators have returned any unused tickets – and I’m in luck, so my reservation gets upgraded from the standard class to the Gold Class service. The return trip in Gold Class costs AUD201 per person.

The Gold Class Service from Cairns to Kuranda

In Gold Class the seating is arranged in a 1 + 2 abreast configuration with facing seats. The oldest rolling stock dates back to 1901, although most carriages were taken from what used to be the Sunshine Express and were built in the 1930s.

The journey up to Kuranda takes two hours. The first leg of the journey is from Cairns Central to Freshwater and takes about thirty minutes, passing by the airport on the way. There is no onboard service between Cairns and Freshwater, mainly because the large tour groups only join at Freshwater, where there’s a large parking lot for the many tour busses.

Shortly after leaving Freshwater, the train begins its ascent into the hills. Over a distance of 33 kilometres it climbs from sea level to 325 metres elevation. As we run along, a pre-recorded audio on the PA provides information about the railway. There’s also a trip guide, so that passengers always know where they are and what’s up ahead.

The service starts just after leaving Freshwater Station. We’re welcomed aboard by our attendant Maria, and she’s just lovely. She hands out the menus for the morning service and comes to confirm with me that we’ve both ordered the vegetarian option, which replaces the sausage roll with a mushroom roll. Alas, for dessert the regular menu has a Macadamia nut muffin, which looks rather nice, whereas the vegetarian option is something with cherries that is… not so nice. The service is good and well paced, and the crew do an excellent job keeping drinks replenished.

Along the route the train slows down at several locations to provide passengers on the whole train with some excellent photo opportunities, which is no small feat given that the train is rather long at fifteen carriages. It’s a nice journey as the train winds its way up the hills, passing through dense rainforest. As we go, there’s that unmistakable smell of soil in the carriage that is just so typically Australian to me. Having said that, the down side of trundling along at a leisurely pace with the windows open also means that when the train passes through a tunnel, the carriage fills with the exhaust fumes from the two powerful diesel locomotives. Fortunately, the tunnels are not that long. The service concludes with a small refreshing towel and a small thank you, in the form of a pen and a postcard from the Kuranda Scenic Railway, which I think is a nice idea.

Kuranda

Quaint is such an old-fashioned word, but in the case of the Kuranda terminus, I think it perfectly captures the genius loci. Kuranda station is a squat building in the colonial style with a corrugated roof and lush vegetation growing on the platform. From here, visitors can either take a right and head down to the river for a croc cruise, or take a left and head up the hill to the centre of town. There is also a short circuit of about forty minutes that takes visitors through the rainforest around the village. The town itself is quite touristy and has a bit of a bohemian vibe going on. I rather like it. When I first booked the trip, I was slightly concerned that having only four hours up in Kuranda might not be enough. However, as it turns out, it’s perfectly adequate – and I even manage a leisurely cup of tea and a scone before I head back to the station down the road. I really do wonder how the Australians get their scones so fluffy, though.

Conclusion – The Kuranda Scenic Railway

A trip on the Kuranda Scenic Railway up into the hills is a nice way to spend a day in Cairns that also gives you a bit of a local history lesson of Northern Queensland and how the railway helped to establish permanent settlements in what was previously a remote area of this vast country. The trip itself is nice, as the train passes through a landscape of lush vegetation. I will admit, though, that, coming from Switzerland, I’m probably a bit blazé when it comes to trains and mountains: during the train ride to Kuranda, the crew repeatedly point out the train’s ‘steep’ ascent of 325 metres over a distance of 32 kilometres. Just for comparison, the Gornergrat Railway in Switzerland starts in Zermatt at 1604 metres and then goes up to the summit of the Gornergrat at 3089 metres over a distance of only 9.3 kilometres.