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The best value for money is to take the Skyrail to Kuranda and then return to Cairns on the Kuranda Train.

The Skyrail is a spectacular 7.5 kilometre journey over rainforest from Caravonica Lakes Station north of Cairns (next to the Tjapukai Cultural Park) to the village of Kuranda. It must rate as one of Australia’s most memorable tourism experiences. There is nowhere else on Earth where you can travel across a tropical river, beside a huge waterfall and across untouched tropical rainforest, and experience the beauty without trespassing at all on the landscape.

The Skyrail became a reality after years of battles with environmentalists (it was argued that the construction would irreparably damage the rainforest). The result is an attraction which is beyond criticism. The Skyrail blends into the environment and offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The gondolas, painted green and riding above green stanchions, glide over the dense rainforest, allowing the traveller to experience the floral diversity of palms, ferns, epiphytes and towering rainforest trees. The first stop is at Red Peak Station, where you can inspect the rainforest from a wooden walkway.

The next stop is the Barron Falls Station. Skyrail offers a glorious panorama of the Barron Gorge. It’s then possible to alight from the cable car and walk to the cliffs for a better view of the Falls. Returning to the cableway, you then continue on to Kuranda.

The return journey down the escarpment on the Kuranda Train is equally fun. The Kuranda railway is probably the most scenically beautiful railway line in Australia, with one section actually running across the face of the Stony Creek Falls and other sections winding around the hillside and through no fewer than 15 tunnels. At various points there are views across the Coral Sea. The track was built by John Robb between 1886 and 1891, and is recognised as an engineering masterpiece. In 1915 the Railway Station at Kuranda was completed.

A perfect symbol of Kuranda’s unswerving commitment to tourism is the way the Barron Falls are manipulated. In the dry season the water over the falls reduces to a trickle. However, to provide the tourists with good photos, just before the train arrives at Barron Falls Station someone opens one of the floodgates and, miraculously, the falls begin to fall. This is a phenomenon that’s worth watching if you happen to travel to Kuranda by car.