Kuranda

On Friday, Joe, Tom, and I visited the town of Kuranda, which is up in the mountains west of Cairns.

The mode of transportation we took to and from Kuranda was a Skyrail cable car on the way up, and aboard a scenic Railway on the way down. In fact, the purpose of the trip was more the adventure of the travel rather than the actual visit to Kuranda. The 7.5 km (4.7 mi.) Skyrail took us over the rainforest canopy of Eucalyptus, Pine, Banyon, and Palm trees, as well as numerous vines and ferns. From the Skyrail we had sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, the coastal area around Cairns, and the Pacific Ocean beyond. I've decided that the English language doesn't contain enough adjectives for a place like Australia. How many times can you say spectacular, fascinating, gorgeous, breathtaking - all these words could describe the vistas we saw today, yet that still wouldn't do it justice. Along the Skyrail there were 2 stops where we disembarked. The first stop, at Red Peak, we took a short stroll on a boardwalk through the rainforest. At the second stop, we took a short walk to an overlook for an amazing view of the Barron Waterfall. Once we reached the top, we walked around the touristy town of Kuranda, where there were mostly gift and souvenir shops and cafes.

We came across a Gourmet Pie Shop. Now I know what you're thinking: lemon meringue, banana cream, homemade apple or pecan pies. Not so. In Australia, a pie shop serves meat pies. This particular shop boasted of 30 different varieties, including kangaroo, crocodile, and emu. We did not partake of any of these delicacies. After we purchased a few souvenirs, we headed back down to Cairns on the scenic Railway where we continued to be impressed with more beautiful sweeping views of the area.