Skyrail Cableway - Port Douglas

Discover Kuranda this Easter Saturday
Thursday, April 01, 2010

Discover Kuranda this Easter Saturday as the village plays host to HOT FM for a live broadcast and presents fun and excitement for the whole family.
 
Some of the activities planned for Easter Saturday [03 April] include:
• 2 Jumping Castles
• Whip Cracking performance
• Cane Toad Racing
• Kids Games
• Massive Easter Egg Hunt
• Rainforestation Baby Army Duck
• Didgeridoo Playing Competition
• Beehive Display
• Over $1,000 worth of prizes for the Busking Competition
• Fashion Parade
• Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve Animals
• Thong Throwing competition
• Circus Workshops for kids
• Animal Petting Zoo
• Horse Carriage Rides
Centenary Park [next to the Kuranda Visitors Information Centre] will be the focal point for the activities!
 
Of course, Kuranda Village is known for its shops and markets with their exotically handcrafted goods, Aboriginal artefacts, restaurants and coffee shops. Take the time to visit some of Kuranda's many first class nature based tourist attractions, which include koalas, butterflies, native and exotic birds, kangaroos and reptiles. Discover Kuranda: 'The Village in The Rainforest'.

Barron Falls in full flood!
Friday, January 29, 2010

Right now is the very best time to see the mighty Barron Falls in full flood...

Ex-cyclone Olga has unleashed heavy rain across the region, with much of this now streaming down the falls.  Best vantage points are on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Kuranda Scenic Railway, boasting fantastic lookouts over the Barron Gorge and Falls.

Kuranda Scenic Railway passes by several other waterfalls in the Barron Gorge National Park, including the famous Stoney Creek Falls on its journey between Cairns and Kuranda, providing many great photo opportunities.

For Skyrail guests, complimentary umbrellas are provided at both mid-stations, allowing them to stroll the forest floor and enjoy the views with comfort.

Other than the waterfalls, a visit to the rainforests in the rain is an amazing experience.  Clouds cloak the mountains with moisture-laden mist, the canopy and trees are a rich, verdant green and the frogs and cicadas are singing.

Don't miss this wet weather spectacle, travel on Kuranda's original & best day tour experience today.  Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, bringing you the ultimate wet weather experience!

Skyrail inspires sci-fi film
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The mountains, fluorescent plant life and fantastic creatures make the supernatural setting of Hollywood blockbuster Avatar about as alternative as alternative realities get.

But the Far North can claim part of the credit for some of the spectacular landscape shots in the smash-hit 3D flick.

A trip on the Kuranda Skyrail inspired many of the movie's spectacular jungle scenes, one of the designers revealed. Avatar artist Dylan Cole made the revelation in an interview with San Francisco-based science fiction website io9.

"For a lot of the jungle overviews, I used photos that I had taken from the Kuranda Skyrail near Cairns, Australia," Mr Cole told the website.

Julie Johnston, Skyrail's communications manager, said some interesting parallels could also be seen in the film's conservation messages.

"The thing that strikes you most when you go to see Avatar are these pristine rainforests that look amazing, and the fact the residents were so passionate about protecting them because it's so intristic to their lives," Ms Johnston said.

"In that sense I think you can see that similarities are pretty striking with the World Heritage rainforestat of Cairns."

The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway offers a 7.5km trip in a gondola cabin above the rainforest canopy.

Cassowary Encounter
Thursday, February 26, 2009

Skyrail's Rangers recently recorded a close encounter with an endangered Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) near Barron Falls Station.

The male Cassowary, accompanied by several chicks, was wandering through the rainforest undergrowth when Skyrail's Rangers came across his path.  The quick-thinking Rangers took the opportunity to film this majestic bird and his chicks, and have uploaded the footage of this rare encounter for your enjoyment - click here to see.

Standing at two metres tall and weighing in at up to 85kg, the Southern Cassowary claims its place as Australia’s heaviest, flightless bird.

This unique species is endemic to Australia’s Tropical Rainforests and is classified as being endangered; in fact, there are only believed to be between 900 and 1,500 of these majestic birds left in the wild.

Interestingly, it is the male Cassowary which is responsible for hatching the eggs and rearing the chicks; it is therefore usual that a male Cassowary will only have one partner per season.

Whilst incubating the eggs and raising the chicks, the male Cassowary becomes fiercely protective. In fact, Cassowaries are considered potentially dangerous at this time of year, and with an 8cm middle toe (claw) on their feet, there is little wonder why!

Cassowaries will not, generally, attack without provocation, however you should not approach a Cassowary when it is nesting or with its chicks. They can jump and kick, which can result in nasty injury and/or death (although the only recorded fatality was in April 1926, near Mossman).

Perfect Rainy Day Experience
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Did you know that Australia's Tropical Rainforests look their very best in the wet? Rain is a vital part of this ancient environment and its arrival heralds the flowering and fruiting of many plants, not to mention the effect it has on the Barron Falls!

Skyrail is spectacular on a fine day and amazing in the wet. Travelling through the mist in your fully enclosed gondola cabin, you will see the rainforest come to life in the rain, and there are complimentary umbrellas available at the mid-stations.  

As we enter November and begin to prepare for the onset of the region's wet season, consider Skyrail as a must in your holiday itinerary.
 
The fully-enclosed six-person gondola cabins provide amazing views of the rainforest, its canopy, the Barron Gorge and Falls. Enjoy free entry to the Rainforest Interpretation Centre at Barron Falls Station, plus an interpretive Ranger will conduct guided boardwalk tours throughout the day.

Its official! - Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is the best at sustainable tourism, as recognised at the 2008 Queensland Tourism Awards.

Skyrail’s Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award affirms the rainforest cableway as an industry leader that minimises its environmental impact, conserves natural resources, respects local cultures and benefits its local community.

Skyrail Cableway Facts...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Skyrail Cableway is 7.5 kilometres (4.7 miles) long.

It has a total of 114 gondola cabins, each capable of seating 6 passengers, providing a carrying capacity of 700 passengers per hour in each direction.

The cableway can operate at a speed of five metres per second (18 kilometres per hour, or 11 miles per hour); however its normal operating speed is much slower to provide guests with the maximum time to enjoy their rainforest experience.

There are 32 towers in total. The highest tower is 40.5 metres (133 feet) high.

Red Peak is Skyrail’s highest station at 545 metres above sea level (1,788 feet). The Kuranda Station sits at 336 metres (1,100 feet) and Caravonica Terminal is only 5 metres above sea level (16 feet).

The steepest section of the cableway has a slope of 19 degrees.

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway has 15 kilometres of 40.5mm galvanised steel rope weighing more than the equivalent of 100 sedan cars.

There is a multi-core communications cable which runs in the middle of the towers, between the two lines of haul rope. This carries all the voice and safety circuit communications.

The cableway is driven by a 383kW (500hp) D.C Electric Motor located at each drive station, the Kuranda and Caravonica Stations. Each drive station has a back-up diesel motor and a further auxiliary Hydrostatic Drive.

Skyrail operates daily from 8.15am to 5.15pm. Allow up to 1½ hours to complete a one-way journey, this includes spending time at the two rainforest mid-stations. Skyrail can be combined with the Kuranda Scenic Railway and number of other Cairns’ great day tour products, please click here  for further details...