After visiting Kuranda we return to Cairns on the sky rail and have a gondola to ourselves. Up and over the treetops, we slowly move above the rain forest. The 25-km trip is a great way to travel, as long as you don’t have a fear of heights. Colourful parrots dart between the trees, their squawks easily heard above the almost-indiscernible hum of the cables above the gondola.
There are three places to stop on the way down. One includes a walk through dense rain forest, with a knowledgeable guide who gives an excellent commentary on the birds, plants and animals. His feeling for the forest and its wildlife is obvious, as we move around in the shadows of massive trees, listening to bird calls 40m above.
One of the most impressive birds that walked the rain forest, the cassowary, a bird the size of an emu, has almost vanished from the region. The same goes for the platypus, the strange beaked animal of the rain forest waterways. Both species are now totally protected and best viewed at the many wildlife parks near Cairns where they form part of breeding recovery programme.
Back onto the gondola, we slowly descend to ground level. North Queensland has much to offer and a day or more in the rain forest is a must. Where else can you travel by train and cable car, enjoy rain forest, wildlife and markets within walking distance?
