Kuranda is a town of the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, Australia. This beautiful town surrounded by the tropical rainforest, home to the Djabugay people and abundant with wildlife is an incredible spot to visit.
- The Kuranda Tree Frog is a critically endangered frog that only lives in Kuranda!
Image courtesy of Kuranda Envirocare Inc.
This nocturnal frog species has only ever been spotted near the Barren River but is extremely hard to spot as it blends in well with the rainforest.
- In the early years, Kuranda was a farming area
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Kuranda was known for producing mainly timber, dairy cattle and coffee but has now evolved a lot turning into a well-known tourist attraction.
- The Historic Kuranda Railway was built in 1891
Image courtesy of Kuranda Info
The route from the coast to Herberton was very unsteady and cut through the mountains to the Tablelands, so was in desperate need of a railway system. The railway system was built with no modern machinery took several years to build finishing in 1891. The railway system took several years to build starting in 1887 and finishing in 1891 with no modern machinery. Incredible!
- Kuranda was an important connection point in both World Wars
Image courtesy of Kuranda.org
The Kuranda Hotel was used as a medical centre during World War II. This destination was popular as a relaxation spot for the troops while on leave. The Kuranda Road was needed to accommodate defence vehicles and was opened to military traffic in 1942.
- Home to over 350 bird species
Incredible!
- The surrounding rainforest is over 10,000 years old
Image courtesy of tripboho.com
The Djabugay people have lived here for over 10,000 years, the first inhabitants of this rainforest. Their descendants continue to contribute to the culture of the area today.
