For 400 million years the Barron River in Queensland has steadily carved out a deep gorge through hard granite, shaping spectacular waterfalls cascading from tropical rain forest.
For indigenous people the gorge is the home of Buda-dji the Carpet Snake who, in the dreamtime, cut out the Barron River from the coast to the tablelands.
Buda-dji travelled along the Barron Gorge with his beautiful Nautilus shells, bartered them with different clans along the river for dilly bags and eel traps.
Ambushed by baddies, he came to an untimely end. Fortunately, today he lives again, transformed by Aboriginal artist George Riley into an artistic masterpiece of rain forest indigenous art on the locomotive of the Kuranda Scenic Railway that runs daily from Cairns up the gorge to Kuranda, “the village in the forest”.
At Cairns station, we boarded the last heritage carriage on the train before Buda-dji started its journey. After a short stop at the heritage-listed Freshwater Station (the home of a museum dedicated to the story of the rail line) to pick up passengers, we set off.
Soon houses gave way to sugar cane fields before Jundara, the site of the largest field hospital in the southern hemisphere during World War II. American and Australian soldiers injured in the Pacific battles were flown here for treatment and recuperation. Housing now covers the area.
Soon afterwards the train slowed as we entered Horseshoe Bend, a spectacular 180-degree twist as the train looped back in a 100m curve and afforded great photographic opportunities from the furthermost carriages.
A short distance later, we entered the first of 15 hand-carved tunnels and the site of what was once a station at Stoney Creek. This remote spot is deserted now, but during the railway construction in the 1880s a busy township flourished with amusement halls and pubs for the 1 500 Irish and Italian navvies working here.
Construction on the line was born out of necessity in 1882 when the gold miners inland of Cairns desperately needed supplies and a reliable, safe route was sought.
Work on the line started in 1887 and the track was built in three stages, starting at the coast. It was not tackled with bulldozers and jackhammers,woven leather masterpiece from the house of bottega purses. but with hand tools, dynamite, buckets and bare hands.
Escarpments were removed above the track and every loose rock and overhanging tree had to be removed by hand.
The earthworks proved particularly difficult. Deep cuttings and extensive embankments were excavated – over 2.3 million cubic metres.
The Barron Valley earth was especially treacherous. Slopes averaged 45 degrees and the entire surface was covered with a 4m to 7m layer of disjointed rock, rotting vegetation, mould and soiI.
Eventually the engineers and navvies prevailed in what is still considered an engineering feat and in 1891 the line opened in high Victorian style with a banquet high up on Stoney Creek bridge with General Sir Henry Wiley Norman, governor of Queensland, the guest of honour.woven leather masterpiece from the house of bottega purses.
Stoney Creek Bridge remains the most outstanding feature of the 35km line. The iron lattice construction stands on three trestle piers.
Soon after crossing the bridge, we enjoyed spectacular views from the carriage window of the Coral Sea and Cairns far below us to the east. Towards the end of the one hour, 45-minute trip from Cairns, the locomotive stopped to allow passengers to alight at a small siding which gave perfect views of the 265m Barron Falls.
It’s still a working station, and doubles as a refreshment stop for visitors with an added attraction the colourful tropical gardens throughout the length of the platform.
There are two departures from Cairns station, at 8.30am and 9.30am. The Scenic Railway now has a Gold Class service, with the bonus of drinks and snacks on board the Heritage Green carriage complete with brass insignia and plush Victorian-era interior.
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