Cairns - 2

Decided to do different things today. Allan went to Cooktown via Port Douglas and John and I went on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. Some pictures - Horseshoe bend 180 deg bend, Stoney Creek falls and trestle bridge, view of Coral sea and Cairns city, Barron Falls, Kuranda station and the diesel electric engines. We took a walk around town, had a coffee and also had a tea in the station tea house before the return journey. The rain forest and the views out to the Coral sea were spectacular.The amazing tunnels, bridges and cuttings set against the sheer slopes showed what an engineering feat in the 1890’s this really was. The rail line was heavily used in WWII but now just has the tourist traffic. The Barron George Hydro Electric station started generating in 1935, was the first underground power station in Aus and still supplies 60MW to the Qld grid.Read more