Jane E. Fraser explores the landscape around Kuranda from the comfort of a train carriage.
A cheese platter. A glass of wine. Roasted macadamia nuts. And the scenery of the Barron Gorge rolling past the window. The brass trim of the old wooden railway carriage is gleaming and the pressed-tin roof lining is glossy with fresh paint, while uniformed staff move around topping up glasses and taking orders for coffee.
This is Gold Class on tropical north Queensland's Kuranda Scenic Railway, which takes passengers through the dramatic tropical landscapes of the Barron Gorge National Park. The train has been running for many years, but this is a new way of experiencing it.
The Gold Class carriages are painted in heritage green and located in the middle of the train, so passengers are in prime position at stations and when the train stops at a scenic viewpoint for the 250-metre high Barron Falls.
On-board, the emphasis is on local produce, with Gallo cheeses, Wondaree nuts and Skybury coffee from the nearby Atherton Tablelands, tea from the Daintree, beer from Cairns' Great Northern Brewery and wines from Queensland's Sirromet Wines, followed by locally-made frozen mango desserts.
The train runs between Cairns and the Tablelands village of Kuranda, a journey of less than two hours each way, cutting along the sides of steep gorges and crossing small bridges over tumbling waterfalls and streams. At times you can see all the way out to sea, even picking out the shape of Green Island on the Great Barrier Reef. On other parts of the journey, the narrow track and rough terrain give you an appreciation for the men who hand-cut tunnels and built bridges back in the 1880s, when tin miners were seeking a better way to reach the coast. It is worth doing the trip for the scenery and the historic train alone, but in Gold Class it is something special.
The train operates morning and afternoon - with cheese and wine replaced by coffee and freshly baked treats in the mornings - so you can make a day of it, with a few hours in Kuranda in between.
The train journey is also easily combined with a one-way journey on the Skyrail cable car, which takes you several kilometres through the rainforest on a gondola suspended above the tree canopy. If you've been on the Skyrail before, new options are glass-bottomed gondolas and an open-air one, where you are clipped on with a safety harness. I recommend doing the Skyrail first, allowing yourself time to make the most of the stops at Red Peak and Barron Gorge stations, en route to Kuranda.
You can explore on your own at both stops, with paths and lookouts well marked, but you'll have a lot more appreciation for the rainforest if you start with a short, free, ranger-guided walk at Red Peak.
At the Barron Gorge station, a new option is a Djabugay indigenous guided tour, which takes about 40 minutes. Our young Aboriginal guide, Aaron, leads us along wet, narrow paths into the rainforest, explaining the traditional uses for various plants and insects, from food and nutritional supplements to medicines and insect repellents.
He shows us tree roots that are perfect shapes for various types of boomerangs, both returning and non-returning, which can be carefully cut out without killing the tree. He also talks us through the making of a traditional shelter, surrounded by ginger leaves to keep out the leeches, and various hunting and fire-starting instruments.
When we come to a collection of nuts and seeds, Aaron explains that many can be eaten or baked into a form of bread but some are poisonous and need to have their toxins extracted through methods passed down over the generations. I wonder aloud how such things were discovered and Aaron's eyes light up with recognition.
"I often wonder about that, too," he says. "I find it fascinating."
Our tour finishes at a beautiful natural waterhole, where Aaron talks about Aboriginal beliefs and legends, and how they reflect the stories of other cultures.
I am particularly captivated by his tale of how to capture a "water fairy" and warm her up with a stick from the fire in order to make her your wife. It is hard to know whether Aaron believes these stories or simply accepts them as part of his heritage, but it seems rude and unnecessary to ask.
The Skyrail journey finishes at the village of Kuranda, where you can get some lunch and have a wander before getting on the train. Kuranda is touristy but not without charm, with colourful weatherboard buildings, alfresco cafes and numerous markets along its wide streets.
The markets are full of the usual beads, soaps and wind chimes, but I found some interesting local crafts such as jewellery made from red sandalwood seeds from the forest, along with photographic and Aboriginal art galleries.
If you like your coffee, veer off the main drag to the Kuranda Coffee Republic, opposite the post office, for a freshly roasted local cup. It's takeaway only but the coffee is excellent.
My reason for doing the Skyrail first - you can do your exploring, walking and learning in the morning and your relaxing in the afternoon. And why settle for coffee when you can have a glass of wine?
The writer was a guest of Tourism Tropical North Queensland.
GETTING THERE
Virgin Australia and Jetstar operate regular flights to Cairns from Sydney and Melbourne. 13 67 89, virginaustralia.com; 13 15 38, jetstar.com.
STAYING THERE
The Pullman Cairns International (not to be confused with the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino) is stylish, tropical and centrally located, with rooms from $179 a night. 1800 079 100, pullmancairnsinternational.com.au.
SEE + DO
Kuranda Scenic Railway's Gold Class service costs $97 an adult one way, or $170 return. 1800 577 245, ksr.com.au. Packages including a one-way Gold Class rail journey, a one-way Skyrail journey and the guided tour cost from $173.50 an adult. skyrail.com.au/tours.
MORE INFORMATION
cairnsgreatbarrierreef.org.au; drivenorthqueensland.com.au.
TRANZALPINE, NEW ZEALAND
This train travels from Christchurch on the east coast of the South Island to Greymouth on the west, across the Southern Alps and back, all in a single day. kiwirailscenic.co.nz.
FLAM RAILWAY, NORWAY
Travel from the mountain town of Myrdal on the Bergen Railway and down to Flam, nestled in the Aurlandfjord. visitflam.com.
HAKONE-TOZAN TOY TRAIN, JAPAN
The Toy Train winds its way from Yumoto up a steep slope through a densely forested valley. At Gora Station, at more than 500 metres, passengers can transfer to the Lake Ashi cableway. www.jnto.go.jp.
PUFFING BILLY, AUSTRALIA
Still a major tourist attraction for the state of Victoria, the century-old Puffing Billy travels on its original track route between Belgrave and Gembrook in the Dandenong Ranges. puffingbilly.com.au.
DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY, INDIA
World Heritage-listed DHR, dating to 1881, consists of more than 88 kilometres of track connecting New Jalpaiguri with Darjeeling. dhr.indianrailways.gov.in.
