Tropical north Queensland, circa 1875. They were tough and arduous times in the region's history; times when crocodiles outnumbered humans.

Europeans had just arrived in Cairns and made their way up the mountains to take over land inhabitated by Indigenous peoples for tens of thousands of years prior. Malaria was rife in the swamp-laden scrublands.

A couple of years on and a 'bump track' was constructed from the port of Cairns to the newly established Hodgkinson Goldfield (west of Cairns), but during times of extreme wet, this road proved intraversible and unsustainable. Miners lobbied the Queensland Government for the establishment of a rail line, gaining the tick of approval about six years later. 

Construction kicked off in 1885 and it took six years to build the line. Hundreds of men lay down their lives as they lay down the sleepers of the Kuranda Rail: 23 were confirmed dead through disease, conflict and/or accident. Others remain unaccounted for - buried under the sleepers, their ghosts still believed to haunt the tracks to this day.

For some Aussies – maybe even your friend or even your neighbour - those 19th century heroes were their great Grandfathers. At one stage, 1500 men were involved in the project. They sweated buckets digging holes in the extreme North QLD heat and humidity.

Indeed, the construction of the Kuranda Rail by hand and cart was one of the greatest feats of our Aussie fathers. They toiled through dry and wet seasons, shifting over 2.3 million cubic metres of rock and soil through scrub and swamplands and across the edges of the region’s steepest mountains.

The Kuranda Railway was officially opened in June 1891, its scenic sleepers winding their way from the regional city of Cairns to the tiny hippie village of Kuranda. Twelve carriages also constructed by human hands, packed full with 60 people per carriage, pulled by two massive engines for a train which has been making this long yet scenic (hence the name) journey, driven by long-time Driver Peter McCulloch. Even today, Mr McCulloch says the 100 minute journey has changed little since its 100 odd years in operation.

“What has changed is the number of people travelling on board,” says Peter. “Hundreds of them fill the carriages, four people to a seat. They're lucky if they get the window view. I do two trips to and from Kuranda, seven days a week.”

Before the Europeans' settlement in Kuranda, the rainforest that surrounds the town was home to one of the Djabugay people for more than 10,000 years. Europeans who settled in the town during the 1870s – many of whom have been described as “hippie” artists and craftspeople - were among those lobbying for the rail because they wanted to attract visitors. And for their market idea to succeed, they needed to operate their own train for two seasons to prove viability of the service to the Queensland Rail.

Viable it was! Today, the railway to Kuranda is one of the most heavily patronized in the state and everything in the quirky little village of Kuranda, from the butterfly park to the station itself, truly does have to be seen to be believed.

Fortitude, sweat and death: the journey by rail from Cairns to Kuranda didn’t come easy, but it was all worth it.

The men built 15 of these tunnels by hand.

Markets in Kuranda (below)

Posted: Friday October 16, 2009