Kuranda - surrounded by rain forest a small town on the Atherton Tablelands 25 km from Cairns. The population of the city - only 650 people.

For more than 10 years, thousands of these places were home to indigenous tribes dzhabugay (Djabugay). And today, you can visit their village to see how the singing and dancing, indigenous Australians, or how they get the fire by friction, as well as to learn to throw spears and boomerangs.

The first Europeans arrived here only in the 19th century. The area, which is now located in Kuranda, was inhabited by "white" in 1885 and scrutinized in 1888 by Thomas Behanom. Construction of the famous railway from Cairns to Mayol, and later in Herberton, started in 1887, and already in 1891 the road passed through Kuranda. The present building of the railway station was built in 1915.

In the early 20th century on the surrounding Kuranda plantation grown coffee, but then the city's main industry for many years was logging. In the 1960s in the Barron Gorge hydropower station was built. Over 1960-70h's Kuranda was a popular place among the Australian hippie followers and sustainable way of life, and today the town is a thriving tourist resort. Every week thousands of tourists come here from Cairns along the scenic historic railway leading through tunnels and gorges and past waterfalls dizzying cliffs. Another way to Kuranda - by cable car Skayreyl.

Kuranda is the only zoo in the north of Queensland, which includes the big cats and ungulates. Here are the bird park, butterfly sanctuary, a rehabilitation center for bats and Reserve, which is inhabited by koalas. Also in Kuranda, you can visit the many shops of artisans and artists, selling souvenirs made by hand. Previously, the city was located and unusual dance theater of a local tribe tyapukay (Tjapukai), today it is located in the nearby town Karavonika. As already mentioned, Kurnada surrounded by rain forest with amazing wildlife, which you can watch by clicking on one of the many hiking trails or from viewing platforms, for example, at the waterfall Barron Falls.