Kuranda Railway

We could not believe what our eyes were seeing. We took a gondola to the top of a mountain up above a rainforest.. This is a "World Heritage listed Wet Tropics rainforest."  It is under such protection because it dates back to prehistoric times when Australia was part of the southern hemisphere supercontinent called Gonwanda.  There are nearly 10,000 square km of rainforest in this corner of Australia, and other pockets of coastal rainforest around the perimeter of the continent.

Our experience began with a 7.5 km "Skyrail" ride. This impressive cableway took one year to build (finished in 1995), and the 36 towers were lifted into place by helicopter to avoid disturbance of the rainforest. The tallest tower is 40.5 metres up. The ride took us up over Barron Gorge and Barron Falls (265 m). On the way up, we came to a couple of stations, which provided long boardwalks to examine the floor of the rainforest, and an interpretive centre. Our Ranger-guide mentioned that Cyclone Larry did a bit of damage to a small part of the rainforest canopy this past March. The ride took just over 1-1/2 hours. At the end, we were 545 metres (1788 feet) up in the village of Kuranda. more...

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The best time to see wildlife is often at dawn and dusk.  This day is no exception.  As the sun is coming up on a deserted ocean beach in Cape Hillsborough National Park, a female wallaby with a joey in her pouch shares the peacefulness of the sunrise with us.  As the activity in the park increases, the wallaby and her mate head off into the woods in search of more privacy.  We take our cue and head back to our camper to continue our journey down the east coast to the Tropic of Capricorn in search of more beautiful sights like this.

- Jeff Neal, Nepean, ON, Canada

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The Farmers: Four in Tow

This month, we are featuring a story of a family with four small kids who traveled Australia for three months. As parents recognize the value of exposing children to travel and world cultures, long trips with kids are becoming more common.

For those contemplating such a journey, I offer a few tips to get you started towards a fun and memorable trip for your entire family.

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