Clouds and rain were running it and out as we prepared for our all-day excursion to Kuranda: take the Skyrail gondola up, visit local shops, and return via a vintage train. The Skyrail gondola line (http://www.skyrail.com.au) runs 7.5 km and takes about 1.5 hours for a one-way trip. The gondola cars are smal (6-person capacity) and we had a car all to ourselves all the way to Kuranda. The trip up includes two stops, Red Peak (wander through the rainforest canopy) and Barron Falls (splendid views of the falls from the gondola and viewpoints; http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/waterfall/Barron-Falls-166/). We started our trip in clear weather, but could see that we would be joining the clouds in short order. As promised, we had superb views of the rainforest, picking out different species of trees and noting how the forest changed as we moved along the line. We joined a guided walk at Red Peak to learn a little bit about the flora and fauna in the rainforest. Fortunately, there was a heavy mist (or light shower, depending on your perspective) that kept the bugs away. We spent more time at the second stop as we wanted to take advantage of the great views of Barron Falls (http://www.thalabeach.com.au/barron-falls/ ) and the Rainforest Interpretation Centre. The showers grew in intensity after we disembarked from the gondola and walked a couple of hundred meters up to Kuranda town.
