Episode 2 Part 2 - Building along the Barron River - The construction of the Cairns to Kuranda Railway

The Queensland Rail History Podcast

In the 2nd half of our two-part special, we’re going to cover the completion of the Kuranda Scenic Railway (KSR). If you haven’t listened to part 1 yet, please make sure you start there first. We’ll explore some of its famous landmarks that can be seen along the journey. We’ll discover what happened to the line when war broke out and why it’s still such a popular tourist destination in Far North Queensland today.

We’ll chat with our Driver in Charge of the Cairns region, with over 25 years of experience driving on the Kuranda range and a Business Associate from our Travel & Tourism team, who began her career at Queensland Rail working as a service attendant onboard the KSR.

Construction of the Cairns to Kuranda Railway was an engineering feat of tremendous magnitude. This enthralling chapter in the history of North Queensland stands as testimony to the splendid ambitions, fortitude and suffering of the hundreds of men engaged in its construction. It also stands as a monument to the many men who lost their lives on this amazing project.
Rising from sea level to 327m, the journey to Kuranda passes through flat farm fields outside of Cairns, heading up through a dense world heritage listed rainforest, winding through man-made tunnels, over the Barron Gorge, and over towering bridges, passing spectacular waterfalls along the way.

This year also marks the 130th anniversary since the Kuranda Scenic Railway was opened.

To book a ticket onboard the KSR, please visit: www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au

If you have any questions about our rail history, please message us on the Queensland Rail Instagram or Facebook accounts.
We’d love to hear from you, what you love about the podcast, and what you’d like us to feature on future episodes.