Traveling With JaredHigh Culture & Pop Culture in Travel

Kuranda: A Town in the Treetops!

Greetings from Kuranda!

The picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda Village lies about 15 miles (24km) northwest of Cairns, Australia and is surrounded by a thick, dense rainforest.  The entire town feels like one big treehouse, only with kangaroos, koalas, and plenty of stalls selling craft items.  And what treehouse would be complete without birds?  Plenty to spot if you are an avid birdwatcher.  You can also take in a show at the nearby Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Centre, where you can get an up close look at Australia’s indigenous  heritage.  You can also get up close and personal with some of Australia’s most beloved critters.  Whether you want to cuddle a koala or feed kangaroos, Kuranda is the place to do it, or rather, pet it all!

In this part of Queensland, the rainforest is home to the Djabugay aboriginal people who have lived here for over 10,000 years.  Exploration by Europeans in the early 1800s opened the way for gold prospectors and the timber industry and settlement by the pioneers.  Kuranda was first surveyed in 1888, and the building of the railway and the road from the new seaport of Cairns paved the way for trade and the movement of people over the mountains.

Kuranda became a destination for locals on vacation and honeymooners; word soon spread about the magnificent Barron Falls and the lushness of the rainforest.  During the 1940’s, there was a big military presence in the area; training, along with rest and recreation for troops and Air Force personnel took the place of tourism.

In the late 1960’s, Kuranda was the place to be; spectacular scenery, wonderful climate, cheap living, grow your own food, and a do-your-own-thing kind of vibe.  Hippie communes flourished for a few years during the era of counterculture.  In the 1970’s, new settlers arrived; musicians and people with artistic talents and imagination pursuing an alternative lifestyle.  Open-air market stalls sold locally grown produce and an abundance of hand-made wares.  The population grew fast with the improved road allowing commuters to work in Cairns and live in the clean atmosphere of Kuranda.

“High Above the Treetops…”

The Kuranda experience today is an amalgam of all that has gone before, a cosmopolitan and happy village community.  The people who live here have a deep appreciation of the beauty around them, and a cheerful welcome for the visitors who come to this town in the treetops!