In this part of the tropical North 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 by Thomas Behan, 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.

At a suitable elevation of 380 metres above sea level coffee was the crop of choice until severe frosts in the early 1900s wiped out the harvest. Kuranda became a destination for locals on holiday and honeymooners and word soon spread telling of the magnificent Barron Falls and the lushness of the rainforest. During the 1940s there was a big military presence in the area; training and rest and recreation for troops and Air Force personnel took precedence over tourism.

In the late 1960s Kuranda was the place to be, spectacular scenery, a wonderful climate, cheap living, grow your own food, do your own thing. So called “hippy” communes flourished for a few years. In the 1970s new settlers arrived; musicians and people with artistic talents and imagination pursuing an alternative lifestyle. Their unusual hand-built houses of bricks and timber were inspired by this unique place. Open-air market stalls sold locally grown produce and an abundance of hand made wares. Buskers and fortune-tellers entertained the crowds. The community prospered. The population grew fast with the improved road allowing commuters to work in Cairns and live in the clean atmosphere of Kuranda.

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 visitor.

Falls Circuit Walk

• Rating: Easy
• Time: 20mins
• Type: Open Forest Trail
• Length: 850m
• Access By Road: 30km

Davies Creek Falls are the focal point of Davies Creek National Park. The falls are 2km beyond the camping area at Davies Creek, on Davies Creek Road. A circuit path accesses two lookouts next to the falls, and then winds along the creekbank to a picnic area further upstream, before returning to the carpark. The lookouts offer a panorama of the northern Tableland and views of the gorge and the 75 metre waterfall.

Kahlpahlim Rock

• Rating: Strenuous
• Time: 6 Hours
• Type: Mixed Forest Trail
• Length: 10km Return Walk
• Access By Road: 36km

Kahlpahlim Rock is the highest point of the Lamb Range, a huge granite massif that looms large above the surrounding mountains. Two trailheads, 4km apart, offer walkers totally different ecological experiences. The two trails converge on a ridge 1km from Kahlpahlim Rock. At Kahlpahlim Rock you can enjoy spectacular views over the Atherton Tableland and Cairns. The walk can also be undertaken as a circuit by returning on the alternative trail. The strenuous return walk takes about 6 hours, depending on your level of fitness and the route you choose.

Barron Gorge National Park is a spectacular geological feature of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and the centre of a fascinating network of historic trails. These trails were originally developed by the Djabugai People when they hunted and gathered food in their traditional tribal lands. With the advent of European settlement the trails were used by miners and agriculturalists in their drive to open up the hinterland and connect it with the coast.

In recent years a co-operative effort between the Djabugai people and various government bodies has seen the trails reopened as historic walking tracks. The tracks follow the course of the original trails quite closely, and offer rewarding experiences for visitors of all age groups, whether they seek a tranquil rainforest stroll or a challenging long distance hike.

It is usually difficult to catch a glimpse of the wildlife, but a quiet walk into the forest can be pleasantly rewarding. Although many animals are nocturnal, in the morning bird activity is intense, Musky Rat Kangaroos forage through the undergrowth and Cassowary stalk the forest paths. You are almost certain to come across Scrub Turkeys aimlessly wandering across the trail or thoughtfully scratching leaves into nests. The secret is to walk quietly and wait patiently, and then the park occupants may reveal themselves.

The walks listed below offer everyone a chance to experience a World Heritage listed national park in its full glory. See the details below to find the walk most suited to you.

• McDonald’s Track: This is the access track between Kuranda and the historic trails of the Barron Gorge National Park. Features: dense rainforest, vine forest, grassland, lookouts. It is suitable for fit walkers.
• Djina-wu: Djina-wu means ‘let’s go walking’. This track accesses the start of Smith’s and Douglas Tracks. Features: easy grades, dense rainforest, close to campsites. An easy stroll for most age groups.
• The Douglas Track: The Douglas Track is a historic 6∙3km trail that links the Tablelands with the coastal plains near Cairns. Features: moderate to easy grades, dense rainforest, lookout access. Suitable for fit walkers.
• Smith’s Track: Smith’s Track is an historic 7∙9km trail blazed by miners to connect the goldfields on the Tablelands with the coastal port of Cairns. Features: moderate to steep grades, dense rainforest, vine forest, grassland, lookouts. Smith’s Track has steep sections and is best suited to experienced fit walkers.
• Gundal Wundal: Gundal Wundal is a ridge trail that links Smith’s and Douglas Tracks on the range above Stoney Creek gorge. It serves as a circuit connector in the Barron Gorge National Park. Features: easy grades, dense rainforest, open forest. Suitable for fit walkers.
• Yalbogie Track: A historic 3∙6km rainforest track that links to Smith’s Track. Features: moderate to easy grades, dense rainforest, lookout access. It is suitable for fit walkers.

Surprise Creek Walk

• Rating: Moderate
• Time: 1hr Return
• Type: Unsealed Track
• Distance: 2.8km Return
• Access By Road: 4.7km

This walk, the first section of McDonald’s Track, starts at Wright’s Lookout and follows a service track through mixed forest types to Surprise Creek. It passes through a curious section of open forest that is rare in high rainfall country. The moderately strenuous walk descends to a small bridge over Surprise Creek. Upstream from the bridge there are deep clear pools and tumbling rapids.

McDonald’s Track

• Rating: Moderate
• Time: 2hrs – 1 Way
• Type: Rainforest and Grassland Trail
• Length: 4.8km
• Access By Road: 4.7km

Once you have completed the 1∙4km Surprise Creek section, McDonald’s Track continues another 3∙4km to Red Bluff. After a 500m forested section, it passes through cleared open country along the top of the Barron Gorge and connects with the Douglas Track. McDonald’s Track and Douglas Track link Kuranda with Speewah Trailhead and Kamerunga. There are views of the Gorge from elevated points along the track. Walkers can hike from Kuranda to Glacier Rock along this trail.

Douglas Track

• Rating: Moderate
• Time: 6hrs – 1 Way*
• Type: Rainforest Trail
• Length: 6.3km
• Access By Road: 11.5km

In 1876 Sub-Inspector Douglas and his party blazed a trail between the Tableland goldfields and Cairns, following an existing Djabugai trail. The present trail from the Speewah Trailhead follows the original Douglas Track fairly closely. It winds through dense rainforest to Glacier Rock, and then descends to the Douglas Track Road Trailhead in Rainforest Estate, Kamerunga. *The 4 hour return walk from Speewah Trailhead to Glacier Rock Lookout is a good alternative to a one-way hike.

Smith’s Track

• Rating: Strenuous
• Time: 6hrs – 1 Way*
• Type: Forest & Grassland Trail
• Length: 7.9km
• Access By Road: 11.5km

Gold miner and explorer Bill Smith’s first attempt to blaze a trail from the Hodgkinson goldfield to the coast was thwarted by the Barron Gorge, where he glimpsed Trinity Inlet in the distance. Smith and his team decided on a different approach and sailed south from Cooktown in search of the inlet, and found it. They battled through a maze of swamps to the Barron Gorge and found a way up a steep spur to the top of Stoney Creek and beyond to the goldfields, where they received a hero’s welcome. Now named Smith’s Track, the trail can be accessed from the Speewah Trailhead, from the end of Stoney Creek Road, Speewah, or from Kamerunga on the coast. The trail passes through rainforest, vine forest, grassland and open woodland, passing Toby’s Lookout and Bam-an Lookout *The 4 hour return walk from Speewah Trailhead, to the pools at the top of Stoney Creek Falls is a highly recommended alternative to a one-way hike.

Yalbogie Trail

• Rating: Moderate
• Time: 1hr – 1 Way*
• Type: Rainforest Trail
• Length: 3.6km
• Access By Road: 11.5km

The 3.6km Yalbogie Trail links Cadagi Corner and Toby’s Lookout. Along a 1km section of the trail there is a group of magnificent Kauri pines. The first and largest kauri has markings on its trunk that have been attributed to Chinese miners, but some suggest the marks were made by a local pastoral family who drove their cattle through the area. The trail reconnects with Smith’s Track at Toby’s Lookout. *In conjunction with Smiths Track and Douglas Track it forms a pleasant day’s circuit walk.

Djina-Wu

• Rating: Easy
• Time: 15mins
• Type: Rainforest Trail
• Length: 765m
• Access By Road: 11.5km

Djina-wu is the link trail between Speewah Trailhead and the start of Smith’s and Douglas Tracks. It can be undertaken as an easy short return walk from the campground.

Gandal Wundal

• Rating: Easy
• Time: 25mins
• Type: Mixed Forest Link Track
• Length: 1.5km
• Access By Road: 11.5km

Gandal Wundal is the link trail between Smith’s and Douglas Tracks that follows the ridgeline above Stoney Creek gorge. This pleasant, easy ridgeline walk forms part of a 5 hour circuit walk from Speewah Trailhead.

Discover a wonderland of trails through the Rainforest. Kuranda is surrounded by World Heritage listed Wet Tropics Rainforest. It includes as many as twelve hundred species of flowering plants, eight hundred of which are rainforest trees. Then add orchids, ginger plants, strangler figs, palms and an immense variety of climbing plants. At any time of the year you will wonder at the richness and diversity of the lush foliage. With an air of adventure, explore our newly constructed walking tracks. Easy trails take you on a gentle walk to the river, discovering some rare flora and fauna on the way The boardwalk down to the Barron Falls lookout is an easy walk with interesting iron sculptures to admire on the way.

Visit the Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport & Racing for more information on the Barron Gorge National Park. For general information and national park updates, please visit: http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/park-alerts/index.php