Kuranda - the village in the rainforest
Updated: Oct 24, 2020
Kuranda was supposed to be part of our Atherton tablelands post however that was pretty lengthy and this place deserves a whole blog to itself!
We stayed at a campsite near Granite Gorge which gave us an awesome sunset and was positioning nice and close to the rainforest town of Kuranda. Out at Granite Gorge, you can find rock wallabies and there was a very family-friendly campground that was absolutely full (weird sight during covid-19 times). We saw 1 rock-wallaby here but that was plenty for us as we had seen them beforehand on Magnetic island.
Below: Road out to Granite Gorge at sunset
The first port of call in Kuranda was Rainforest View Restaurant. This was close to our 3-hour free parking slot and offered a view of the "rainforest". Rachel didn't think it was much of a rainforest. Here we got a coffee and learned about the local bush turkeys and curlews. The coffee was okay, not amazing but it was a nice place to sit and organize ourselves for the day ahead.
Below: The view from the 'rainforest cafe'
We wandered the main street with a pro ranger tip that we learned along the way: go all the way to the end of town then stop at shops and the sights on the way back. This applies to walks too and gives you a better sense of how much time to spend at each attraction. Even with this tactic we still ran out of time for everything we wanted to do, basically because we spent way too much time at the 2 art galleries discussed below.
Doongal Art Gallery
Art galleries are always worthwhile places to stop when you are traveling. They're usually clean, air-conditioned, and the local artists give you a feel for the area which you are passing through. We spent a long time at this particular gallery as Ferry (the art lady) explained the origins and meanings of the artworks displayed on the walls and tables. Being a local she was able to provide an in-depth commentary about the artists themselves. We really appreciated many of the works by Woodinda, an artist from the tablelands area. We left the store with the intention to come back later and spend some money.
Peter Jarver gallery
How good are art galleries right? Well, so good that we went across the road and found another one, this time a photography based gallery. The photography in this gallery is unlike any photography we had seen before; the type of camera used, and the metallic look medium that the prints were printed on produced very powerful and vivid landscape images, and all without the need for things like photoshop. The curator of this gallery was very friendly and more than happy to share the method of how the artist had achieved the bold end result. Marcus was very happy to listen to any pro tips that could be carried into his own photography. The artist Peter Jarver was an electrical engineer but changed careers to photography, but was able to carry across the technical expertise learned through electrical engineering (the guy knew a lot about cameras and how to get the most out of them). He is most famous for his works capturing lightning storms.
Markets
Old markets, new markets, heritage markets, and original markets. Basically, there were a lot of markets in Kuranda. We got some fudge then decided that maybe we should get something healthier to go with it for lunch. The original markets are very quirky and cool. Out-there designs, splashes of tie-dye colour, small food stalls with nice smells, and people brandishing their pet snakes.
We passed one authentic hidden away Japanese restaurant but unfortunately, it was at capacity. (we both really enjoy Japanese food). Nevertheless, we continued on until we stumbled upon a small Indonesian restaurant. The food on other customers' plates looked really good so we sat down and ordered some too. The food took a while to arrive but it was worth the wait and tasted as though everything had been made fresh.
After a satisfying meal, Marcus raced off to catch the final hour at the Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary. On many blogs and websites, it may tell you that 1 hour is enough however Marcus would have happily stayed much longer. The sanctuary is quite large and has a variety of different butterflies. There was information posted about the butterflies everywhere: what plants suit which butterfly, what each butterfly looks like when a caterpillar, and even poems and tales about butterflies. The gardens themselves were also really diverse and pretty.
...Back to the 'Art Deal'
After exploring the butterfly sanctuary (Marcus) and Heritage markets (Rachel), we returned to the Doongal Art Gallery to get a souvenir piece of art to remind us of our road trip through the area. We really liked the art by aboriginal artist Woodinda. Some of his larger pieces were fantastic however we were not in a position to blow a couple of grand for the sake of art (at this stage). Therefore, we found ourselves tossing up between an A5 sized snake-themed artwork or an A4 sized Brolga themed artwork. The A4 Brolga painting was well composed, but originally not enough to tip the scales of us paying more money for the larger painting.
Snake purchased and rolled up in a mailing tube, we departed and walked down to the Baron Falls lookout. During this time we couldn't get over how much more the Brolga painting seemed to 'pop' when you looked at it, and it was decided we would return the following day to upgrade to the more expensive painting. The next morning when we did show up Ferry saw us crossing the street (after a coffee and breakfast in Kuranda) and called out hello. She laughed at our decision to return for the sake of the Brolga and asked us whether we would return the following day to upgrade to the large wall-sized canvas ($2,000). We told her this would be the first and last upgrade.
The little people (below). Many layers to this artwork
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Overall, Kuranda is a unique tropical town located in an area of thick rainforest only a short drive from Cairns. It has an awesome feel to it, nice and relaxed, beautiful but not too expensive or gimmicky. Rachel thinks the town also has a strong hippie vibe and remember seeing maybe charcoal patches on the arms of a father and young boy as they were strolling through the markets. We visited in late September 2020 if there had been more rain I would have been tempting to pay the money to get in the gondola which takes you above Baron falls which would look stunning in flood. Another option for getting to Kuranda is via the train which many of the visitors seem to do. Most shops will align their opening hours with the first arrival of people from the station (around 10:00 am).
We also found a good place for coffee where all the locals go prior to 10 am called Sprout Cafe Kuranda which offers good coffee and cheap breakfast.
Extra note for all those working very hard trying to find a cure for the virus ...you are wasting your time! Turns out the cure is here in Kuranda. As you can see you will be protected from the virus as long as you have Essential Oils!
Next stop we go to Port Douglas.
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