Railways and Tramways of Australia

1771 and 1774 with Kuranda Scenic Railway train crossing Stoney Creek Viaduct, 31 December 2012.

Scenic route to the range

The railway linking Cairns with Kuranda was opened on 15 June 1891.

Construction of the railway between Cairns and Kuranda commenced in 1886 when the first sod was turned by Queensland Premier Samuel Griffiths. The first section of the line, from Cairns to Redlynch, was opened in 1887.

John Robb submitted a tender of £290,094 for building the second part of the line from Redlynch to Myola (4.9 km beyond Kuranda). Robb won the tender and supervised the work until its completion. Because of the extensive nature of the work, Robb was eventually paid £880,406 plus £20,807 resulting from arbitration.

Construction was difficult because of the steep terrain, unstable rock and thick vegetation. Over 1500 men were involved in the work. Navvies’ camps were established, and stores and hotels commenced trading. The line included 244 metres of steel bridges and 1894 metres of wooden bridges. Fifteen tunnels were built, ranging in length from 51 metres to 430 metres. There were also numerous curves.

By the end of 1890 the line was nearing completion, but a heavy wet season at the start of 1891 caused a landslide, which delayed work. At least 23 men died during construction of the railway, but there may have been others that were not recorded. Some died from accidents, but others from malaria, dysentery, snake bites and scrub ticks.

The line through Kuranda and on to Myola was officially opened by Mr A Johnston, one of Queensland’s Railway Commissioners, on 15 June 1891. Goods traffic commenced on this date, while passenger services began ten days later.

Kuranda Scenic Railway operates trains throughout the year between Cairns and Kuranda. The scenic line is one of Australia’s most popular tourist railways.

Bibliography

RF Ellis, Rails to the tableland, Australian Railway Historical Society (Queensland Division), Brisbane, 1976.

J Kerr, Triumph of narrow gauge: a history of Queensland Railways, Boolarong, Brisbane, 1990.

‘Kuranda Scenic Railway’, www.ksr.com.au, accessed 6 June 2026.

CC Singleton, ‘Railways of the Cairns district’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 234, April 1957, pp 55–60.

CC Singleton, ‘Railways of the Cairns district’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 239, September 1957, pp 129–41.

B Webber, Exploring the railways of Far North Queensland, Australian Railway Historical Society (Queensland Division), Brisbane, 2004.

Kuranda Scenic Railway trains at Kuranda, 31 December 2012.