Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is a scenic cableway

Gondola lift

A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...

 running above the Barron Gorge National Park

Barron Gorge National Park

Barron Gorge National Park is a national park in Queensland , 1,404 km northwest of Brisbane and 2 km from Kuranda. Barron Gorge is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The Kuranda Scenic Railway line passes through the park with a station at Barron Falls. One train runs from...

 from the Cairns suburb of Caravonica

Caravonica, Queensland

Caravonica is a suburb of Cairns, Queensland approximately 7 miles from the City Centre. Caravonica lies in the foothills of the Australian Rainforest. The actual village itself is 0.75 miles in length from its most northern point to its most southern point...

 to Kuranda, Queensland

Kuranda, Queensland

Kuranda is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, it is 25 kilometres from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by rainforest. At the 2006 census, Kuranda had a population of 1,611.-History:...

. The development of Skyrail was controversial as some local residents believed that damage may be done to World Heritage listed rainforest

Wet Tropics of Queensland

The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range, stretching from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef...

. Following seven years of planning and approvals, and 14 months of construction, Skyrail opened to the public in August 1995.

Skyrail offers packages where visitors can return from Kuranda via the Kuranda Scenic Railway

Kuranda Scenic Railway

The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a name for the railway line that runs from Cairns, Queensland, Australia to the nearby town of Kuranda. The tourist railway snakes its way up the Macalister Range and is no longer used for regular commuter services. It passes through the suburbs of Stratford,...

 or also visit the Tjapukai Aboriginal and Cultural Park, located next door to the Caravonica base station.

The Skyrail Experience

Spanning 7.5 km over Barron Gorge National Park, the Skyrail experience includes a scenic cableway ride and stops at two rainforest mid-stations. Here, guests alight from the cableway onto rainforest boardwalks, where interpretive information is provided through guided boardwalk tours, signage and an interpretive centre.

Skyrail may be experienced either as a one-way [in either direction] or return journey. A one-way experience takes approximately 1.5 hours, while a return experience takes approximately 2.5 hours.

Skyrail offers packages with Kuranda Scenic Railway, in which guests travel one-way on Skyrail to Kuranda, and return via Kuranda Scenic Railway, or vice-versa.

Numerous packages are available with other popular attractions in the region, including:

• Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
• Rainforestation
• Kuranda Wildlife Experience

Caravonica Terminal

Caravonica Terminal is located in the suburb of Caravonica

Caravonica, Queensland

Caravonica is a suburb of Cairns, Queensland approximately 7 miles from the City Centre. Caravonica lies in the foothills of the Australian Rainforest. The actual village itself is 0.75 miles in length from its most northern point to its most southern point...

, 15 minutes north of Cairns, and 50 minutes south of Port Douglas. Guests may begin or end their Skyrail experience here.

Red Peak Station

Skyrail’s Red Peak Station is the highest point of the cableway, at 545 m (1788 ft) above sea level. Here, Skyrail’s Rangers conduct guided boardwalk tours on a 175 m rainforest boardwalk.

Barron Falls Station

Skyrail’s Barron Falls Station is situated adjacent to the Barron Falls

Barron Falls

Barron Falls is where the Barron River makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Queensland, Australia. Protected within the Barron Gorge National Park, the volume of water seen in the upper photo only occurs after substantial rainfall during the wet season...

. Skyrail’s boardwalks here lead to three lookouts of the Falls. This station also features a rainforest interpretation centre, which was developed in conjunction with Australia’s national science organisation, the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation).

Kuranda Terminal

Skyrail’s Kuranda Terminal is located in the rainforest village of Kuranda

Kuranda, Queensland

Kuranda is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, it is 25 kilometres from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by rainforest. At the 2006 census, Kuranda had a population of 1,611.-History:...

, adjacent to the Kuranda Scenic Railway Station.

Construction

The original Skyrail concept was conceived in 1987 and was followed by seven years of pre-construction feasibility studies, an Environmental Impact Study and numerous other reports and assessments, and consultation and approval processes with local, state and federal governments and local communities.

Skyrail’s construction required the development of world-first construction techniques to ensure minimal impact on the World Heritage listed rainforest in Barron Gorge National Park.

Construction commenced in June 1994, and Skyrail opened to the public on 31 August 1995.

Awards

Skyrail has received numerous tourism and environmental awards, including:

Australian National Tourism Awards:

• 2009 Winner - Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
• 2008 Winner - Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
• 1999 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 1997 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 1996 Winner - Best Tourist Development Project

Queensland Tourism Awards:

• 2009 Winner - Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
• 2008 Winner - Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
• 2000 Hall of Fame - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 1999 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 1998 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 1997 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 1996 Winner - Best Tourist Development Project

Tropical North Queensland Tourism Awards:

• 2009 Winner - Sustainable Tourism
• 2004 Winner - Hall of Fame - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 2003 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 2002 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 2001 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction
• 1998 Winner - Best Major Tourist Attraction

International Tourism Awards:

• 2000 Winner - British Airways "Tourism for Tomorrow" International Environment Award
• 1999 Winner - Wet Tropics Management Authority Cassowary Award. Awarded for demonstrating best practice in ecotourism during construction and ongoing operation, and for providing a high quality rainforest ecotourism experience for hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
• 1996 Winner - EIBTM European Greening of Business Tourism Award in the Category of "Most Environmentally Conscious Visitor Attraction"
• 1996 Winner - Australian Federation of Travel Agents Awards for Excellence in the category "Best Resort or Tourist Attraction" Far North Queensland

Accreditations

Skyrail holds a number of business and environmental accreditations and certifications, including:

• Green Globe
  Green Globe
  Green Globe is based on Agenda 21 principles for Sustainable Development endorsed by 182 Heads of State at the United Nations Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit . Green Globe Certification and Green Globe Asia Pacific deliver separate certification services and standards to the travel & tourism as well...
  
   Gold Certification
• Environment Management System ISO 14001:2004
• Quality Management System ISO 9001:2000
• Ecotourism Australia - Advanced Ecotourism Accreditation
• Planet Safe Partnership

Facts

• The cableway is 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long.
• It has a total of 114 gondola cabins, each capable of seating 6 passengers, providing a carrying capacity of 700 passengers per hour in each direction.
• The cableway can operate at a speed of five metres per second (18 kilometres per hour, or 11 miles per hour); however its normal operating speed is much slower to provide guests with the maximum time to enjoy their rainforest experience.
• There are 32 towers in total. The highest tower is Tower #6 at 40.5 m (133 ft) high.
• Red Peak is Skyrail’s highest station at 545 m (1,788 ft) above sea level. The Kuranda Station sits at 336 m (1,102 ft) and Caravonica Terminal is only 5 m (16 ft) above sea level.
• The steepest section of the cableway has a slope of 19 degrees.
• Skyrail Rainforest Cableway has 15 kilometres of 40.5 mm galvanised steel rope weighing more than the equivalent of 100 sedan cars.
• There is a multi-core communications cable which runs in the middle of the towers, between the two lines of haul rope. This carries all the voice and safety circuit communications.
• The cableway is driven by a 383 kW (500 hp) D.C
  Direct current
  Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
  
  Electric Motor located at each drive station, the Kuranda and Caravonica Stations. Each drive station has a back-up diesel motor and a further auxiliary Hydrostatic Drive.

External links

• Wet Tropics Management Authority