There is one (and only one) upside of having our holiday flight home delayed by more than an hour and a half – it gives me the chance to write a blog post about the previous day!  Yesterday was Skyrail and Kuranda day.

We were originally hoping to catch the train up to Kuranda and just do the return trip via Skyrail, but a cruise ship was in town and the train was fully booked. So it was Skyrail both ways!

The cableway has a couple of stops on the way. There are boardwalks that take you through the rainforest, spectacular views, and interpretative centres. I think that the girls’ favourite part was the cable car taking off each time – whoosh!

After arriving in Kuranda, we briskly walked past the markets and headed to wildlife attractions. First stop was the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary.  I’ve been to Kuranda and to the Butterfly Sanctuary many times over the years, but I do have to say that this is still an excellent attraction.  It’s not huge, although it has been expanded to include a visit to where the butterfly eggs and caterpillars are raised, and the guided tour is excellent.  Our guide was Juliette, and she really went over and above to answer our questions and give us as much information as possible.  We had a brilliant time.  The butterflies were especially attracted to Stella’s hat – her highlight of the day was having butterflies land on her.

From here we went to Kuranda Koala Gardens. This was another smaller attraction, with plenty of Australian animals to see. But the biggest drawcard here was the opportunity to hold a koala. Clare had the honours (they are rather heavy) and Stella was able to cuddle. The koala was called Hazel – a young female.

Just next door was Birdworld Kuranda, a large sanctuary of free flying birds. The girls had fun trying to identify each bird. They did a pretty good job of it! I just enjoyed the colours. Oh, that plumage!

Then it was time to head back and take in the glorious views along the way. The weather here has been absolutely perfect.  A truly excellent holiday.