Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, Smithfield
Board a glass-floored gondola at the Smithfield terminal — just 15 minutes from Aeroglen — and float 7.5 kilometres above the ancient wet-tropical rainforest canopy, dipping into mid-stations perched over Barron Gorge before arriving at the village of Kuranda in the clouds.
A gondola ride above 135 million years of evolution
Skyrail's gondolas skim just metres above the World Heritage-listed rainforest canopy, giving you a bird's-eye perspective on buttress roots, towering kauri pines, and the silver thread of Barron River winding through the gorge far below. On a clear day the Coral Sea shimmers to the east and the Atherton Tablelands roll away to the west — two completely different worlds visible from the same cable car.
The cableway stops at Red Peak Station, where free ranger-guided boardwalk tours introduce you to the flora and fauna of the forest floor, including plants whose ancestors pre-date the dinosaurs. Interactive displays at the Rainforest Discovery Zone make this as educational as it is spectacular.
Barron Falls and the road to Kuranda
The second stop, Barron Falls Station, delivers one of the most dramatic viewpoints in Queensland: The Edge Lookout peers directly into Barron Gorge, where the falls cascade in full thunder during the wet season (Nov–Apr) and narrow to an elegant silver ribbon in the dry. Three separate lookout paths fan out from the station, each framing a different angle of the gorge.
At the Kuranda terminal you step into a rainforest village of markets, wildlife sanctuaries, and cafes. Pair the Skyrail ride up with the Kuranda Scenic Railway descent — the train hugs cliff faces and tunnels through the range — for the classic full-day Kuranda loop that locals have been recommending to visitors for decades.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, Smithfield on video
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