40-632: Download coordinates as: Kuranda is a rural town and locality on the Atherton Tableland in the Shire of Mareeba , Queensland , Australia. It is 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Cairns , via the Kuranda Range road . It is surrounded by tropical rainforest and adjacent to the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage listed Barron Gorge National Park . In the 2021 census , the locality of Kuranda had
80-580: A larger city. The Australian usage is closer to the American or British use of "district" or "neighbourhood", and can be used to refer to any portion of a city. Unlike the use in British or American English, this term can include inner-city, outer-metropolitan and industrial areas. Localities existed in the past as informal units, but in 1996 the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and
120-455: A number of heritage-listed sites: Mareeba Shire Council operate a public library in Kuranda at 18-22 Arara Street ( 16°49′19″S 145°38′24″E / 16.8219°S 145.6399°E / -16.8219; 145.6399 ( Kuranda public library ) ). The Kuranda Historical Society was established in 2017 and seeks to collect and display items of historical interest relating to
160-589: A number of years. Kuranda has been known as a tourist destination since the early 1900s. It was both the rainforest and local Aboriginal culture which attracted people to the area. St Saviour's Anglican Church was built in 1915. Its colourful glass windows were added in 2002. In the 1930s, the Fairyland Tea Gardens were developed as a tourist attraction to experience the local rainforest. Clohesy River Provisional School opened on 21 August 1933 and closed in 1939. The Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station
200-463: A population of 3,008 people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 14.9% of the population. 67.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 5.7%. 80.4% of people spoke only English at home. The most common response for religion was No Religion at 39.2%. In the 2021 census , the locality of Kuranda had a population of 3,273 people. Kuranda has
240-457: A population of 3,273 people. The town of Myola is also located within the locality of Kuranda ( 16°48′19″S 145°36′34″E / 16.8052°S 145.6094°E / -16.8052; 145.6094 ( Myola, Queensland ) ). Kuranda is positioned on the eastern edge of the Atherton Tableland where the Barron River begins a steep descent to its coastal floodplain. The area
280-495: A small part of Shire of Woothakata was transferred to the Shire of Walsh, which was then split with one part being proclaimed the new Shire of Chillagoe , based at Chillagoe . In 1919, Woothakata's seat of administration moved to Mareeba . Thornborough had declined steadily in importance, having a population of 58 in 1921 and 29 in 1933. The same year, on 20 December, the Shire of Barron was abolished, with its area being split between
320-510: A special education program. Cairns Hinterland Steiner School is a private primary and secondary (Prep-11) school for boys and girls at 46 Boyles Road ( 16°48′45″S 145°35′19″E / 16.8124°S 145.5885°E / -16.8124; 145.5885 ( Cairns Hinterland Steiner School ) ). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 165 students with 18 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent). The nocturnal frog species Litoria myola
360-512: Is a language of Far North Queensland, particularly the area around the Kuranda Range and Barron River Catchment. The Djabugay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of Cairns Regional Council . The name Myola comes from its railway station, which was named on 15 December 1891 by the Queensland Railways Department using an Aboriginal word indicating main camp or elders' camp . Kuranda
400-660: Is an important wildlife corridor between the Daintree / Carbine Tableland area in the north and Lamb Range /Atherton Tableland in the south, two centres of biodiversity . Parts of Kuranda, particularly along its eastern edge, are protected within the Kuranda National Park and Barron Gorge National Park . Both national parks belong to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area . Barron Gorge Forest Reserve and Formatine Forest Reserve have been established in
440-850: Is known for its colourful glass windows. The gardens surrounding St Christopher's Catholic Church in Barang Street and the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Barron Falls Road are good locations to observe tropical birds. In the northern part of Kuranda close to Therwine Street a Japanese plane wreck can be seen in the bushes. The Kuranda Koala Garden is a small local wildlife park which keeprs koalas, wombats, kangaroos, wallabies, pademelons, bettongs, potoroos, bilbies, bandicoots, possums, gliders, frogmouth owls, freshwater crocodiles, lizards, pythons, turtles and frogs. Suburbs and localities (Australia) Suburbs and localities are
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#1732855605931480-529: Is only found in the vicinity of a few creeks near Kuranda. The area boasts a rich diversity of invertebrate fauna including Australia's largest species of mantids, phasmids, spiders, moths and butterflies all found in Kuranda. Being situated in the tropics , Kuranda experiences only mild variations in temperature and its seasons consist of a dry season and a wet season . Kuranda does not have an official weather station; however, rainfall data has been taken for many years at Kuranda Railway station and reported to
520-564: Is split between the City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie LGAs; and Woodville , which is split between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. In unincorporated areas , localities are declared by the relevant state authority. Mareeba Shire Council The Shire of Mareeba is a local government area at the base of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland , inland from Cairns . The shire, administered from
560-987: The Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia (CGNA) decided to name and establish official boundaries for all localities and suburbs. There has subsequently been a process to formally define their boundaries and to gazette them, which is almost complete. In March 2006, only South Australia and the Northern Territory had not completed this process. The CGNA's Gazetteer of Australia recognises two types of locality: bounded and unbounded. Bounded localities include towns, villages, populated places, local government towns and unpopulated town sites, while unbounded localities include place names, road corners and bends, corners, meteorological stations, ocean place names and surfing spots. Sometimes, both localities and suburbs are referred to collectively as "address localities". In
600-490: The Djabugay people for over 10,000 years. Europeans began to explore and develop the area from the nineteenth century. The Speewah massacre occurred in the mid-1890s, when settler John Atherton sent native troopers as revenge for the death of a bullock. The name Kuranda is derived from Yindinji word , kuran referring to the acorn leafed plant ( Helmholtzia acorifolia ). Djabugay (also known as Djabuganjdji, Tjupakai)
640-665: The Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Mareeba merged with the Shires of Atherton , Eacham and Herberton to form the Tablelands Region . In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Mareeba from the Tablelands Region. On 9 March 2013, the citizens of the former Mareeba shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate. The shire was re-established on 1 January 2014. The Shire of Mareeba includes
680-399: The Shire of Mulgrave and Shire of Woothakata. On 25 June 1932, the Shires of Walsh and Chillagoe merged into the Shire of Woothakata, which was then organised into six divisions, of which the former Shires of Chillagoe and Walsh formed the greater part of the sixth division. Division 3 had 2 representatives and all the other divisions had only one representative. On 20 December 1947,
720-657: The Walsh River (an area of 4110 sq miles) were severed from Woothakata Division to create Walsh Division . On 20 December 1890, part of the Tinaroo Division was excised to create the new Barron Division , closer to Cairns . With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902 , the Divisions of Woothakata, Tinaroo and Barron became Shires of Woothaka, Tinaroo and Barron on 31 March 1903. On 16 December 1908,
760-521: The Atherton Parish. Kuranda District State College is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 260 Myola Road ( 16°48′16″S 145°37′03″E / 16.8044°S 145.6174°E / -16.8044; 145.6174 ( Kuranda District State College ) ). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 366 students with 37 teachers (33 full-time equivalent) and 32 non-teaching staff (21 full-time equivalent). It has
800-489: The Bureau of Meteorology. Additionally various unofficial Personal Weather Stations exist in the area. Generally Kuranda is 2–5 °C cooler than Cairns, it has more rainy days as a result of orographic influences, and it is more humid generally (with residential areas in Kuranda village averaging 90% relative humidity, because of the surrounding rainforest). Kuranda is often referred to the "air conditioned suburb of Cairns" and
840-643: The Kuranda area. The Kuranda Media Association publish a monthly newspaper called "The Kuranda Paper". The Kuranda branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the CWA Hall on the corner of Barang Street and Thongon Street. St Christopher's Catholic Church is at 20 Barang Street. It is within the Kuranda Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns and is administered from
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#1732855605931880-661: The Kuranda railway station ( 16°49′07″S 145°38′20″E / 16.8185°S 145.6389°E / -16.8185; 145.6389 ( Kuranda railway station ) ) to the Cairns railway station . A popular day trip from Cairns is the combined railway-and-cableway round trip to Kuranda. Coondoo Street is Kuranda's main street with shops, galleries and various old and shadowy trees. St. Saviour's Anglican Church at 7 Coondoo Street ( 16°49′11″S 145°38′06″E / 16.8197°S 145.6349°E / -16.8197; 145.6349 ( St Saviour's Anglican Church ) )
920-614: The Shire of Woothakata was renamed the Shire of Mareeba. A new Mareeba Shire Hall was built in Mareeba in 1961; it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 11 October 2013. On 22 March 1995, parts of the Shires of Mareeba and Douglas and the whole of the abolished Shire of Mulgrave were added to the City of Cairns . On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by
960-525: The backbone of the local economy. Kuranda Library opened in 1996 and underwent a major refurbishment in 2015. Kuranda State High School opened on 22 January 1998 at 260 Myola Road in Myola. In 2007, Kuranda District State School and Kuranda State High School amalgamated to form Kuranda District State College, by expanding the Kuranda State High School site at Myola. Kuranda State High School's website
1000-438: The first instance, decisions about the names and boundaries of suburbs and localities are made by the local council in which they are located based on criteria such as community recognition. Local council decisions are, however, subject to approval by the state's geographical names board. The boundaries of some suburbs and localities overlap two or more local government areas (LGAs). Examples of this are Adamstown Heights , which
1040-425: The following settlements: Note: Mareeba Shire Council operate public libraries at Chillagoe , Dimbulah , Kuranda and Mareeba . In the 2016 census , the Shire of Mareeba had a population of 21,557 people. In the 2021 census , the Shire of Mareeba had a population of 22,858 people. In early years the elected councillors chose one among them to the chairman on an annual basis. The following are
1080-509: The names of geographic subdivisions in Australia , used mainly for address purposes. The term locality is used in rural areas, while the term suburb is used in urban areas. Australian postcodes closely align with the boundaries of localities and suburbs. This Australian usage of the term "suburb" differs from common American and British usage, where it typically means a smaller, frequently separate residential community outside, but close to,
1120-552: The oldest tropical rainforests in the world. It operates from the Kuranda terminal at 4 Arara Street ( 16°49′08″S 145°38′20″E / 16.8190°S 145.639000°E / -16.8190; 145.639000 ( Skyrail terminal ) ) to the Smithfield terminal in Cairns . The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a 37-kilometre (23 mi) scenic tourist railway journey through the Barron Gorge National Park from
1160-555: The rain-forest and elevation is responsible in part for these perceptions. It is rare for the temperature to exceed 31 °C in summer, the weather being moderated by rain and cloud cover in January to March (the wet season), and night minimums at this time of year similarly rarely drop below 20 °C. Winter maximums (June to August) are typically a consistent 25 °C; however, minimums can drop to 8 °C, owing to clear skies at this time of year and cooler air movements originating from
1200-495: The south of Kuranda. Closer to the centre of the town is Jumrum Creek Conservation Park where a near threatened, endemic frog species Ranoidea myola is protected. An elongated dam created by a weir built for a power station was constructed in 1935 and is used to today for recreation. Myola is in the north of the locality beside the Barron River, upstream from the town of Kuranda. The rainforest around Kuranda has been home to
1240-592: The southern Atherton Tablelands. Kuranda is located in the (federal) Australian House of Representatives Division of Leichhardt , the Legislative Assembly of Queensland Electoral district of Barron River and locally, in the Shire of Mareeba . The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is a 7.5-kilometre (4.7 mi) scenic tourist cableway running above the Barron Gorge National Park in the Wet Tropics of Queensland ’s World Heritage Area , one of
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1280-421: The town of Mareeba , covered an area of 53,491 square kilometres (20,653.0 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several councils in the Atherton Tableland area to become the Tablelands Region . On 20 March 2013, Mareeba residents voted in favour of a proposal to reverse the amalgamation and to re-establish Mareeba Shire. The new Mareeba Shire
1320-514: The way (the journey) they travelled to Ngarrabullgan / Mount Mulligan , an important meeting place. The name Woothakata lives on as the name of a property at Chillagoe . On 3 September 1881, the Tinaroo Division was created under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 out of parts of the Cairns , Hinchinbrook and Woothakata Divisions. On 18 May 1889, the tin-mining area at Stannary Hills and Irvinebank and its hinterland in and around
1360-467: Was archived. Cairns Rudolf Steiner School opened on 29 January 2002 in Stratford in Cairns . It subsequently relocated to Kuranda and was renamed Cairns Hinterland Steiner School. Although historically and currently Kuranda is in the Shire of Mareeba , following a rationalisation of local government areas, between 2008 and 2013 all of the Shire of Mareeba was within the Tablelands Region . This decision
1400-595: Was archived. The Arara Street site was purchased by the Mareeba Shire Council (now the Tablelands Regional Council ) to redevelop as community facilities. Between 1912 and 1913 Eric Mjöberg lead an expedition to Queensland in which the Kuranda Aboriginal people were observed. Although coffee was grown around Kuranda in the early twentieth century, timber was the town's primary industry for
1440-423: Was built nearby in the 1960s. From the 1970s onwards, Kuranda promoted itself as the 'village in the rainforest'. The concept served two purposes. It attracted those seeking a bohemian enclave in which to reside as well as a being a tourist promotional strategy. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Kuranda was popular with alternative lifestylers, a theme that still runs through the local community today. Tourism became
1480-409: Was first settled in 1885 and surveyed by Thomas Behan in 1888. Construction of the railway from Cairns to Myola (later Cairns to Herberton ) began in 1887 and the line reached Kuranda in 1891. The current railway station was completed in 1915. Kuranda Post Office opened on 25 June 1891 (a Middle Crossing receiving office had been open from 1888). Kuranda State School opened on 24 October 1892. It
1520-492: Was re-established on 1 January 2014. In the 2021 census , the Shire of Mareeba had a population of 22,858 people. The Woothakata Division , based in the mining town of Thornborough on the Hodgkinson goldfield , was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 1836. Woothakata is a Wakaman and Kuku Djungan Aboriginal word which describes
1560-424: Was renamed Kuranda District State School on 8 July 2002. It was at 14-22 Arara Street ( 16°49′18″S 145°38′23″E / 16.8218°S 145.6396°E / -16.8218; 145.6396 ( Kuranda District State School (former) ) ). In 2007, it was amalgamated with Kuranda District State High School to create Kuranda District State College at the Myola site. Kuranda District State School's website
1600-401: Was unpopular with the residents of the shire and was reversed following a vote by residents with the reinstatement of the Shire of Mareeba on 1 January 2014. In recent times, Kuranda remains a sleepy little tourist town, renowned for its arts and souvenir shops . In the 2011 census , the locality of Kuranda had a population of 2,966 people. In the 2016 census , the locality of Kuranda had
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