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C a i r n s - a u s t r a l i awww.ksr.com.au

The originalK ur a n d a s C e n i C r a i lw a y

A Timeless Rainforest Journey…

Education Module Years 2–5

S t u d e n t B o o k l e t

Welcome aboard!Join us on the original Kuranda Scenic Railway, travelling in

authentic vintage carriages as we gently meander past breathtaking

tropical scenery. Through this booklet you will discover the pioneering

history of North Queensland, learn about one of the country’s great

engineering feats, explore the rainforest environment and meet some

of the great characters involved in the construction of the railway.

Meet ‘Red’ (his nickname)

Lynch, the feisty Irish foreman with

red hair who organised the labour

during construction of the railway.

Workers who applied to work on

the railways were sent out to ‘Red’

Lynch. The nickname stuck and the

area is now known as Redlynch, and

his cottage still stands at Freshwater

Railway Station today.

Red will appear throughout your

booklet from time to time, so keep

an eye out for him!

Welcome to the Kuranda Scenic Railway

Each year this world famous railway is enjoyed by hundreds of

thousands of visitors and locals alike. However the Kuranda Scenic

Railway was not originally built as a tourism attraction.

In 1873 the cry of “gold!” echoed through the mountains of North

Queensland. Primitive supply routes from the coast to the swelling

gold fields were slow and perilous. In 1882 a devastating wet season

brought misery to the blossoming townships. Supply routes were

impassable and thousands of people came close to starvation.

Legendary bushman Christie Palmerston was tasked to find a reliable

supply route for a railway to link the rich mining belt to the sea.

In 1886 construction commenced on the Cairns to Kuranda railway –

one of the most ambitious railway projects ever undertaken. Up to

1500 men at a time endured terrible hardships and an unforgiving

landscape. Armed only with picks, shovels and dynamite, these men

moved over two million cubic metres of earth. Impassable swamps,

mysterious diseases, deadly creatures, dense jungle, deep ravines,

raging waterfalls and sheer cliffs were to prove no obstacle.

Completed in 1891 after 5 years of toil, the 37km of track

from Cairns to Kuranda ascends 328 metres and includes

15 tunnels, 55 bridges and 98 curves, and at a cost of

£290,984-3s. The original Kuranda Scenic Railway today

stands as tribute to the courage, ingenuity

and fortitude of the pioneers of this once

formidable landscape.

In recognition of this feat, the Cairns to

Kuranda railway line is Heritage Listed

and is also a National Engineering

Landmark.

During your journey, learn more

about the history of this enchanting

railway by listening carefully to the

onboard commentary.

Freshwater Station

Get familiar with Freshwater Station. Name the key landmarks that

make up Freshwater Station. You may want to include a marshalling

area (a meeting point where your class can gather).

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

Marshalling area:

43

aC

d

eF

G

H

i

B

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Catch the train

We can’t miss our train! Take a look at the station clocks below and

write down the time underneath. Practice saying the time out loud.

A

D

G

B

E

H

C

F

I

Finish the following story

As editor of the Kuranda Chronicle, finish the following story using the

words provided below. Read your completed story to a classmate.

“On January 21st , John Robb’s tender of £290,984-3s was accepted

for section two. He and his men tackled the jungle and not with

, jackhammers and other modern equipment, but with

strategy, fortitude, hand tools, dynamite, and bare hands. Great

escarpments were removed from the mountains above the line and every loose

rock and overhanging had to be by hand.”

tree buckets 1887 mountains removed bulldozers

Buy your ticket

Let’s buy a ticket for the train trip.

Write out the sentences in the

correct order to make a conversation

in the space provided below.

Thank you, enjoy your trip.

May I have two tickets please?

Good morning!

They are $21 each.

Good morning, how can I help you?

Certainly, that comes to $42 dollars.

How much is a ticket?

Here you are, thank you.

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Get on track with Kuranda Scenic Railway

Join the dots and discover what sits on the railway line waiting for you!

Help explorer Christie Palmerston blaze a trail!

Christie Palmerston was the expert bushman who searched for a route

for the Cairns to Kuranda railway in the early 1880s, and one of many

colourful pioneering characters in the early years of exploration of

Far North Queensland. The Palmerston Highway, originally known as

the Palmerston Track, links the coast from Innisfail to the Atherton

Tableland at Millaa Millaa and was named after him.

What will you find at the following coordinates?

Give the coordinates for:

A) M1

B) H6

C) M4

D) G5

A) Kuranda Station

B) Caravonica Terminal

C) Barron Falls Station

D) Cairns Northern Beaches

Port DouglasKuranda

StationCairns

Northern Beaches

TjapukaiCaravonicaTerminal

KurandaTerminal

Barron Falls

Station

Rainforestation

Freshwater Station

CairnsStation

KURANDA SCENIC R

AILW

AY

SKYRAIL

KURAND

A SCENIC RAILW

AY

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1A B C D E F G H I J K L M

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What we have learnt so far:

Review the exercises and reading we have completed so far to answer

the following questions:

Who was the bushman who found the route for the Kuranda Scenic Railway?

What made the supply routes impassable in 1882?

What yellow metal was first discovered in North Queensland in 1873?

Approximately how much did it cost to construct the Kuranda Scenic Railway?

What was the Palmerston Highway originally known as?

Who is ‘Red’ Lynch?

Where is his cottage located?

HARD – Search down, across, diagonally and backwards!

KurandaFreshwaterLocomotiveBridgeCrossingTicketCarriageSteamTunnelRailTracksTrain

H N E N G I N E E R I N G A V S E F UP I O N E E R I N G N O N C T E E H ML A C I R O T S I H E O O R C G T I SG P A S S E N G E R S N I N A A I A IL L B R K N U R A N C D G A I I M S RC E L O E N E E G R O G N O R R A B UI C E U R E X P E D I T I O N R N A ON O I T C U R T S N O C N I S A Y L TW A Y E S C E A I U R N I S P C D A US N I A R T M A E T S T M S R A L I A

EngineeringConstructionBarron GorgeCable

SuspensionConcretePioneering Carriages

HistoricalSteelSteam trainRoute

SpanDynamiteIronPassengers

TourismCairnsMiningExpedition

Q B R I D G E M W O W Q Q G HE M Y Z C I M D U S T E A M SP I T R A C K S V S R S V H KP J T I C K E T A Y A V A V NS A C R O S S I N G I Z D T RJ B R A D G E K T R N I N U AC A R R I A G E S J Z U N N IP Z W P Z S K U R A N D A N LJ D I I D F R E S H W A T E RL O C O M O T I V E Q J X L U

Word prospecting – in the rainforest!

EASY – Search down and across (circle each letter)

Help Red look for gold

Red wants to go prospecting. Help him by correctly labelling his tools.

knife / pick / axe / gold bag / pan / sieve / hook / brush / rope / shovel1211

Build a timeline along the railway tracks

Write the correct dates next to the historical events on the railway timeline.

Gold discovered in North Queensland

John Robb’s tender for Section 2 approved

Victorian Labour League formed

The United Sons of Toil was formed

The Cairns to Kuranda Railway line was opened

Opening of Kuranda Station as it stands today

First Buda-dji locomotive painted

Kuranda Scenic Railway 120th Anniversary

DATES20021890 18871891

1873201119151888

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1413

Your journey begins in the Dreamtime

In large murals covering each locomotive, local aboriginal artist George

Riley tells the legend of Buda-dji the Carpet Snake who carved out

the Barron Gorge. When you wind through ancient rainforest aboard

Kuranda Scenic Railway, you are following the path of Buda-dji.

In the dreamtime, Buda-dji the Carpet Snake carved out the Barron

River and the creeks that join into it, all the way from the coast to the

Tablelands. Buda-dji travelled many times along the Barron Gorge

bartering beautiful Nautilus shells for dilly bags, eel traps and other

useful items with different clan groups along the river.

Three bird-men followed Buda-dji; they were after his beautiful shells.

They asked Buda-dji for the shells and he replied “I have to give them

to the people up along the river and they will give me dilly bags and

eel traps and other things.” Driven by their anger and greed the three

bird-men left and made plans to ambush Buda-dji. They waited for him

further up along the river. Before Buda-dji could reach the people the

three bird-men ambushed him near Barron Falls ‘Din-Din’ and Kuranda

‘Ngunbay’. They chopped him up with their stone axe into many pieces

and scattered the pieces in places throughout the Djabuganydji tribal

land and coastal neighbours and far into the Tablelands.

Every place where a body piece of Buda-dji’s landed was named after

that body part. It is said that his tail part is on the Tableland and the

head is down on the coast – which is the dreamtime water – at the site

known as Grant Hill near Yarrabah. Some notable locations are:

• Freshwater: ‘Bubundji’• Red Bluff: ‘Mirimbi’• Walsh’s Pyramid: ‘Bunda Djarrugan’• Macalister Range: ‘Bunda Bundarra’• Lamb Range: ‘Bunda Djarruy Gimbul’

The spirit of Buda-dji travelled back to the waters of Double Island

‘Wangal Dungay’ where he now rests. To honour this dreamtime story,

in 2002 the first Kuranda Scenic Railway locomotive was painted with

the legend of Buda-dji.

Life for the workers

The workers on the Kuranda Scenic Railway were known as ‘Navvies’.

Navvies is a shortened version of the word Navigator, used to describe

the workers on major civil engineering projects. At one stage, 1500

navvies, mainly Irish and Italian, were involved in the project.

During construction, ‘navvy camps’ were built at every tunnel and

cutting. Accommodation, hotels and even churches were temporarily

built on small ledges and cliff faces. Even comparatively narrow

ledges supported stores – some even catering for the men’s need for

groceries and clothes! Small townships thrived at Number 3 Tunnel,

Stoney Creek, Glacier Rock, Camp Oven Creek and Rainbow Creek.

Kamerunga, at the foot of the range, boasted no fewer than five hotels.

Faced with poor working conditions, on April 20th 1888 a meeting of

predominantly Irish workers at Kamerunga resulted in the formation of

the Victorian Labour League. In August 1890, the great maritime strike

spread to the railway workers and they formed The United Sons of Toil.

They made a demand for 9 shillings per day. By September differences

had been resolved and wages were increased from 8 shillings to 8

shillings and six pence per day.

From what countries were most of the workers from?A) England & New Zealand B) Ireland & Italy C) Russia & India

What were some of the facilities that could be found in a workers camp?

Up to how many men worked on the project at one time?A) 1800 B) 1500 C) 12 D) 10,000

Why were workers on the railway line called ‘Navvies’?

Navvies were once paid 8 shillings per day! In today’s currency 8 shillings is worth approximately 80 cents. List what you can buy for 80c today.

1615

Mrs Dillon’s story

Mrs Dillon recalls her childhood growing up near Tunnel 10.

“We had a bark house made with big sheets of bark for the roof and sides.

It had an earth floor but they stretched hessian over it and pegged it down tight.

Of course it was dusty, so mother would save all the tea leaves, scatter them on

the floor to pick up the dust, then would sweep it out. Cooking was done on an

open fire with big hooks for the kettle and a large tin for boiling corned beef.”

Based on Mrs Dillon’s story, draw a picture reflecting what her

childhood house near Tunnel 10 would have looked like:

Colour in Buda-dji

Carefully colour in Buda-dji’s beautiful pattern of scales with your

favourite colours.

1817

Spot the difference

Look carefully at the two drawings of Kuranda Station. Can you find the 10 differences between them?

Kuranda Scenic Railway bridges

Read the story below and answer the questions that follow:

“The Kuranda Range Railway, one of Australia’s most spectacular scenic

trips, is also one of this nation’s great feats of engineering. Its construction

was a remarkable achievement in both sheer physical effort in a time before

mechanisation, and the engineering skill and improvisation displayed by the

Melbourne-based contractor, John Robb.

John Robb had to conquer many challenges. They included the rugged terrain

up the Barron Gorge which is 329m above sea level, marshalling a huge

workforce of navvies (labourers) of up to 1500 at one time, a harsh tropical

climate, and relative isolation from the major suppliers of materials.

The contract required construction of 15 tunnels (19 were planned originally),

55 bridges and 153 cuttings. Number 15 was the longest tunnel at 490m.

The bridges, some made of wood and others of steel, totalled 2138m in length.

A few had to be built so that they were perched precariously over deep ravines

and waterfalls. Extensive excavations were necessary for the many tunnels and

cuttings on dangerous bends as the route snaked around the 98 curves in this

relatively short section.

The most spectacular structure was, and is, Stoney Creek Bridge at 26.5m

above the creek bed. It was built by Walkers Limited of Queensland. It was

constructed of lattice girders with steel lattice piers known as “Phoenix”

columns, in four 15.2m spans and three 9.1m spans so that each span formed

a pier to carry the ends of the girders.”

From ‘Tracks to Triumph’ – a tribute to the pioneers who built the Kuranda Scenic Railway.

Which contractor completed the Kuranda Scenic Railway?

How many tunnels does Kuranda Scenic Railway travel through?

What was the length of the longest tunnel?

How high is Stoney Creek Bridge?

What type of column was used to construct Stoney Creek Bridge?

What geographical features were the bridges built across?

The Barron Gorge is how many metres above sea level?

2019

Shapes

Help build the foundations of the Stoney Creek bridge. Write down

how many cubes of cement you need to build each of the shapes.

The Kuranda Scenic Railway locomotive

The early trains that travelled along the Kuranda Scenic Railway were

powered by steam. Today the locomotive at the head of the train is a

1720 Class Diesel Electric Locomotive. This type of locomotive was

introduced to traffic in October 1966.

The diesel engine generates 1000 horse power (i.e. the power of

1000 horses) and this mechanical power made by the locomotive is

converted to electricity by its Main Generator to high voltage direct

current for use in propelling the locomotive. Meanwhile a second

generator converts a small amount of engine power to low voltage

power for use in charging the locomotives battery, electrifying the main

generator, operating the controls, locomotive lights and accessories.

An onboard air compressor is used for operation of the Westinghouse

brake system, sanding equipment, windscreen wipers and crew

observation equipment and of course the warning whistle! The

locomotive is relatively lightweight at 60 tonnes, allowing it to operate

on lightweight branch line or suburban passenger train lines.

A total of 56 locomotives were built with the last unit entering service

by the end of 1969. Each unit was numbered consecutively from 1720

through to 1775.

Today the Kuranda Scenic Railway is driven by what kind of engine?

What year was this type introduced?

What type of train engine was used in the past?

Name something the on board air compressor does?

How much horse power does the train’s engine generate?

What is the weight of the Kuranda Scenic Railway locomotive?

A

C

E

B

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F

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The natural environment

The Wet Tropics World Heritage

Area lies between Townsville

and Cooktown on the north-east

coast of Queensland and covers

an area of 894,420 hectares.

The Barron Gorge National Park

is a spectacular section of the

Wet Tropics World Heritage area.

Carved by the mighty Barron

River over 400 million years ago,

it is home to steep ravines and

majestic waterfalls that cascade

from ancient rainforests.

Did you know?

• The Wet Tropics has Australia’s greatest diversity of animals and

plants within an area of just 0.26% of the continent.

• The Wet Tropics have at least 66 animal species and more than 700

plant species that are endemic (found nowhere else in the world). They

include unique green possums, ringtail possums, fierce marsupial cats,

rare bats, tree-kangaroos, a rat-kangaroo, melomys and antechinus.

• 65% of Australia’s fern species can be found in the Wet Tropics

rainforest including sickle ferns, staghorn and bird’s nest ferns.

• Trees more than 3,000 years old live in the Wet Tropics.

• Wet Tropics World Heritage listed rainforests are home to the

musky-rat kangaroo, the most primitive surviving kangaroo species,

and the cassowary, one of the largest birds in the world.

• The Wet Tropics is the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest,

with some plant and animal species more than 100 million years old.

• More than 500 rare and threatened plant species are protected

within the World Heritage Area

Source Wet Tropics Management Authority

A place to call home

Some of the many fascinating plants, animals and structures that exist

in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area are listed below:

Epiphytes: plants that grow on other plants, often high above the

forest floor.

Buttress roots: large exposed anchoring roots at the base of a tree.

Giant lianas: large vines that seem to hang freely in the rainforest.

Bracket fungi: semi-circular fungus – looks like shelves are growing

out of trees or fallen logs.

Strangler fig: a plant that grows their roots downward from the

canopy, enveloping the host tree while also growing upward to reach

into the sunlight above the canopy.

Wait-a-while: a climbing palm with sharp thorns along its leaves and

whip-like flagella (leafless stems) stretching out to 3m long – a danger

to bushwalkers!

Cassowary: The southern cassowary is a large flightless bird, as tall

as a person, with a helmet on its head, a vivid blue neck and long

drooping red wattles. The Cassowary is endangered, with estimates

of only 1500 remaining, and its extinction could affect rainforest plant

diversity as it helps spread the seeds of 100 tree and shrub species.

Leaf litter: dead plant material, such as leaves, bark & twigs, that has

fallen to the ground.

Forest canopy: the upper layer of mature tree crowns.

Understory: the area of a forest growing at a lower height level below

the forest canopy. Young canopy trees often persist as suppressed

juveniles for decades while they wait for an opening in the forest

overstory which will enable their growth into the canopy.

Spectacled flying-fox: a bat with a wingspan of roughly one metre.

Ulyssess butterfly: a brilliant butterfly – blue wings with black edging.

White-lipped tree frog: a green frog with a pure white lower lip.

Cooktown

Cairns

Townsville

Rockhampton

Brisbane

QUEENSLAND

2423

Rainforest structure

How many of the opposite can you label on the rainforest diagram

below? Be sure to colour it in when you have finished labelling.

Excursion day

You will need to look outside your booklet to answer the following:

What is the name of the river that you can see whilst travelling on the train?

A) Russel River B) Tully River C) Barron River

As the train travels up the mountain what is the name of the 180 degree loop?

A) Jungarra Loop B) Mango Tree Loop C) Redlynch Loop

On 6th Dec 1973 what happened to the Cairns to Ravenshoe Railmotor?

A) It was robbed B) It got stuck in tunnel 2 C) Delayed due to heavy rain

What is the name of the waterfall that the train stops at for 15 minutes?

A) Mungalli Falls B) Millaa Millaa Falls C) Barron Falls

Name two distinctive landmarks in the Stoney Creek Gorge area?

A) Glacier Rock & Redbluff B) Glacier Rock &

Mt Whitfield C) Glacier Rock & Navibluff

How many metres tall is Robb’s monument?

A) 15 metres B) 21 metres C) 89 metres

What is the name of the waterfall that the trains

passes on a 4 chain radius curve?

A) Bridal Veil Falls B) Stoney Creek Falls

C) Surprise Falls

As the train climbs the McAllister Range what is the

island you can see as you look towards the Coral Sea?

A) Michaelmas Cay B) Fitzroy Island C) Green Island

Until 1958 the Barron River was a raging torrent, what

is the name of the dam that was built to contain it?

A) Tinaroo Dam B) Barron Weir C) Cania Dam

Name the lakes in the Atherton Tablelands which

used to be active volcanos?

A) Tinaroo Lake & Lake Morris B) Lake Dyer

& Lake Eyre C) Lake Eacham & Lake Barrine

superf u

t ur e

®

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How to put your student booklet together1 Print out all pages at 100% scaling (ie: do not scale to fit printer margins), fold all pages except this one in half with print facing outward. 2 Align all folded pages together with open edges to the left and in the correct order. 3 Turn this page over. 4 Align left edge of this page with left edge of cover page and staple in 3 places to secure (approx 1cm from edge). 5 Turn this page back on itself to wrap behind, folding at dotted lines to create spine and inside flap.

Education M

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The originalK u r a n d a s C e n i C r a i lw a y

Safety tips

Thank you for experiencing the

historic Kuranda Scenic Railway.

To ensure you have an enjoyable

day, please remember the following

important safety advice:

• Observe all safety signs and follow

the instructions of staff.

• Children must be supervised at

all times, especially around open

windows.

• Do not place any part of your body out of

carriage windows.

• Do not stand on the walk ways between

carriages.

• Do not try to board or disembark whilst

the training is moving.

• Do not open external doors or gates

whilst the train is moving.

• Do not throw rubbish or any other items

from the train.

• Take extra care and hold the handrails

when using carriage stairs.