About Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is one of Australia's most iconic tourism experiences, spanning 7.5 kilometres over the canopy of the Barron Gorge National Park between Smithfield (near Cairns) and the mountain village of Kuranda. Opened in 1995, the cableway carries visitors in enclosed gondolas high above the World Heritage-listed tropical rainforest, offering a breathtaking aerial perspective of one of the oldest continuously surviving rainforests on earth.
The journey features two mid-station stops where guests can disembark and explore boardwalk trails through the rainforest at canopy level, as well as viewing platforms overlooking the spectacular Barron Falls. A fleet of 114 gondolas keeps wait times short, and for a premium experience, Diamond View glass-floor gondolas let passengers look straight down through the canopy. The Canopy Glider — an open-air, ranger-escorted gondola — provides an even more immersive ride with expert commentary on the forest ecology. Most visitors combine Skyrail with the Kuranda Scenic Railway for a round-trip loop, riding the cableway in one direction and the heritage train through tunnels and over bridges in the other.
What makes Skyrail exceptional is the sheer scale and engineering of the experience. Gliding silently above the treetops with uninterrupted views to the Coral Sea is unlike anything else in tropical North Queensland, and the mid-station rainforest walks add genuine educational depth. The combination of Skyrail and the Kuranda Scenic Railway is consistently rated one of Australia's top tourism experiences, making it a must-do for any visitor to Cairns.
