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This Cairns Waterfalls and Wetlands day tour is a unique itinerary showcasing the diversity of our area’s landscapes and people. It provides the opportunity to connect with Traditional Owners and local producers, taste amazing local flavours, visit Barron Falls and journey on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway. Run by Down Under Tours, this full day tour is hosted by knowledgeable local driver guides, with travel on comfortable air conditioned coaches. It includes stops at the Cattana Wetlands, Barron Falls, Skybury Coffee Plantation, Emerald Creek Ice Creamery and Kuranda, as well as a morning snack, lunch with coffee and liqueur tasting and an ice-cream tasting.
The tour also includes return pickups from various Cairns City (Monday to Friday), Northern Beaches and Port Douglas (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) locations. There’s time for exploring feather palm forests, a Calling to Country with a Djabugay Cultural Guide and seeing the coastal plains transition to rainforest mountains, then dry savannah areas.
Feather Palm Forest. Calling to Country Indigenous Experience. Skybury Coffee Plantation. Emerald Creek Ice Creamery. Kuranda Scenic Railway. Down Under Tours.
Get a free underwater camera rental when you book tours through us valued at over $750, we’ll lend you a GoPro underwater camera to use for the duration of your tours. Numbers are limited and allocated on a first-come basis. Get in touch with us to claim this deal today.
Down Under Tours has been operating since 1990 and provide an extensive range of fully guided day tours to some of this region’s best destinations. They prioritise customer service and experience, through unique itineraries, professional guides and a fleet of modern, luxury touring coaches. Their Cairns Waterfalls and Wetlands day tour is a big day on the bus and as such, probably not suitable for children aged under 4 years old. There’s lots of stops and experiences along the way, and the tour is suitable for people with reasonable mobility. Cairns pick-ups start from 8.15am and return around 6pm. Northern Beaches pick-ups start from 9am and return around 6pm. Port Douglas pick-ups start from 7.45am and return around 6.45pm. A morning snack, tropical lunch, coffee liquor and ice-cream tasting are all included in the ticket price.
This tour includes includes 3 rainforest experiences in 2 different destinations. Your journey begins at the Cattana Wetlands in Cairns, an 80ha nature conservation park with a 420m boardwalk through feather palm forest, freshwater and salt water lakes and abundant plant and birdlife. Here the Down Under Tours Guide will walk with you, pointing out key species of plants and animals. The second rainforest destination is the Barron Gorge National Park, part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. In the morning you’ll explore the rainforest’s upper levels on an elevated boardwalk that takes you to the Barron Falls lookout. More on this below. Then in the afternoon, a trip on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway which will take you from Kuranda, down through the Barron Gorge National Park to Freshwater.
Barron Falls (Din Din) is the most famous and photographed waterfall in Cairns. It’s the centrepiece of the Barron Gorge National Park and you’ll see it twice on this day tour, firstly in the morning from the boardwalk and then again in the afternoon from Kuranda Scenic Railway. Barron Falls is an impressive 260m granite-faced cascading waterfall. The flow of the fall varies throughout the year due to the operations of the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station. For most of the year the flow is relatively minimal, showcasing the dramatic granite walls, but in the summer months the monsoonal rains bring the falls to life, transforming it into a churning wall of water. You will also see Stoney Creek Falls during your railway journey.
Boardwalks provide convenient, accessible access to the feather palm forests at Cattana Wetlands and the rainforest in the Barron Gorge National Park. A highlight is the elevated boardwalk in Kuranda, which allows you to explore the rainforest’s upper levels and provides views to the forest floor and seasonal creeks and streams below. This boardwalk takes you to a lookout which provides direct views to Barron Falls (Din Din), a magnificent spectacle at all times of the year, but especially in the summer months when monsoonal rainfall transforms it into a wall of water. This walk is 800m one-way and is classified as an easy walk. There is interpretive signage on all boardwalks and you will be accompanied by a Djabugay Cultural Guide, who will provide an insight into their connection to this special place. More on this below.
Connect with Traditional Owners in Kuranda by participating in a Calling to Country with a Djabugay Cultural Guide. The traditional lands of the Djabugay Aboriginal People include the Barron Gorge National Park and Barron Falls (Din Din), which is a powerful symbol of significance to the Djabugay. During this moment of connection, you will learn more about their culture and stories of the rainforest. They will also provide a guided tour through the rainforest on elevated boardwalks, visiting the Barron Falls (Din Din) and leading the walk with a Dreamtime story.
This Cairns Waterfalls & Wetlands day tour itinerary is based around the ‘usual’ Down Under Tours itinerary. However, please note that exact times and order of activities can change pending weather and other circumstances. Tour pick-ups commence in Cairns from 8.15am and you return from 6pm. Travel is in an air conditioned bus and you will be travelling up some windy range roads, so if you suffer from motion sickness, we strongly suggest taking some preventative medication before setting out (and/or sitting to the front of the bus). The tour is fully guided and the ticket price covers a morning snack, tropical lunch and coffee liquor and ice-cream tasting. Bring additional funds for additional drinks or souvenir purchases.
Down Under Tours commences its tour pick-ups from various Cairns city locations. Exact pick-up times are confirmed closer to travel time. Please note tours with Cairns city departures operate Monday to Friday.
If you are staying in Port Douglas, Palm Cove or Trinity Beach then the tour pick-ups operate Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with the following times. Port Douglas from 7.45am. Palm Cove and Trinity Beach from 9am.
The first destination of the tour is Cattana Wetlands, which is near Smithfield. Here your Down Under Tours guide will show you the feather palm forests and other key features of this unique location.
Meet your Djabugay Cultural Guide in Kuranda and participate in a Calling to Country. The Djabugay Cultural Guide will then take you through the rainforest and on elevated boardwalks to the Barron Falls lookout, leading the way with a Dreamtime story.
Return to the coach to continue your journey of discovery. From here you’ll leave the tropical rainforest for a while, continuing your journey into the Mareeba Shire, which is famous for its coffee plantations and local produce.
Lunch at the Skybury Coffee Plantation. This is Australia’s oldest coffee plantation, growing Australian coffee and red papaya since 1987. You visit their café and working roastery to enjoy a tropical lunch, showcasing some of their finest produce in a paddock to plate experience. Afterwards soak in the views over the plantation and indulge in locally grown coffee and coffee liqueur tastings.
Ice-Cream! The gastronomic delight continues with a stop at the locally famous Emerald Creek Ice-Creamery. Every day they have 32 different ice-cream flavours and 6 sorbet flavours waiting to tempt visitors. All produced on site. Down Under Tours have carefully curated a 4-flavour sample cup, giving you a selection of some of the most popular.
All aboard Kuranda Scenic Railway, for a stunning journey through the Barron Gorge National Park and down to the Cairns hinterland. Along the way enjoy panoramic views of the Barron Falls and Stoney Creek Falls, take in the towering gorge walls and rainforest mountains and pass through 15 tunnels and over 37 bridges.
Kuranda Scenic Railway arrives at its Freshwater Train Station where you’ll be collected by your Down Under Tours guide, for transfers back to your accommodation.
The tour includes return coach transfers from selected accommodation locations, a knowledgeable Down Under Tours driver guide, a morning snack, tropical lunch at Skybury Coffee Plantation, locally grown coffee and coffee liqueur tastings, and an ice-cream tasting at Emerald Creek Ice-Creamery. It also includes a Djabugay Calling to Country experience and guided tour to Barron Falls lookout, plus a one-way journey from Kuranda to Freshwater aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway.
The tour visits Cattana Wetlands, Kuranda, Barron Falls, Skybury Coffee Plantation and Emerald Creek Ice-Creamery. It also travels through the Barron Gorge National Park aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway, passing rainforest mountains, Stoney Creek Falls, going through historic tunnels and over bridges.
Cairns city departures operate Monday to Friday, with pickups beginning from approximately 8.15am. Transfers from Port Douglas, Palm Cove and Trinity Beach operate on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Port Douglas pickups begin from approximately 7.45am, while Palm Cove and Trinity Beach pickups begin from around 9am. Your exact pickup time will be confirmed before travel.
This is a full-day tour. Cairns passengers generally return from around 6pm, while Port Douglas passengers return from approximately 6.45pm. Return times can vary depending on traffic, weather and the day’s operating conditions.
The tour includes several short walks and boardwalk experiences. The longest scheduled walk is the rainforest boardwalk to the Barron Falls lookout, which is approximately 800 metres each way and classified as an easy walk. Guests should be comfortable walking this distance and getting on and off the coach throughout the day.
Children can join the tour, but it is a long day with considerable coach travel and may not be suitable for children aged under four. Families should consider whether their children will be comfortable with a full-day itinerary, multiple stops and extended periods travelling on the bus.
No swimming stops are included in this itinerary. The tour focuses on rainforest walks, wetlands, waterfalls, Indigenous culture, local produce and scenic travel aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway. Barron Falls and Stoney Creek Falls are viewed from designated lookouts and the train.
Barron Falls can be seen throughout the year, but its appearance changes considerably with the seasons. During the drier months, lower water levels reveal more of the waterfall’s dramatic granite face. Summer monsoonal rainfall can transform Barron Falls into a powerful wall of water. Water flow is also influenced by the operation of the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station.
The tour includes a Calling to Country with a Djabugay Cultural Guide in Kuranda. The experience provides an opportunity to connect with Traditional Owners and learn more about Djabugay culture, rainforest stories and the cultural significance of Barron Falls, known traditionally as Din Din.
The itinerary includes travel on winding range roads and a railway journey through the Barron Gorge. Guests who experience motion sickness should consider taking their usual preventative medication before departure. Sitting towards the front of the coach may also help. Speak with a pharmacist or medical professional before taking unfamiliar medication.
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