After having a great time at
Kuranda Koala Gardens and Birdworld Kuranda,
we headed back on the
Kuranda Scenic Railway♪
But before catching the train,
we wanted to do a little souvenir shopping.
This was a chocolate shop.
Shopping in Kuranda Village — Be Careful, Many Shops Close Around 3 PM
There were lots of colorful clothes for sale in Kuranda Village!
Compared with the shops we saw at Myer and Cairns Central,
there seemed to be more resort-style designs here.
They even sold swimwear (^^)/
This is one of Kuranda's well-known hat shops♪
Some things are unique to Kuranda,
so if you find something you really like,
I recommend buying it rather than thinking,
“Maybe I'll find another one later.”
At one of the souvenir shops in Kuranda,
I bought this canvas bag.
It has a zipper,
and I thought it would be useful for taking to the gym too!
The bag was AUD 14.
I later saw it at a souvenir shop in Cairns for AUD 16,
so
it was cheaper in Kuranda.
I suspect there were probably other souvenirs that were cheaper in Kuranda than in Cairns too.
Why do I say “probably”?
Because...
quite a few shops start closing around 3 PM! (T_T)
Even the shop where we bought the CAIRNS bag
had already started closing up at around 2:45 PM.
I wanted to look at more souvenirs,
but I couldn't...
Today, Kuranda's Original Rainforest Market is open from around 10 AM to 3 PM,
while the Heritage Markets generally operate from Wednesday to Sunday,
10 AM to 3:30 PM.
So if you want plenty of time to browse souvenirs,
arriving in Kuranda earlier in the day
is probably a good idea.
Or...
just keep walking into shops
and become very decisive very quickly（笑）
Kuranda Scenic Railway Gold Class in Our 60s — Why We Were Glad We Upgraded
Then it was time to head back on the
Kuranda Scenic Railway♪
Kuranda Station has such a cute atmosphere.
It almost feels like something you might find at Disneyland.
The train itself is cute too.
For this journey,
we chose
Gold Class.
When we travelled in 2024,
upgrading from the regular seat to Gold Class cost an additional
AUD 54.
For 2026–2027,
the official one-way adult fare is
AUD 56.50 for Heritage Class
and
AUD 112 for Gold Class.
That means the current difference between the two classes is
AUD 55.50,
only AUD 1.50 more than when we travelled in 2024.
Prices can change,
so check the latest fare before booking.
We had debated whether to choose the regular seats,
but...
I was very glad we chose Gold Class!
At the time,
I felt that the extra AUD 54 was absolutely worth it.
For travelers in their 60s, I especially liked Gold Class.
Here's why.
Inside Gold Class — Beer, Wine and Plenty of Drinks
This is what
Kuranda Scenic Railway Gold Class
looked like inside.
The carriage had a classic interior,
with comfortable padded seats for each passenger♪
The seats were really comfortable too!
After we sat down,
we were given macadamia nuts (^^)/
During our trip,
drinks such as
beer,
sparkling wine,
red wine,
white wine
and soft drinks including orange juice
were available throughout the journey.
We definitely did not go thirsty!
They poured the wine generously into large glasses.
Cold sparkling wine on a scenic train...
very nice～！
The current Gold Class menu also lists
beer,
red, white and sparkling wine,
soft drinks,
orange juice,
coffee,
tea
and water.
The beer came in a can!
A Scenic Stop at Barron Falls
The train stops during the journey,
and passengers can get off.
The Kuranda Scenic Railway still includes
a photo stop at
Din Din (Barron Falls).
You can see the powerful waterfall up close (^^)/
When we travelled in Gold Class,
our carriage stopped close to a good viewing area,
so we didn't have to walk very far.
That made things much easier.
When we travelled,
passengers in the regular carriages had farther to walk to reach this viewing area
and then had to walk back again afterward.
For anyone who wants to avoid putting too much strain on their legs,
I felt Gold Class was a comfortable choice.
The Cheese Platter Was Surprisingly Generous
After seeing the waterfall,
we got back on the train.
And the beautiful journey continued.
Gold Class was not only about the drinks.
We were also served a
cheese platter.
And compared with what we usually get in Japan,
the portion was pretty generous!
There were
three kinds of cheese,
crackers,
tomato dip
and dried fruit.
It was really good!!
After eating the whole thing,
I was already getting full.
The current Gold Class menu still includes
three local Gallo Dairyland cheeses,
dip,
dried fruit
and crackers.
And Then... Mango Sorbet!
There was even dessert:
one mango ice cream!
It was just soft enough to eat
and really tasty (^^)/
Wine, snacks AND dessert — I was very satisfied!
The current official menu also includes
mango sorbet.
Great Train Photos — Plus a Little Souvenir
The Kuranda Scenic Railway has even appeared on the Japanese TV program
“Sekai no Shaso Kara”
(“From the Train Window”).
From our Gold Class carriage,
we could get some lovely photos when the train curved around the track.
If you enjoy taking photos, Gold Class was fun for that too!
When we travelled,
we also received
a Kuranda Scenic Railway postcard and pen
as souvenirs.
Another little memory from the trip♪
Gold Class still includes a
gift pack,
although the contents may change.
Is Kuranda Scenic Railway Gold Class Worth It?
When we travelled in 2024,
Gold Class cost
AUD 54 more than the regular Heritage Class seat.
Some people might think that sounds a little expensive.
But considering Australian prices,
we felt
we got our money's worth,
and more importantly,
the journey was extremely comfortable.
For 2026–2027,
the official adult one-way fares are
AUD 112 for Gold Class
and
AUD 56.50 for Heritage Class,
making the current upgrade difference AUD 55.50.
So interestingly,
the upgrade itself has only increased by AUD 1.50 since our trip.
Check the latest prices before booking.
When we rode in Gold Class,
many of the Australian passengers around us were older travelers.
It made us think,
“Maybe Gold Class is popular with seniors here too?”
The views were beautiful,
and it gave us some lovely photos and memories.
And because we had eaten
cheese,
ice cream
and enjoyed drinks on the train,
we were pretty full by the time we arrived back.
So we had a light dinner that evening.
In other words,
you can ride Gold Class
and then save a little money by eating less for dinner.
↑ Mamarin's face says everything（笑）
If you are considering Gold Class,
check the latest fares and what is currently included before booking.
For us,
it was a very comfortable and memorable way to travel back from Kuranda.
That was our experience on
Kuranda Scenic Railway Gold Class.
There are plenty of other fun things to do in Kuranda too,
including meeting koalas,
kangaroos
and colorful birds.
We also really enjoyed taking the Skyrail to Kuranda.
And if you love birds,
there are some seriously cute Australian bird souvenirs that may be dangerous for your wallet.
CHECK
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Kuranda Skyrail from Cairns in Our 60s: Rainforest, Souvenirs & DiDi Tips
On the second day of our Cairns trip in Australia, we headed to Kuranda Village! Kuranda is one of the best-known sightseeing destinations near Cairns. It is surrounded by the World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics rainforest, and visitors can also enjoy Australian wildlife such as koalas, kangaroos and colorful birds. This time, I want to share our experience riding the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda. We traveled to Kuranda by Skyrail and returned on the Kuranda Scenic Railway in Gold Class. It was a great combination because the scenery and experience were completely different in each direction. For our 2024 trip, ...
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