I visited this WHS in January 2018. Having already visited a number of rainforests, we decided to visit this WHS as an easy day trip from Cairns.

After arriving at the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway Terminal in Smithfield, the whole cable car ride (7.5km) over the rainforest canopy took around 40 minutes (not including time spent at each station). There are 2 worthwhile stops: Red Peak Station and Barron Falls Station. Red Peak Station is the highest point at 545 metres above sea level and there is a 200 metre boardwalk where you can easily see primitive fern-like cycads, elkhorns, staghorns, bird's nest ferns, Kauri pines, Alexandra palms, Caribbean pine trees, fan palm trees, a variegated fig and a banyan tree, apart from several metallic starlings.

The next stop is Barron Falls Station surrounded by lush, complex rainforest with several basket ferns and Cooper's tree ferns. The best views of the Barron Gorge and Falls from the cable car are between Towers 25 and 27. When we stopped at the Barron Falls Station, we headed straight to the small yet informative Rainforest Interpretation Centre and then to the three lookouts providing panoramic views of the Barron Gorge and Falls. There are UNESCO WHS inscription boards at both stations as well as other information boards on the flora and fauna. We happened to visit on one of the few days when the Wet Tropics of Queensland didn't live up to its name as it was a hot sunny day. Probably this was the reason why there were so many different species of colourful butterflies (and cicadas) hovering around. The highlight of our visit was spotting Australia's largest endemic butterfly, the Cairns birdwing (photo). We also spotted some new bird species such as the Torresian imperial pigeon, the Eastern whipbird, the Chowchilla and the common rainbow lorikeets.

The Wet Tropics of Queensland are believed to be the most diverse rainforests in Australia. Different soil types, altitudes, rainfall and evolutionary histories have produced many different plant communities and habitats, even though to the ''untrained eye'' most rainforests seem pretty similar. The Barron Gorge Hydro-Electrical Station controls the flow of water to the falls so don't expect to see huge falls (apart from once or twice a year when they flush the water system!).

The Skyrail Cable Car ends at Kuranda, a small touristy village in the rainforest. I suggest taking the shuttle service up to the village itself (on the way back down to the Kuranda Railway Station, you will still be able to pass by the numerous shops and stalls selling souvenirs if you want to). Apart from the circuit walk to Kuranda, there's also a pleasant river and 'jungle' walk to Jumrum Creek (3km). At 14:30 we also went for a short cruise on the Kuranda River Boat which conveniently returns in time for the 15:30 train. Apart from a few turtles and common bird species you won't see anything you won't see near Cairns, so in my opinion the trip is not worth the 18 dollar fee.

For our return trip to Cairns we had booked a Gold Class seat on the old-looking yet comfortable cabin of the Kuranda Scenic Railway. We really enjoyed our relaxing trip back to Cairns being served cold drinks from the 'open bar' and finger food. Including stops at Barron Falls and Stoney Creek Falls, the trip took around 90 minutes. The Cairns-Kuranda Railway was constructed between 1882 and 1891 and even today is considered an engineering feat. Hundreds of men were employed to build the 15 hand-made tunnels and 37 bridges. All in all, we enjoyed this easy day trip from Cairns even though we preferred our visits to the Gondwana Rainforests and the Blue Mountains.