The Tour Specialists Tour Blog

Kuranda Day Tours A Day the Whole Family Will LOVE!

Photo Courtesy of Rainforestation Nature Park

Travelling with children of various ages can be challenging especially when it comes to finding activities the WHOLE family will enjoy.

Well you are in luck!

Located near Kuranda you will find Rainforestation Nature Park where everybody will find something they like: army duck rainforest tour, Aboriginal cultural experience, Australian wildlife, tropical flora and fauna… and so much more.

Army Duck Rainforest Tour

We first jumped on board one of the historical Army Ducks which was built in the 1940’s and used in World War II. These army ducks use a 6-wheel-drive, propeller & rudder and take you on a 45min tour through the rainforest.

Our knowledgeable rainforest guide pointed out and explained to us what the different plants/trees are and their uses before taking us on a cruise in the lake to see more wildlife.

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Keil – Army Duck Tour

These big heavy machines are amphibious!

My son thoroughly enjoyed this part of the park and thought it was the best thing ever being able to drive on land and then straight into water! I must say I enjoyed it too.

Koalas & Native Australian Wildlife Park

You can either enter this section of the nature park at your own leisure or join a guided tour with an expert wildlife handler.

This is where we interacted with and handfed kangaroos and wallabies as they strolled around the park enclosures with us.

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Keil

We walked through the beautiful landscaped gardens, observed the not so cute Tasmanian devil, saw wombats, cuddly koalas, slithering snakes and other lovely scaly reptiles.

Photo Courtesy of Rainforestation Nature Park

Then we made our way to the boardwalk where we came across the main attraction which is ‘Jack the Ripper’. He’s a massive 5-metre saltwater crocodile weighing in at a whopping 650kgs!

Photo Courtesy of Rainforestation – Jack The Ripper

He got this name for good reason as he has murdered so many of his potential girlfriends and was brought to the park originally as he was being a terror to cattle and farmers. He now gets to live out his day as a bachelor and a very well fed one at that.

My daughter adored the kangaroos. While she was off feeding them with Dad, my son and I went on a mini adventure to find all the answers to a questionnaire we were given which is a great way to learn some pretty interesting facts about each native Australian animal.

Pamagirri Aboriginal Cultural Experience

Allow approximately 30 minutes to truly appreciate this section of Rainforestation Nature Park. In the amphitheatre you will be able to watch the Aboriginal cultural dance show.

It’s wheelchair accessible with tiers of comfortable wooden seats. Listen to the sounds of the wildlife coming from the rainforest, along with the sound of the didgeridoo and clapsticks.

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Keil – Pamagirri Aboriginal Cultural Experience

These instruments are used to create mimicking sounds of different animals.

If you’re up for it you may even get a chance to learn some parts of their traditional dance and become part of the performance.

Dreamtime Walk

This guided tour takes approximately half an hour and is well worth it. You will get further insights about the Aboriginal traditions and beliefs. You’ll have the opportunity to throw a boomerang… after few lessons from your guide.

There’s a safety net so don’t be shy and go for it, give it a go. They are ‘returning boomerangs’ and YES they do come back.

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Keil

Further along you will get to the spear-throwing area so come and discover how they used these spears as a hunting tool.

We were amazed at how far the guides could throw a spear using a ‘woomera’ also known as a spear-thrower.

Primarily designed to launch a spear with substantial power and accuracy.

The Colonial Restaurant

This restaurant has a beautiful veranda overlooking the picturesque lake and offers a lovely BBQ buffet lunch which includes tender steaks, BBQ chicken, pork sausages, sweet potatoes with paperbark cooked in traditional Kup-Murri style.

A wide selection of salads, tropical fruits and snacks are available as well. If you have read my previous blogs (read here << link to blog>> page), you know I love food so I really enjoyed that part of my brilliant Kuranda tour at Rainforestation Nature Park.

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Keil – Smiles all around

We spent 4 hours at Rainforestation but you could easily spend more. I also would like to add that the staff at Rainforestation are amazing; at every attraction we went to we were greeted by friendly and knowledgeable people more than happy to answer any questions we had.

The trip back home was very quiet as the children fell asleep pretty much as soon as they were in the car. We all had a great time and can’t wait to go back.

If you are a visitor to Cairns and you would like to see all the attractions in Kuranda then book this Ultimate Kuranda tour which also includes the Skyrail rainforest cableway and the Kuranda Scenic train.

Author: Chelsea Keil – Tour Consultant for The Tour Specialists