Tracks of Triumph launched at Freshwater Railway Station

Media Release

Friday, 31 October, 2003

Today amidst the tropical gardens and heritage railway carriages at Freshwater Railway Station the book “Tracks of Triumph”, written by renowned local historian Allan Hudson, will be launched.

This superb hard cover book is a tribute to the visionaries and pioneers who built the Kuranda Scenic Railway between 1887 and 1891. With more than 120 spectacular historic photos the book explores the reasons for the railway being constructed, the characters involved in the project as well as unearthing some little-known facts about tropical North Queenslandand our famous Kuranda railway.

Written in an easy-to-read style, the book is a must for any coffee table or book shelf whether you’ve enjoyed a journey on our tourism icon, the Kuranda Scenic Railway, or not. Visitors and locals alike will find the book inspiring and fascinating.  

The Cairns-Kuranda Railway was surely one of the great engineering feats of the 19th Century. The massive task was undertaken by John Robb, an engineer who tendered two hundred and ninety thousand pounds to build the second section of the line from Redlynch to Kuranda.

Hundreds of workers lived and worked under extraordinary conditions to open up the Tablelands to development. These remarkable men were employed to build the 15 hand-carved tunnels, 37 bridges and thirty-four kilometres of track that stand as a monument to the pioneers of tropical North Queensland.

The original Kuranda Scenic Railway is a spectacular journey comprising unsurpassed views of dense rainforest, steep ravines and picturesque waterfalls. This famous railway winds its way on a journey of approximately 1 hour 45 minutes from Cairnsto Kuranda, the village in the rainforest.