Suspended hundreds of metres above the ground, an endless green canopy sprawled in all directions.

It was difficult to imagine that only a quarter of an hour ago I had been caught up in the buzz and the hubbub of the city.
Although the sun had failed to burn through the remnants of cloud in what had seemed like an interminably long wet season, the views on Skyrail remained doggedly spectacular.

Despite the mists, the stunning vista still looked impressive in whichever direction I craned my neck – to the rear, Cairns’ rich patchwork of fields led down to the azure Coral Sea, spliced by the mighty Barron River. To the right, The Highlands hugged the coast and, up ahead, the rainforest clung, as it has for 120 million years, to the hillside.

The ground slipped away from us below and the hum of the Captain Cook Hwy faded from earshot, as the sound of birds calling to each other in the trees provided the enchanting soundtrack to our day. The pristine, lush canopy of eucalypt woodlands and fern-like cycads gave way to vine-clad rainforest. No wonder, then, that scenes from movie smash hit Avatar were inspired by one of the film’s designers, Dylan Cole, from photos he snapped from Skyrail.

Processions of birds flew purposely through a latticework of naturally occurring lane ways among the undergrowth. Only a few hundred metres from our first stop at Red Peak, 545m above sea level, the verdant rainforest is peppered with large, proud ferns, kauri pines and banyan figs. We hopped off at Red Peak where Skyrail rangers provided an interpretive tour. From here, you can explore the forest floor on the 175m boardwalk and marvel at the majesty of the 400-year-old kauri, a relative baby in terms of the 1000-plus years some of this species reach in age.

If you’re lucky you may even glimpse a shimmering flash of blue as a Ulysses butterfly flits past, and keep those cameras handy in case you spot a Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo which dwells among the treetops  or the musky rat kangaroo which can often be spotted darting around the forest floor during daylight.

Back on the cableway, we journeyed onwards only metres above the treetops to Barron Falls Station, which provides visitors with three lookouts and amazing views of the Barron Gorge and Falls, plus historical displays and an interactive interpretation centre. Once in Kuranda you can wander the picturesque village.

Returning back to Caravonica at the end of a memorable day, I reflected on the rainforest with its wildlife, breathtaking rivers and gulleys and ravines and realised this to be a place where you can really feel our planet’s spirit.

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