Things to Do in Kuranda: Village in the Rainforest, Kuranda, Australia

I had a layover in the Sydney Airport on our way to New Zealand, just so I could say I’ve been to Australia (for 2 hours…)!

My sister, on the other hand, actually lived in Papua New Guinea (an island just above Australia) for a year and a half. So she had a layover (for a few days, rather than a few hours) in Australia before they went PNG, on the way home from PNG, and in between PNG and New Zealand!

I’ve partnered up with her to put together this guide on things to do in Kuranda, a unique village near Cairns, Australia.

For me, it was holding a koala. There are a few places in Australia that will let you hold a koala, albeit briefly.

Initially I intended to visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, the closest major city to my ultimate destination, Papua New Guinea (PNG). I have a few friends who visited there and had a good experience, but I ultimately chose to visit Kuranda, a rainforest village north of Cairns (pronounced “cans”)-a smaller city, but the closest Australian airport to PNG. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).