kuranda

Roll out the Barrel comes to mind ! Now that's working up a thirst ! If I have read / guessed correctly, the beer is Mc Crackens XXX Ale? There was a Robert Mc. Cracken who was a brewer in the 1800's, but his business was taken over by Carlton&United Breweries in 1907.

Hi Bob. McCracken does appear to be the brand on the barrel. Victorian beer in North Queensland, who would have thought?

State Library of Queensland Were there beer wars due to the brand loyalties in the different Territories ? I'm sure that like us Poms, your blokes wouldn't give a XXXX about who's beer they drank when the needs be. We know for fact that you Diggers will cry your eyes out if a pubs got no beer ....... Ask Slim Dusty ;-)) Here'a a picture from my pal Kaye, of Cairns Station, taken about the same time. I wonder how many barrels got to their destination during this arduous cask task !

Cyclones and floods were a problem in Queensland in 1911 as they are today 100 years on. On 11 January 1911 a tropical cyclone passed from the Gulf of Carpentaria inland and caused severe destruction at Marburg in South West Queensland with areas suffering gale force winds. The Cairns-Kuranda railway has a spectacular history of dislocation by landslides, the earliest of which was recorded during its construction in 1891. The most disruptive incident however, occured on the 15th December 1910 when a landslide, after a period of intense rainfall, partly closed the Kuranda end of the no 10 tunnel for more than 2 months. Trains could only travel as far as the tunnel and passengers had to de-train and walk around the outside of the tunnel to another train to continue their journey. Because the railway was the main freight connection between inland towns and the port at Cairns, the blockage was very disruptive. Over 300 men were used to clear the damage and stabilise the slide. It was not until 6 March 1911 that the line was cleared and reopened to all traffic. Source: www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/queensland-100-years-ago-cairns-k...

Whatever is the weather the supply of beer remains important.

Barron Falls is situated within the Barron Gorge National Park west of Cairns and approximately 6 km east of Kuranda. Barron Falls is a Wet Tropics World Heritage site and occurs in the north east tableland section of Australia’s Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area (WTWHA), which extends from Cooktown southwards to Paluma, encompassing an area of 894,420 hectares. Indigenous culture has a long history in the Barron Gorge region. The Djabugay, Bulway, and Nyagali are representative of the rainforest people in the Barron Gorge area (DNRM, 2001). For these tribal groups, Barron Falls is a well-known story place and sacred site (Bottoms, 1992). It is a widely held Dreamtime story that the carpet snake (Budadji), which was ambushed, killed and chopped into pieces , and thrown into the bush by greedy birdmen, is the creator of all rivers and creeks of the Barron Gorge (Bottoms, 1999). In the early 1890s, gold was discovered up at Tinaroo creek, and as a consequence, Barron Gorge received the attention of hopeful prospectors (EPA, 1998, cited in DNRM, 2001). As a result of this, the population swelled and placed pressure on a number of indigenous communities due to limited access to water and strip mining (Bain & Draper, 1997; cited in DNRM, 2001). Source: rainforest-crc.jcu.edu.au/publications/site_report_barron...

The Barron River is a medium-sized estuary system and is home to the beautiful Barrons Falls which is located approximately 18km upstream. The Barron River provides only a short tidal system, the saltwater turns into freshwater very quickly which isn’t an ideal system for holding large fish, some people have joked the Barron River got its name from being the “Barron” of life. Combined with its close proximity to Cairns and the Northern Beaches suburbs the river is under a lot of fishing pressure and boat traffic. However good fish can be caught here with the right tactics, knowledge, and local knowledge. Towards the mouth of the river is rock walls located on the outside bank of each bend, these rock walls are best fished at low tide with deep diving rattle lures preferably trolled. Classic barra lures are best here and should dive deep enough to almost hit the bottom. Where to go fishing near Barron River? Barron River Mouth Good spot to set out live mullet for passing Barramundi. Further to the west along the river is a patch of rocks, fish the rocks on low tide with deep diving lures for the chance at a Barramundi. Barron River Mouth Best in the early hours of the winter months, Trevally, large Queenfish, Whiting, Flathead, and Bream will Barron River Bends Bends near Ivo’s Creek hold baitfish. Barron River Upstream Barramundi and Jungle Perch can be found in the upper reaches of the Barron River, especially after a big downpour in the wet season. Source: www.fishingspots.com.au/s/barron-river-fishing/