Kuranda Range Highway

The Kuranda Range Highway is a piece of highway located near Cairns (coord|16|50|18|S|145|40|21|E|type:landmark_region:AU). The range connects Smithfield and The Atherton Tablelands that as opened in 1941 [http://www.kurandarangeupgrade.com/ias/IAS%20ADDENDUM/VOLUME%203/SS2%20-%20Cultural/SS2%20-%20Cultural%20Heritage%20Assessment.pdf historic heritage places ] ] . It is approximately 11.5 km long and takes the driver through lush rainforest from sealevel, to an altitude of 430 metres near the Henry Ross Lookout, before finally ending at 360 metres. For most of the length of the range, traffic is limited to one lane each way, although there are overtaking lanes scattered through the length of the range. The Kuranda Skyrail crosses the range twice and the Kuranda Rainforest Station is located near its west end. Henry Ross Lookout is located at the top of the range and is named after the foreman in charge of building the range in 1939.

History

Construction of the present ‘Kuranda Range Road’ as an alternative to the Gillies Highway began in 1940. This was partly as a result of public demand for better access to the Atherton Tablelands but also partly due to strategic wartime use. Whereas the old ‘SmithfieldTrack’ went more or less straight up the spur from Avondale Creek passing by where the Henry Ross Lookout is today and finally emerged at ‘Mountain Grove’, the new road took a far more circuitous route.).

The Queensland Main Roads Commission surveyed, planned and constructed the Cairns-Kuranda road. The initial survey workwas undertaken by the Commission Engineer A.J. Bond in 1939 in order to determine whether a grade was feasible. Henry Ross was appointed road foreman in charge of the job. Single and married men’s quarters were also established where the Smithfield Shopping Centre now stands. About 100 men built the road with the aid of bulldozers, jackhammers and dynamite. Although most workers walked had to walk up and down the range each day to their work area, temporary blacksmith’s shops were set up on site to sharpen jackhammer bits. There were no fatal accidents during construction and the road was completed to the top of the range in approximately 12 months.

Henry Ross chose "The Orange Grove" as the campsite chosen for the second stage of the road into Kuranda. At the time of construction there was a low level bridge over the Barron River to allow access to rainforest timbers on the eastern side of the River. On completion, the gravel surface road was predominantly a dual carriageway, however there were parts that were of one-way standard only due to their roughness. In 1944 the road was reconditioned and the Barron River bridge and approaches widened. Over the years that have followed the range road has been improved, widened and re-surfaced many times.

Upgrade project

The state government has proposed that the current two lane range be replaced with a four lane, raised freeway. The current range would not be usable after the freeway is completed. The use of the controversial Stone mastic asphalt has been proposed for the new freeway [http://foekuranda.org/info/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3 The next Death Trap? - Friends of the Earth Kuranda] .

References

External links

[http://www.kurandarangeupgrade.com/ Kuranda Range Upgrade homepage]