Constructed in 1891, the line runs from Cairns, Queensland, over the Great Dividing Range to the town of Kuranda on the Atherton Tableland.

As the train travels, a detailed and informative commentary of the railways' construction is provided.

At the bottom of the mountain, Freshwater railway station has an information centre, a gift shop, and a café that is housed inside an old train carriage.

15 hand-made tunnels and 37 bridges were built to climb from sea level to 328 metres (1,076 ft), up the Macalister Range.

[7] In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Kuranda Scenic Railway was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "structure and engineering feat".