The train whistle screeches, signaling passengers to get on board for the journey to Kuranda, an artisans’ village 16 miles (25 km) northwest of Cairns, in Far North Queensland, Australia.

The village is a favorite of visitors who go in search of bargains on gems directly from Australia’s mines, as well as crafts created by local artists, presented in more than 90 market stalls — and getting there is half the fun.

The Kuranda Scenic Railway, which opened in 1891, offers a 21-mile (34 km) switchback journey to the fringe of the Atherton Tablelands. It weaves its way slowly from the seaside city of Cairns through Barron Gorge to Kuranda, 1,081 feet (330 m) above sea level.

The Cairns birdwing, with a wingspan of more than 6.5 inches (16 cm), is Australia’s largest butterfly.

The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway offers a unique way to travel from Cairns to Kuranda. The 1½-hour journey carries visitors only feet above the rain forest canopy in 6-person gondolas. The Kuranda terminal is a short walk from the village.

The train ride provides a trip through history with a wonderful narration. The narrator explains that the narrow-gauge train served the sugar-cane industry and shuttled passengers between the two towns, passing through 15 hand-dug tunnels and across 37 bridges.

En route, the train stops for an opportunity to photograph Barron Falls, Glacier Rock and Red Bluff before lumbering to its final destination, the magnificently restored Kuranda Station.

Wherever you sit on the train, you’ll see jungle-clad mountains and have a stunning view of the coastline far below on the valley floor, so pack your camera.

Known as the “Village in the Rain Forest,” Kuranda is surrounded by lush mountains. Once covered with dense rain forest and inhabited by the Tjapukai (also spelled Djabugay) aboriginal tribe, the area was settled by Europeans in the 19th century.

Kuranda is where Australia’s first Aboriginal dance theater began. The dance theater today is a part of the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, located in Caravonica, at the Cairns end of the SkyRail. The cultural park allows visitors to experience the culture of the rain-forest peoples.

The park includes seven interpretive sections, including History Theatre, Creation Theatre, Camp Village — where visitors can learn how to play the didgeridoo and to throw a boomerang — and the Dance Theatre. In the Dance Theatre, aboriginal performing artists combine humor, song and dance in a powerful presentation that tells the story of a culture that dates back 40,000 years.

In the quiet, darkened theater, the silence is broken by peculiar and unfamiliar sounds — the pulsating tones of a didgeridoo, the traditional musical instrument of the aborigines, consisting of a hollowed-out log that makes a deep drone when the player blows into it.