I wrote elsewhere about the "CHARMING QUEENSLANDER IN AN IDEAL CENTRAL LOCATION", a five-minute walk to the village of Kuranda and a fifteen-minute drive to all the facilities in Cairns, which for the last couple of years had kept my dream alive of one day returning to the tropical North - click here.
An old mate from my days in Rabaul in Papua New Guinea who now lives in Cairns, said he would take a drive up the mountain range to Kuranda to have a look at it and report back. Here's his professional assessment:
"Survived the drive up the range. Only two sets of lights as workers toiled to maintain the road and bridge over the Barron. Had a look at Barang Street. Very central position in relation to the village. Large block of land next door and then a church which looked as though it had been closed for some time. Property overgrown and appeared empty. Why hasn’t it sold? Kuranda is suffering from the lack of tourists. 80% of shops were shut and the main street is empty. No Sky Rail operating today; might be shut. What the future holds for Kuranda depends on the tourism industry arising from the ashes. Will it happen? Not sure. Would I live in Kuranda? No way! The strumming of banjos and the sweet smell of marijuana must permeate the district at night! Didn’t stay for lunch at the pub which I will save for another day."
Well, it seems to have sold the very same day my mate sent me his professional real estate assessment, because it's now "UNDER OFFER".
The end of yet another dream.
P.S. It sold on 18 February 2022 for $420,000 by the previous owners who had bought it as recently as September 2020 for $295,000, or a quick profit of $125,000 in seventeen months.
