The 2022 rainfall figures for Paluma Village and Paluma Dam have kindly been provided by Tracy Cooper. Here are the figures ……
Paluma Village
December Rainfall – 296. 7 mm with 18 rain days
Total Rainfall for 2022 – 2,377.1 mm
Paluma Dam
December Rainfall – 204 mm with 17 rain days
Total Rainfall for 2022 – 1,972 mm
Many thanks to all the summer rainfall readers who have diligently collected the rainfall data EVERY day over December and the holiday period – Tracy Cooper, Rick Roveda and Peter Cooke. Well done – the villagers thank you for your efforts!
Last year, Michele published an article on a spectacular bluish purple mushroom popping up on the village green.
Earlier this week I noticed that the same purple mushroom was now growing as a fairy ring over 5m in diameter out in the open area of the village green. A semi-circle of large light mauve mushrooms was quite a sight.
After a misidentification by me last year, the correct name Lepista sublilacina was provided by Barry and Jenn Muir from Cairns. It has been called the Australian Blewit. A closely related species (or possibly the same species as) is the Lilac Blewit (L. sordida) which is a common edible northern hemisphere species that is known to form fairy rings. Both species are recognised by the Atlas of Living Australia and have been recorded in Queensland but the characters used to distinguish the two species are not readily available from a web search. They are commonly found on lawns and gardens.
There are at least two websites in Australia that suggest the Lepistra sublilacina/sordida is edible but my recommendation would be not to try to eat them until you have conducted your own investigation on this.
This species is just one of many that have been popping up all around Paluma. I will dedicate a separate post to these in the near future.
Yesterday’s working bee to refurbish the steps at the far end of the “Rainforest Walk” attracted a great turnout. There was a total of 10 people, 3 wheelbarrows, a generator and a cement mixer all working solidly for a couple of hours to fill in the new step frames and drainage channels that Wilfred and Colin had previously set up. The final result looked very impressive. Even the existing wooden bridges and platforms along the track got a major cleanup. We finished the effort back at the Community Centre congratulating ourselves with some well-earned drinks.
It was agreed that we should aim for a regular working bee on the first Saturday of every month to carry out various maintenance and improvement projects around the city. Look out for announcements on Paluma.org
Wilfred is again calling for keen volunteers to join him at a Working Bee this coming Saturday 7th January at the Rainforest Walking Track at Paluma Village.
Please meet at the Paluma Community Hall at 2 pm (opposite the Rainforest Walking Track). Please bring your wheelbarrow, shovel, spade, pick, rake, other garden tools and plenty of elbow grease and enthusiasm.
Further repair and refurbishment works is required along the Rainforest Walking Track including the installation of some more steps, drainage works, erosion control and filling-in the washouts.
Wilfred said he might even find some refreshments for the volunteers after the event! If you can spare an hour or two next Saturday afternoon please come along. For any inquiries, please contact Wilfred.
The talk in the village over the past week or so has been about the large rooster lurking about on the Range Road round the area of the saddle. In fact, I don’t think there is anyone travelling the Range Road that hasn’t caught sight of this rather handsome bird who mysteriously appeared along the roadside just prior to Christmas.
Exactly where the rooster has come from is the burning question. My own theory is that some very irresponsible person has dumped the bird because they no longer wanted him. A sad and cruel state of affairs if this is the case.
Word around the village is that quite a few people have attempted to catch the slippery chook without success. I made a valiant attempt myself last Monday at 6.30 am to catch the bird. Armed with some toast and vegemite (my breakfast) and a large blanket I nearly had him. Alas, he was too quick for me and before I could get a good grip on him he escaped my snare, leaving me holding two tail feathers. He crowed heartily from a distance to announce his victory. Roy the Kelpie was very keen to round him up, but I wasn’t sure that process was going to end well. I did make a call-out to several of the local and state authorities during the past week whose response to assist with the welfare of this ‘stray animal’ was extremely under-whelming.
Here’s hoping that one of the ongoing attempts by local residents to catch ‘Road Runner the Rooster’ (as I have named him) are successful. Ultimately, its hoped he can be caught and re-homed in some happy hen house on one of the outer village blocks or a local farm. A much better fate than that which might await him if the local dingoes discover him. He’s a very handsome chap and deserves a much better life than being abandoned by the roadside.
For more than a year several people have raised the possiblity of creating a facebook group for Paluma residents to post notices to others about items for sale or even to let people know of an opportunity to share costs for bringing a plumber or electrician up to the village to do some work.
Well Stella Thompson-Wheway has recently taken the initiative to create just such a group. It’s called Paluma Buy, Sell, Swap and Give away and she is inviting all Paluma residents to join up. The link above should take you there, or else just use the search function to find the group (using “Paluma Buy Sell” in the search box should do it).
There’s already one item for give away on the site, and I am sure more posts like it will follow soon.
Many thanks to Stella for setting this up for the Community.
It’s not every day that a new commercial enterprise opens in Paluma, especially one that offers accommodation and meals in a beautiful rainforest setting. Mark and Leonie Crennan have been working tirelessly over the last year to refurbish the old Paluma Dreaming (and Heaven’s Kitchen) café at 1 Loop Road.
The new name, Djindal Bayanyu, was the result of many hours of research and consultation by Leonie, who wanted to acknowledge the original inhabitants of Paluma. The name means Singing Waterfalls in Nywaigi, which is the language group of the traditional owners who thrived for centuries in the abundant rainforest and pristine creeks of our spectacular mountain range.
Djindal Bayanyu will be open from 10:30am to 3pm Thursday – Sunday (and Wednesday this week) for excellent coffee, tea and sweet and savoury treats. Accommodation is also available with ensuite bathroom and kitchenette, or you can access shared facilities.
In addition to the refurbished interiors of the rooms and café, the garden has received a range of new plantings of native and ornamental trees and shrubs and artful landscaping. Their gardening efforts were recently recognised with an award in this year’s Paluma Garden Competition.
Ring or text 0490397650 to book accommodation or check cafe opening times.
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Graham and Julie invite all Paluma residents to New Years Eve celebrations at the Pope residence on the hill. Everyone is welcome to come along and join in the party.
The event will kick off about 6.30 pm on New Years Eve, Saturday 31 December.
Please bring a plate of food to share and BYO drinks.
This is always a fun event for the Paluma community.
This year’s Garden Competition was held on November 14th. The competition was sponsored by Bunnings and judged by two experienced and enthusiastic garden-lovers from Bunnings (Ange, a trained horticulturalist and Kathleen, the local activities coordinator). Lynn and Jamie spent most of the day escorting judges around the village and 5 acre blocks, admiring the wonderful and varied landscapes and plantings created by Paluma residents. The judges commented on what a privilege it was to be able to see the spectacular displays of blooms and foliage that our misty, mountain climate can produce. Almost every garden had something that was striking and unique that caught the eyes and admiration of the judges. They left the village overwhelmed with the task of picking winners from such a range of beautiful gardens.
The Winners for this year (with comments from the judges) are:
1. Best Residential Garden in the Village (Allison Evens Trophy) Michele Bird.
From the front of the property to the back, everywhere we looked there was something interesting and beautiful to look at. The front was full of colour that was a delight to see. As you walked through the little paths it was like walking through a secret garden. The back was beautifully landscaped creating a lovely view from the balcony which also had an amazing array of plotted plants. We loved the eclectic style and she has done an amazing job with the space that she has.
2. Best Non-Residential Garden in the Village Djindal Bayanyu EcoRetreat (Mark Cubis and Leonie Crennan)
The place at the end of Mount Spec Rd/Loop Rd – The landscaping was very well done. It had different levels and points of interest such as the timber archway and water feature. The view from the deck down onto the garden was lovely and created such a relaxing space.
3. Best Acreage Garden Lynn and Les Hyland.
Out of all the acreage properties we saw, we felt this property used the space to its full potential. There were interesting paths to take you throughout the property, each one was a unique experience. We also loved that the forest itself was integrated as part of the garden. It created a beautiful balance of established gardens and the natural environment.
4. Highly Recommended Village Garden Julie and Tony Bligh
The Japanese style garden – It was such a surprise to see the beautiful little Japanese style garden amongst the Paluma rainforest. We loved the use of water which created an interesting and tranquil space and the black pine was a beautiful specimen. It was a unique little garden well worth seeing.
5. Most Unusual Feature or Plant Specimen Don Battersby
He had the most impressive collection of anthuriums we have seen and there were many interesting specimens but the poisonous pigtail anthurium was the most unusual garden specimen we had seen that day. Something we have never seen or heard of.
The winners…. (except the Blighs)
Congratulations to all the winners. We hope to post separate articles on recent winning gardens early next year.
