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Paluma Range Road – Fire to Flourish

Most Paluma residents will tell you that they never tire of driving the Paluma Range Road. While the road often invokes fear and trepidation for new visitors and tourists, you will very often hear the locals talking animatedly about their observations and encounters along the road, whether it be with native fauna and flora, other road-users, fallen trees, floods and fire. Some long-time residents know the road culvert by culvert – from top to bottom.

Driving the Range Road in the warmer months of the year and during the wet season is always special. Very often there is water cascading down the rock faces adjacent to the road and beautiful waterfalls at the creek crossings. Sometimes the water is even streaming down the middle of the road! If you are lucky you might encounter reptiles such as large pythons, water dragons and freshwater turtles during your drive. In certain months of the year, it is possible to spot migratory bird species such as the paradise kingfisher in particular locations along the road.

Being on the Range Road in the dry season is just as remarkable. With the recent prolonged dry spell in the region, just a few short weeks ago an intense bushfire ravaged the terrain on the lower slopes and foothills of the Paluma Range. Following the fire it was difficult to spot any greenery in the bush and hardly a blade of grass was left intact. It was hard to imagine how the bush would recover from such a devastating blaze.

Less than one month later and the bush is regenerating with a vengeance. Driving the Range Road at the present time is an absolute joy. There are green shoots and new growth everywhere as the bush springs back to life. It is well known that the Australian bush needs fire for regeneration and there are many species of native plants reliant on regular firing regimes to promote new growth and for seed germination. The resilience of the bush and its adaptability to fire is well evident on the Paluma Range at the present time.

Cycads with fresh new growth

Among the many plants springing back to life are Eucalypts of various species, cycads (probably Cycas media) and grass trees (Xanthorrhoea sp.). The cycads are especially beautiful with their new, soft grey-green foliage unfurling from blackened stumps. Understory plants such as pandanus palms (Pandanus sp.), wombat berry (Eustrephus latifolius) and flax lily (Dianella sp.) are rampant with new growth on the charred, hard-baked clay soils and amongst the granitic outcrops.

Flax lily and wombat berry emerge from charred ground

Next time you drive the Range Road make sure you look for the ever-advancing tinges of green as the woodland forest springs back to life. This is ‘mother nature’ at her very best.

Cycad regrowth sprouts from burnt stumps

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

Opening of the new extension to the Community Hall

John and Junita Tubman in front of the new “John Tubman Room”

On Saturday (Sept 22) more than 30 Paluma residents, PDCA members, visitors and the Member for Hinchinbrook, Nick Dametto met in the Community Hall to celebrate the completion of the new training/meeting room.  In recognition of his long history of contributions to the Community and to the construction of the main hall, the extension was named the John Tubman Room.  Head of the local SES, James Jackson, paid tribute to John’s dedicated work on and with the PDCA  over more than 2 decades and in the planning of the new hall.

James Jackson pays tribute to John Tubman

John Tubman was clearly overwhelmed and deeply appreciative of this formal recognition.

The PDCA president, Jamie Oliver also made special mention of the crucial  work done by Micheal Drew in securing the majority of the funding for the hall extension and for his tireless oversight of the building contract.

Nick Dametto and Jamie Oliver unveiling the new Honour Board

Following the cutting of the ribbon to open the new hall, Nick Dametto unveiled the new “Honour Board” which recognizes the many people who were involved in the construction of the main Hall in 2001, and lists the many people who have served as president of the PDCA over the last 42 years.  Nick congratulated all Paluma residents on their work to create such an important community facility.

After further wine and cheese, Jamie Oliver gave a brief presentation on the PDCA vision for the future of Paluma.  A copy of this presentation is available for downloading here.  There was a lively discussion following the presentation that covered a range of topics, including the need for more attractions (and signage) to encourage people up to the top of the range from the Little Crystal Creek Bridge, the importance of more accommodation and camping facilities in the village, and the need for ongoing vigilance on the issue of power boats on the dam (a matter that has gone into abeyance for the time being).

Over 30 people attended the meeting

More photos from the event can be  seen below.

Honour Board
Honour Board
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What’s Flowering In Paluma – Paperbark or Tea Tree

Paperbark/Tea Tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia)

There is currently a rather spectacular Paperbark or Tea Tree in full bloom at Paluma on the roadside along Mt Spec Road. The tree is located in front of the residence at 50 Mt Spec Road, opposite the Paluma Environmental Education Centre. It’s hard to miss this tree, because if you don’t immediately see and smell the sweet, honey-laden flowers, you can literally hear the air buzzing with thousands of bees – both native and European bees.

This tree is likely to be a Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as the broad-leaved paperbark. This specimen is a sturdy, multi-trunked tree with masses of creamy-yellowish bottlebrush-like flowers. This species of paperbark is native to Eastern Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. It often grows in damp areas, on the margins of swamps, on floodplains and near watercourses. This specimen is thriving on the mountain top at Paluma!

Not only is this tree a magnet for bees at the moment, it also provides a source of nectar for many honeyeaters. In less than 15 minutes of bird watching at this tree, I observed numerous birds visiting for a feed – Macleay’s Honeyeater, Dusky Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill and Lewin’s Honeyeater.

Make sure you stop on your next walk through the village to check out this superb tree. It’s a ‘hive’ of activity!

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s Flowering In Paluma – Clivia or Kaffir Lily

Clivia or Kaffir Lily (Clivia miniata)

This is an addendum to a previous post on Clivia’s which featured the orange flowering variety (previous post dated 30 July 2018).

Since the beginning of spring, clivia plants at Paluma have been blooming and one garden in particular has some superb flowering plants.

Bill and Linda Venn’s impressive garden at the ‘Paluma Rainforest Cottage’ at no. 31 Mt Spec Road features some spectacular clivia’s. In addition to the orange form, there is a beautiful yellow variety with a multitude of blooms. Also keep an eye out for the variety of hippeastrums and other spring flowering plants in this special garden.

 

 

 

 

A Scaly Squatter – Common Tree Snake

Common Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata)

After having been absent from Paluma for a short while, I returned home to find a very scaly squatter had taken up residence on my back verandah. A common tree snake was resting comfortably, having wrapped itself around the wooden beam of the verandah above my back door!

This new resident was not particularly impressed with me and was  perturbed by the movement and vibration associated with my homecoming. It soon moved off into the pot plants and then back to the rainforest, being harangued by several honeyeaters during its return to the forest.

Common tree snakes are regular visitors to Paluma gardens and homes. This specimen was grey-blue in colour and was probably a young snake, being about 70cm in length. Adult snakes can grow up to 1.8m in length. Common tree snakes are very agile climbers and are usually active during the day. They range in colour from black, grey, green and blue, usually with yellow or paler-coloured bellies. They have excellent vision, which is not surprising considering the large shiny black eyes on this individual. Common tree snakes are non-venomous and they feed mainly on frogs and small lizards. This might explain why the green frog that usually lives on my verandah has disappeared!

         Text & Photos by Michele Bird

 

Rainforest Tree of the Month, September 2018 – Tropical Bleeding Heart

Tropical Bleeding Heart     Homolanthus novoguineensis

It is hard to ignore this attractive, graceful tree which is also known as Native Poplar. Its leaves are simple with a smooth, glossy upper surface and glaucous (pale bloom) underside. The stems exude a milky sap when broken. But the striking feature of this tree is the scattering of brilliant red and orange leaves among the heart-shaped green leaves. Leaves can be quite big, up to 14 cm long and 12 cm at their widest breadth and as they age, rather than a mass seasonal colouration change, a few at a time turn bright red before dropping.

The leaves actually do not turn red. As the leaf ages it ceases photosynthesizing, the green chlorophyll is taken back into the tree as stored energy. Gradually the green pigment is reduced, leaving the brilliant red and orange colouration seen in expended and dropped leaves.

The tiny flowers occur in clusters in leaf axils. They are white or cream, have no petals and are only 1 to 2 mm diameter so are often difficult to detect. Flowering can occur in any month. The fruits which follow are small green to purplish capsules about 8 to 10 mm in size which contain 2 brown seeds enclosed in yellow or orange arils. The fruit is eaten by many bird species, notably Rifle-birds, Bower-birds and Pigeons. Possums eat the leaves.

The Bleeding Heart is also the host tree for the Hercules Moth which is the largest moth in the World.

Bleeding Heart trees grow over a large area of rainforests, swamp forests and sclerophyll forests in North Queensland, NT, WA, Solomon Islands and New Guinea. They are fast growing and can grow to a height of 25 meters when buttresses may form. The tree is a forest pioneer, one of the first to re-establish after a disturbance or devastation such as a cyclone. Its presence provides shelter for other rainforest species to germinate and become established.

As you take a stroll through the village, you will see many of these trees, from seedlings only a few centimeters high to slender trees of 3 or 4 meters.  After cyclone Yassi in  2011, a large number of seedlings sprung up in newly open areas around some village gardens.  A good example of the tree can be seen along the McClelland’s Lookout path.

Closely related is Native Bleeding Heart, Homolanthus nutans, also known as Native Poplar. This remains usually as a shrub or small tree, growing to about 8 meters. In every other respect, including distribution, it is very similar to the Tropical Bleeding Heart.

For more information, see: Plants of Tropical North Queensland: John Beasley

Text and Photos by Colwyn Campbell

What’s Flowering in Paluma – May Bush

May Bush (Spiraea cantoniensis)

Well, spring is here and there are many plants coming into bloom in Paluma gardens, despite the prolonged dry spell over past weeks. September is always an inspiring time for gardeners at Paluma.

One of the most spectacular flowering shrubs at this time of year is the May bush. It tends to be a rambling shrub with arching branches forming a rounded-shaped shrub. The shrub tends to go unnoticed until it bursts into flower in the spring. Clusters of intricate snow-white double flowers cover the entire shrub, forming a spectacular display. When in full bloom the plants are a great attractant for native bees.

      

The common name ‘May bush’ is somewhat misleading because it flowers in September and October in the southern hemisphere. The species name ‘cantoniensis’ refers to this plant’s origins in South Eastern China and in the northern hemisphere it flowers in May.

The May bush is easy to grow and thrives in the cool mountain climate at Paluma. Many gardens along Mt Spec Road currently have May bushes in full bloom. Keep an eye out for these spectacular shrubs on your next walk through the village.

 

 

 

 

Opening Ceremony for the new Community Hall extension

After more than a year of planning and many months of construction, the new Training/Meeting Room at the Community Hall has been completed!

The PDCA, Rural Fire Brigade and SES invites all residents and PDCA members to join us for an official opening ceremony on September 22, 2018 at 5:00pm. After the ceremony, we will be offering wine and cheese and there will be a brief presentation by the PDCA President on our Vision for Paluma. We will be encouraging comments, questions and suggestions following this presentation.

We hope you can join us.

Paluma Profiles – Roy Mackay

This month in ‘Meet A Villager’ we introduce you to Roy Mackay.

Roy Mackay celebrated his 90th birthday last March (2018) with one of the biggest birthday parties Paluma has ever seen. The Rainforest Inn was bursting at the seams on the afternoon of Sunday 18th March as all of Roy’s Paluma friends and family joined him for a very special day to mark his 90 years young.

Roy Mackay has led a truly remarkable life. He was born in Camperdown in Sydney in 1928. Roy’s passion for nature, the outdoors and ‘the bush’ developed very early in life and as a young child he kept several varieties of non-venomous snakes. His interest in herpetology has been life-long and even today he is known locally in Paluma as the ‘snake expert’.

Roy’s first job as a taxidermist

Roy’s first job after leaving high school was to train as a taxidermist at the Australian Museum in Sydney. He became so accomplished at his work that he was to become Head of the Department of Taxidermy.

In his mid-twenties, Roy met and married his wife Margaret, who was also a lover of nature and wildlife. They met at a monthly meeting of the Royal Zoological Society in Sydney. Margaret was a nature photographer  and she also worked as a zoo-keeper at the Taronga Zoo.

In 1964, Roy and Margaret moved to Papua New Guinea and Roy took up a position as the Director of the Papua New Guinea Museum in Port Moresby. Roy’s work involved travelling the lengths and breadths of PNG to collect indigenous artefacts and museum specimens.

Roy’s love of nature, culture and anthropology led him to spend the next 23 years in PNG. He also worked as the Director of the Baiyer River Sanctuary, which focused on a breeding program for the Bird of Paradise in the western highlands of PNG.

In 1987, Roy and Margaret moved back to Australia and made Paluma their permanent home. Roy says that they chose Paluma to live because they could be “close to nature”. Roy has lived in the village for the last 31 years.

Roy’s early training as a naturalist, curator and scientist means that he is an avid record keeper. Even today, Roy keeps meticulous records. If you want to know the rainfall figures for last November, the average daily temperature for June, or how many snakes have been observed in the village this month, then Roy will have it documented!. His diligence in record keeping is to be admired and envied.

What is most astounding is that Roy has kept detailed journals of his life’s work and travels, filling volumes and volumes  of precious hand-written diaries. To add to his achievements, Roy is a published author, with his numerous books and pamphlets pertaining mostly to his work in PNG. For many years, Roy has been a regular contributor to local newsletters, contributing articles on ‘Nature Notes’. Roy’s publications, his personal library, memoirs, journals and his contribution to science and the natural world is nothing short of outstanding.

Roy Mackay in his library

As a nation, Australia keeps a list of ‘National Living Treasures’. The recipients of this award are chosen on the basis of “having made an outstanding contribution to Australian society in any field of human endeavour”.  Roy Mackay would certainly qualify for this list. If the village of Paluma was to have such a list, then Roy Mackay would be at the very top of our list. He is our own very special, National Living Treasure.