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| Notice to residents and motorists |
| Mt Spec Road survey works Monday 14 March to Wednesday 16 March 2022 Changed traffic conditions, minor delays |
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| The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) advises that contractors will be undertaking survey and site investigation works on Mt Spec Road at Mountain Creek (around 5km north of Little Crystal Creek) from 14 to 16 March 2022. This work is subject to weather conditions. Works hours and activities: Monday 14 March: 9am to 4pm – traffic control set up, initial investigations. Tuesday 15 March: 6am to 6pm – surveying works. Wednesday 16 March: 9am to 4pm – final investigations, traffic control removed. What to expect during these works: Traffic controllers on site Signage and speed restrictions in place. Traffic reduced to single lane (one direction at a time). Minor delays – please plan your journey and allow additional travel time. |
| If you require further information about these works, please contact the Northern District Customer and Stakeholder Management team by email at engagement.northern@tmr.qld.gov.au or by phone on 1800 625 648. For the latest traffic and travel information, visit www.qldtraffic.qld.gov.au. |
Category: Community Noticeboard
Paluma After Dark Club
Saturday Night, 8 pm, Potters Park. Bring a torch
For a small community, Paluma could be said to have a fairly active schedule of evening events throughout the year, but on most nights the village is pretty quiet – in terms of human activity. However this statement belies the fact that our village and surrounding forest have a very active and often noisy nightlife.
Over the last year or so, following the lead of my son Michael, I have been taking nighttime walks through the village local tracks to see what I could see and hear. With the help of a head torch, binoculars and a frog call recording app on my iPhone I have been able to identify most of the more common and easily detected animals.
Common sightings include bandicoots, Pademelons, barred frogs (on wet nights) native rats. Less common to rare, and mostly not yet seen by me at night are Dingos, pythons, nightigers, Feather-tailed gliders, Possums, and even (over a decade ago) a spotted-tailed quoll.
Common sounds include 2 species of frog (again on wet nights), the thumps of unseen Pademelons retreating into the forest, and the piercing buzz of cicadas (as yet unidentified), Babook owls and Lesser Sooty Owl
Not every evening walk results in a sighting, although after heavy rain, frogs are just about guaranteed. And of course the tiny gleaming eyes of wolf spiders and the ever-present sound of cidadas mean that no night walk is without signs of life.
I am keen to continue to go on a regular night walks around the village and perhaps along the road out to the Dam this year. I invite anyone who is interested to join an unofficial “Paluma After Dark Club” and spend an hour or so every couple of months to see what we can record and discover. The inaugural walk will be this Saturday evening (February 26). Meet at Potters Park opposite 27 Lennox Cr at 8 pm.
Bring a head torch, preferably a bright one that can be focused to a narrow beam. Binoculars are also surprising useful to identify mammals and night birds once they are in the beam of a spotlight.
If the first event garners sufficient interest, we might also consider bringing some experts on specific groups up to give us a talk and a guided walk.
Text and Photos by Jamie Oliver
Works Planned for Paluma Dam Road
On Monday (21 February) I heard a media release that the next stage of road upgrading works are soon to commence on the Paluma Dam Road. The following information has been sourced from the Townsville City Council website for the information of Paluma residents and users of both the Paluma Range Road and the Paluma Dam Road. For more information please contact Townsville City Council or Mendi Group direct.
Date published: TCC Website 18 February 2022
Townsville City Council has contracted local business Mendi Group to undertake the second stage of repairs to sections of Paluma Dam Access Road which were damaged during the 2021 wet season.
Council has received over $540,000 in funding under the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) to undertake the works.
Council Infrastructure Services Committee chairperson Kurt Rehbein said the first stage of the works were completed in late-2021 as part of Council’s annual maintenance of the road.
“Stage two will involve more detailed works to repair significant damage to a number of sections of drainage along the 11 km dirt stretch,” Cr Rehbein said.
“The works will include the addition of a new layer of gravel along the length of the road, or resheeting as it is commonly known.”
“Mendi Group will conduct the remediation works, which will support approximately 20 local jobs.
“The road will remain open for the duration of the works, however there may be some minor traffic delays and we thank the community for their cooperation and their patience as this work is completed.”
Works start next week and are expected to take three weeks, weather permitting.
Chinese New Year Social this Saturday 19 February
It’s a new year and time to kick off the Paluma Village social calendar for 2022!
This Saturday evening 19 February, the first Social of the year will be held at the Paluma Community Hall. It’s the Chinese New Year celebration and the ‘Year of the Tiger’.
Everyone is welcome to join in the celebration commencing at 6.30 pm at the Hall. As always, please bring a dish to share – hot or cold, sweet or savoury. The theme of the night is all things Chinese, so perhaps test your culinary skills with a Chinese inspired dish? Last years banquet of Chinese dishes was remarkable, so let’s see if we can go one better this year? Ever reliable Barman Les will be on hand to serve low-cost beverages on the night.
Local artist Jennie Robinson was so inspired by the ‘Year of the Tiger’ she has created an amazing tiger portrait. Jennie has kindly donated her masterpiece to the Paluma community (PDCA) and so we will be holding a raffle for the painting on the night. Tickets are $1.00 each or 5 for $5.00 – absolute bargain. Please see Michele or Les next weekend for tickets – anytime on Saturday or on the night. The winner will be drawn at the Social.
Please come along to what will surely be another fun night at Paluma Village.
New Defibrillator at the Community Hall
ATTENTION ALL PALUMA RESIDENTS
A new Defibrillator is now installed at the Community Hall.
The unit is in a cabinet which is mounted on the outside wall of the Community Hall, next to the main entry door to the Hall. Please take a look at the photographs below to familiarise yourself with the location of the unit.
New signage indicating that the unit is available at the Community Hall will be installed at the front and side of the Hall.
The cabinet is unlocked and it is alarmed (with a siren). The siren will go off as soon as the cabinet is opened, but it stops again when the door is shut. We are hoping that the siren/alarm will deter any would-be vandals from interfering with the unit.
May we please request that if any nearby residents hear the alarm going off that they investigate to either provide assistance in a genuine emergency, or chase away any idiots or vandals who might be interfering with the unit.
We are hoping that the current arrangement will work and that vandals will refrain from interfering with the Defibrillator. The preference is that we do not lock the cabinet, as this would mean that in an emergency people would have to seek out the key or the security code to get access to the unit. This delay could potentially mean the difference between saving a life, or having the worst happen.
We are relying on the eyes and ears of the Paluma community to be watchful and vigilant in protecting this unit.
The best outcome is that the Defibrillator sits idle, mounted on the wall for many years to come and that we never have to use it!
Over to you Paluma community!
Thank you Wilfred for providing the photographs and information for this post.
Reminder: Colwyn’s Birthday Party, 15 January
A reminder that the Paluma social calendar kicks off 2022 in style and sophistication with a Birthday Party for Paluma’s very own version of Audrey Hepburn – Colwyn Campbell.
Everyone is invited to attend this auspicious occasion to mark the 80 years young birthday party of one of our most beloved and admired residents.
The party will be held at the Rainforest Inn, Saturday 15 January commencing at 5.30 pm.
Please bring a plate/dish of food to share – finger food, savoury or sweet, hot or cold.
The Bar will be open so you can purchase drinks. Free tea & coffee will be available.
Don’t forgot to bring along 2022’s essential fashion accessory – your face mask (as per Queensland Government regulations for cafes, restaurants, etc).
We look forward to seeing everyone at this event to celebrate with Colwyn.
Reminder: Working Bee this Saturday 8 January
This is a reminder that there will be a Working Bee at the Rainforest Walking Track to be held this coming Saturday 8th January at 2 pm.
All volunteers, please meet at the Community Hall at 2 pm and please bring along your wheelbarrow, shovels, lots of energy and enthusiasm.
What better way to work off those extra Christmas calories than a bit of sweat and toil in the rainforest. Many hands make light work, so please come along for an hour or two to lend a hand in maintaining this precious patch of Paluma paradise.
See you there!
Working Bee – Rainforest Walking Track
There will be a Working Bee at the Rainforest Walking track to be held on Saturday 8th January at 2 pm.
All volunteers, please meet at the Community Hall just before 2 pm on the day and please bring along your wheelbarrow, shovels, lots of energy and enthusiasm.
Refreshments will be provided after the work is done.
Remember that the maintenance and up-keep of the Rainforest Walking Track is up to us as the residents of Paluma Village. If we don’t look after it, we will lose it!
Please direct any questions to Wilfred who is organising this Working Bee.
Everyone is encouraged to attend to lend a hand.
Paluma Dam Spillway Concrete Works – Project Update:
From Councillor Margie Ryder:
Townsville City Council is committed to providing and maintaining $5.4B worth of community assets consisting of water and wastewater networks, bridges, drainage, roads, waste management and spillway maintenance.
Paluma Dam spillway infrastructure maintenance works are ongoing that will see the delivery of protection barrier installed to the foundations of the dams spillways bridge.
Works are now at the stage for the construction of the new protective concrete barrier ‘slab’ that will be poured onto the existing surface. These works will require a convey of concrete trucks that will be using the Paluma Dam access road which will cause traffic delays.
Council will have traffic management in place; however, dependable on weather conditions the unsealed access road to the Dam including the Paluma Dam campgrounds may have considerable delays on the day of concrete pouring.
The Paluma Dam, Concrete Pouring works are scheduled to commence on Thursday, 02 December 2021 and are expected to take one day to complete.
Please be advised that the concrete trucks will be operational 7am through to 2pm. Normal traffic conditions will return post 2pm.
Townsville City Council Update on their Website
Reminder: Paluma Community Hall 20th Anniversary Morning Tea
A reminder to all Paluma residents past and present that there will be a Morning Tea this Sunday 24 October at 10.30 am to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Paluma Community Hall.
We encourage everyone to attend to mark this important occasion and to learn some more about the history of our beloved Community Hall and also to acknowledge those members of our village community who were instrumental in establishing the Hall (in its past and present forms). Please come along and enjoy a cuppa and some cake. Everyone has a story or an experience about our beloved Community Hall and we encourage you to come along and share your memories and reminiscences.
Prior to the Sunday Morning Tea, we are calling for some keen volunteers from the community to help us give the Hall a clean so it looks its very best on Sunday morning. Please come along to the Hall at 9 am on Saturday morning 23 October. The more the merrier and the sooner we get the job done!
