Life in Paluma – Page 5 – Paluma – our village in the mist

Reminder: Paluma Social Event – Monsters & Mayhem on the Mountain

There is no doubt that Paluma has been a hive of frenetic activity over the past month with the rescheduling of the Paluma Push and the Paluma Dam Good Trail Run into October and early November. With the weather warming up, there has been a lot of sweating in the village of late. Len Cook also fired up the anagama kiln in late October, so things got pretty hot and heavy over on Lennox Crescent. Well, now it’s time to put out the fire, wash the lycra and put the jock-strap back in the drawer.

With the advent of Covid-19 restrictions in March 2020 the only PDCA Paluma Social Event this year has been the St. Patrick’s day celebrations. But, that is about to change……..!

This coming Saturday the 7th November, the PDCA will host its second social event for the year – It’s Monsters and Mayhem on the Mountain!

You are all invited to join your friends and neighbours for a post-Covid catchup and at the same time you can support our PDCA. Come as you are (some of you are already monsters!?!?), or come dressed as your favourite monster, ghoul, witch, demon or wizard. There will be a free drink for the best/worst costume.

As always, please bring a plate of food to share – savoury or sweet. Barman Les (Lurch) will have the bar open to serve you beverages at great prices.

The Monsters will congregate at 6.30 PM at the Community Hall.

Be there or else we will come to get you!!!!!!

Jill Went Up the Hill…..

Paluma’s own Jill Meads joined the hordes of mountain bike riders last Sunday (11/10/20) to undertake the annual Paluma Push from Paluma Village to Hidden Valley.

Jill was joined by good friends Ruth and Cheryl and they tackled the 42 km recreational track. It was Jill’s third time in participating in the Push, with her last race about six years ago.

Jill was happy to report that all three riders finished their race in good spirits and in good health. They plan to do it all again next year in 2021 when the Paluma Push will celebrate its 20th year. Jill would encourage everyone to get out there and give it a go. It’s a lot of fun and the surrounding country is something to see.

Well done Jill, Cheryl and Ruth. Paluma is proud of you!!!!

Jill and friends Ruth and Cheryl at Checkpoint 3 during the Paluma Push.

Time to relax and enjoy a cold drink at the Volunteers BBQ after the Paluma Push.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

Caution – Python Crossing!

With the weather warming up, this is a timely reminder that reptiles are on the move and may be encountered in and around the village of Paluma. Earlier today, Jennie Robinson spotted this large and well-fed python crossing Mt Spec Road near Nick and Glenda’s place. Note the large bulge in the mid-section of this snake from a recent meal. Jennie made sure the python was well off the road before any vehicles came along.

Please be alert for these amazing reptiles when driving through the village as they often like to bask on the warm bitumen along Mt Spec Road. No doubt this particular python was seeking a good place for a bit of R&R whilst digesting its dinner!

Happy Birthday Jennie !

Last Saturday (3/10) at the Rainforest Inn we took the opportunity at the usual morning tea session to celebrate the upcoming birthday of Jennie Robinson. Jennie’s family and a number of her Paluma friends and neighbours joined her for coffee/tea and carrot cake. The cake was decorated with two of her favourite things – flowers and bees! Thanks to Lynda for her innovative cake decorating and to Michele for catching all those bees!

Happy Birthday Jennie for the 7th October. May you enjoy your birthday and the year ahead.

Jennie, Jack and Neil at the Rainforest Inn.

A string of UFO’s over Paluma?? or ……

Last Thursday SpaceX, the company led by Elon Musk, launched 57 “Starlink” satellites into low earth orbit. For the first day or so they could be seen in the night sky as a string of bright lights racing across the night sky, prior to moving off under their own steam to take up separate orbits. Last Saturday night Wilfred Karnoll was lucky enough to see this spectactular show and was briefly convinced he might have been seeing UFOs.

A string of recently released Star-link satellites taken last year over the Netherlands

Perhaps others also caught a glimpse of this latest deployment by SpaceX? Let us know if you did.

While sixty-odd satellites sounds like a lot, this is mearly the lastest batch in a major program that will ultimately see a network of thousands of wirelessly interconnected satellites that will provide high bandwith internet to people around the word in even the remotest of locations.

Currently there are over 700 Starlink satellites overhead and beta testing of internet links has commenced in the US. Hovever SpaceX has permission to launch nearly 12,000 and has currently seeking further permission to have a total of 42,000 satellites in orbit. Currently there are only about 2000 satellites of all types circling the earth, so space is going to get pretty crowded in the future. Astronomers have complained that all these bright objects will hinder stargazing – SpaceX has responded by intalling “sunshades” over its latest satellites.

Australian regulator ACMA has given SpaceX initial approval for the Starlink internet service to operate in Australia, but there is much more testing, launching and approvals to do before we in Paluma can think about switching from the rather lack-lustre SkyMuster NBN satellite. In the mean time you can go to this website, or download an Apple or Android, app that will tell you when you can observe the light-show over Townsville/Paluma.

Happy Birthday Lynn!

Lynn Hyland celebrated her birthday this past week and the occasion was marked with a birthday cake at morning tea on Saturday at the Rainforest Inn. Jennie baked an amazing layered rainbow cake and it was decorated by Lynda with colourful blooms from her garden, including pansies, violas and snapdragons. The cake not only looked spectacular, but it was delicious too.

Happy birthday to you Lynn!

A Different Kind of Chainsaw……

‘Chainsaw’ is a beautiful Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and she is the beloved pet and constant companion of Paluma resident Jim – best known to his friends as ‘Jungle Jim’ for the fact that he lives on a bush block about 35 km west of the village. Jim and Chainsaw have been together for 28 years.

Chainsaw’s story is an interesting one.

Jim found Chainsaw, or more correctly, she found Jim when she flew into his home one day from out of the blue. Jim says that she was already quite tame, fond of attention and she knew a few words. Jim thinks she definitely had a previous owner and perhaps an elderly or sick person because Chainsaw would mimic ‘coughing’ noises. At first, Jim tried to discourage her from staying, hoping that she would return to her former owner.

The rest of this story is history. Chainsaw never left and now Jim and Chainsaw are inseparable. Both have recently enjoyed a holiday to the coast to see Jim’s family. Chainsaw enjoyed the trip immensely, with Jim’s extended family lavishing her with attention. Jim named ‘Chainsaw’ in honour of the renowned and famous bucking bull who was doing the rodeo circuit back at the time she arrived.

This unlikely partnership between bird and bushman is surely a match made in heaven.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

Emergency & Rescue Training at Paluma

Last weekend Paluma Village was host to Jason Taylor and the team from Category 5 Emergency Care based out of Cairns. Jason conducted an Emergency and First Aid Training Course over several days at the Paluma Community Hall with emphasis on survival training and rescue in wilderness and remote locations. The course was well attended with over 20 participants. The Category 5 Emergency Care group specialises in teaching first aid training, event medical coverage, lifeguard courses and sports trainer education.

The training course included both theory and practical sessions with the participants actively engaged in several ‘mock scenarios’ in which they get to practice and hone their newly learned rescue skills.

Theory learning sessions took place at the Paluma Community Hall.

Practical sessions were held at the Village Green and one detailed ‘mock scenario’ on Sunday afternoon took place at the Paluma Weir. The emergency scenario as follows:-

A group of weary bush walkers was returning from several days of hiking in the wilderness. Upon nearing the Paluma settlement there was an unexpected bridge collapse at the Paluma Weir. There were numerous casualties with a range of injuries from potential spinal injuries, to broken and sprained limbs, possible concussion, cuts and abrasions. Medical assistance would be more than one hour in arriving at Paluma. Those who were injured and incapacitated were rendered first aid by those who were not injured and/or who were at the scene, using only the first aid supplies and materials from their hiking backpacks.

Practical training in rescue skills at the Village Green.

The life-like emergency scenario at the Paluma Weir was fascinating to observe. The photographs below show the practical training in action.

You can imagine the complete surprise of a couple of unsuspecting tourists who came upon the grisly scene at the weir on the Andre Griffin Walking Track on Sunday afternoon, with injured and bloodied bodies strewn along and adjacent to the walking track! Much to their relief, they were quickly reassured that emergency and rescue training was in session.

You can watch a slide show of all the photographs of the Paluma Weir training scenario, at the end of the post.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

Browse additional images below

A Pied Piper for Paluma

Rain, Rats, and Cannibalism

The wet weather always brings birds and a few bush creatures to shelter and seek food on my back deck. For the last two mornings birds in greater numbers than usual have come in, ravenously emptying the food dish then sitting huddled together, wet and bedraggled along the railing. Even a brush turkey, much to my chagrin, joined the throng. Lord Victoria (the senior Rifle-bird) was first in, just on daylight clinging to the back door and screeching for attention. He was joined by a junior male and a female; a Catbird (who didn’t stay with the mob); two female Bower-birds; about a dozen Macleay’s honey-eaters, who fly into the kitchen if, in an unguarded moment, I leave the screen door open, and a mob of noisy Lorikeets who squabbled and jockeyed for position all morning.

A not so welcome guest was a huntsman spider, fortunately not a big one, who moved into my bathroom but the most unwelcome guests over the past three weeks were rats. Bush rats have invaded the laundry while White-tailed rats have patrolled the laundry and decks, creating havoc. An Antechinus made it to the kitchen and I dread the day when a White-tailed Rat discovers it can enter the house with no effort at all by using the dog-flap.

Every night for the past three weeks I have set mesh traps and almost every morning had a captive to take to the release site at the forest edge. First was a White-tailed rat who did considerable damage in the laundry before he was trapped. Then, for five days in succession I took Bush Rats to the release site. Next was a young White-tailed rat. There was a lull for two days then two bush-rats and an Antechinus went to the release spot. Yesterday, a very big White-tailed rat was captured – so big he totally filled and could not move within the trap. In another small trap two bush rats were caught. To my horror, one rat had begun eating the other. Is this cannibalism a symptom of stress? Is this behaviour rare?

A young rat probably a white-tailed rat) awaiting “transportation for stealing bread” !

Again, this morning I took a Bush Rat out to the release site. I wonder if any other residents are experiencing unusual numbers of visiting rats.

I am beginning to feel that I need a Pied Piper in Paluma.

Bush Rat – Rattus fuscipes;
Yellow-footed Antechinus – Antechinus flavipes;
Giant White-tailed Rat – Uromys caudimaculatus

Text and Photos by Colwyn Campbell

Cherrypicker, Chainsaw & Chipper

Paluma residents might have thought that the village had been taken over by a Lumberjack’s Convention last weekend as the reverberating sound of chainsaws and mechanical chipper echoed around the village. It just so happens that some locals decided to take advantage of the fine weather to get some major pruning works underway. It all came about when locals Colin and Jill arranged for their son’s mate Jason, who is a professional arborist, to come to Paluma to prune some large rainforest trees on their block.

There was movement in the village and the word was passed around……..!

As it often does around here, word was quickly passed on that an arborist was in town and here was an opportunity not to be missed. While Jason had originally planned to spend a couple of days pruning trees at Paluma, he was quickly snapped up by neighbours far and wide for additional pruning jobs. He now has a week’s worth of bookings and he will be staying on for a while. Paluma often has that effect on people…..!

Jason has an interesting career. When not pruning trees, his regular day job is working on movie sets. He moved from Townsville to the Gold Coast to pursue this work. Most of his time involves setting up stunts for film-makers. He happens to be in North Queensland at the moment due to Covid-19 and travel restrictions. He is taking advantage of the enforced stay in the North to do some extra pruning jobs, with Paluma residents happy to oblige.

Jason’s expertise in his work provided much entertainment for locals as he worked from dizzying heights in the cherrypicker and from harnesses. He often had a small audience watching his every move as he worked away, high amongst the tree-tops to trim and tame some rainforest giants and also the tall pine trees at The Guesthouse.

*Jason working high among the branches of the tall pines at The Guesthouse.*

As always around this little village, the pruning became a community project with everyone ‘chipping in’ to lend a hand. It was all hands on deck at the chipper on Sunday afternoon. Not a branch or tree limb has gone to waste and the resultant mulch will be added to local gardens, flowerbeds and vegie patches.

The frenetic mulching activity at the chipper on Sunday afternoon.

Paluma residents ‘chipping in’ during the pruning works.

Wilfred & Popey get serious at the chipper. Is mulch produced by Popey called ‘Paluma Pulch’??

Text by Michele Bird. Photos by Colwyn Campbell & Michele Bird