Category: Village news

Reminder: Outer Limits Events – Dinner Under the Stars & Paluma Trail Run, 30 & 31 October

This coming weekend, 30 and 31 October, Outer Limits will host their annual Dinner Under the Stars on Saturday evening 30 October, to be followed by the Paluma Village Trail Run on Sunday 31 October.

Dinner under the Stars

Join us for an end of year celebration, the night before our last trail run for 2021. The Dinner Under the Stars is held on Saturday night, 30th October from 5.30pm onwards. The Feel Good Foodie will be set up at the Outer Limits Adventure Centre for a casual night out under the stars or as it is Paluma, it will most likely be in the clouds.

Paluma Village Trail Run

The final run in the Outer Limits Trail Run Series 2021. The Paluma Village Trail Run is our favourite event in the series, we have kept the best for last. It features amazing trails, taking you through the World Heritage listed rainforest in the most southern part of the Wet Tropics. This time of the year, Paluma Village is a great escape from the heat in Townsville.

For more details on both events and how to register, please go to the Outer Limits 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!

Reminder: Rainforest Track Working Bee this Saturday

A timely reminder that a Working Bee is to be held on Saturday 16th October, from 2pm to 4pm at the Rainforest Walking Track opposite the Community Hall.

Please come and join us with a wheel burrow, shovel, rake, and your enthusiasm to undertake some repair works on the track including the spreading of deco.

A refreshing drink will be made available at the Community Hall after the Working Bee. Please contact Wilfred  on 0447 822 626 for further information.

IF WE DON’T DO ANYTHING – WE WILL LOSE IT!

The Rainforest Walk is a short approximately 600m track that starts opposite the Community Hall, runs down to a small creek with evidence of stone pitching from the tin mining days and ends back on the main road opposite Sarah Swan’s Glass Art Studio. For many years this track has been maintained by QPWS, together with the ‘H Track’, but as a cost cutting measure the QPWS has decided to stop all maintenance on the Rainforest Walk because this track is not in the National Park. This track is situated on Unallocated State Land (USL). The ‘H Track’ is only 10% in National Park and 90% on the same block of USL, but QPWS are happy to continue to maintain the ‘H Track’……..You Figure It Out??!!

The Rainforest Walk is a very popular track and it is an invaluable tool to introduce anybody who can walk to the delights and diversity of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, and it is ideally located right in the middle of our community!

The start of the Rainforest Walking Track opposite the Community Hall.

After discussions within the group and getting the support of the USL Department, the Walking Track Volunteers (we look after over 100 km of walking tracks around Paluma, the Dam and Mount Spec) have decided to take on the responsibility to keep this track open and maintained to the same or better condition than when QPWS looked after it. We have already replaced a rotten board on one of the walk platforms and have begun to install galvanized chicken wire on the wooden platforms, as they were very slippery during wet weather (most of the time in Paluma). The biggest job on the maintenance list is the re-surfacing of large sections of the track with Deco, that has been dumped at each end of the track and needs to be taken by wheel burrow to the washed-out sections of the track. Whilst doing this, we will also install some drains across the track to channel rain water away from the track, rather than have it wash the Deco away again on the sloping sections of the track.

We will make a start on this work at a Working Bee to be held on Saturday 16th October, from 2pm to 4pm. We would like to appeal to all residents and community members to come and join us with a wheel burrow, shovel and rake, and a bit of elbow-grease!. Remember the saying – Many hands make light work!! A refreshing drink will be made available at the Community Hall after the Working Bee. Feel free to contact Wilfred  on 0447 822 626 if you have any questions.

Article by Wilfred Karnoll.

Sunday Mega-Market

The sun shone in Paluma last Sunday (3/10/21) and the final Paluma Community Market for 2021 was a resounding success. Crowds filled the hall to browse the stalls and the children’s playground, shade shelters and BBQ’s were filled with people enjoying the stunning Spring weather. All stallholders reported brisk trade and the sausage sizzle was a sell out. From plants to pineapples, gems and jewels, coffee and cake – the Paluma Market had something for everyone. Many visitors stayed on to browse the local art studios, enjoy lunch at the Rainforest Inn or take a walk in the cool mountain rainforest. Well done to the dedicated Paluma community volunteers who made it all happen.

All in all, a big day out in the little village of Paluma!

Len’s Anagama kiln fires up once again.

On Monday (September 27th) after months of preparatory work at the potter’s wheel, and a couple of days of hauling wood from out at Hussy Road, Len Cook’s famous wood-fired Anagama kiln has awoken after a year’s slumber and is erupting flames and smoke as it progressively consumes several cubic metres of wood. Len has stacked the kiln with an impressive array of original pots that will slowly be turned into stunning works of ash-glazed art by late Friday.

It will take several more days of cooling down before Len is able to open the kiln to discover how the pots have been transformed. Despite the years of experience that Len has with this process, it’s never certain how the pots will respond to the sometimes whimsical moods of the Anagama. I am sure that there will be some fantastic results, with most pots destined for art galleries, or the shelves of serious ceramic collectors.

Unofficial Notice of Paluma Dam Road Closure (Oct 5th-Nov 4th)

While the Townsville City Council does not have any official notification on their website I have received verbal advice from a council officer that major works to prepare the major potholes and ditches at specific spots on the dam road will commence and October 5th and be completed by November 4th – rain permitting.

Although it is disappointing that earlier advanced written notice of the closure directly from the Council to residents has not occurred, it is very good news that the chronic erosion of the road due to drain and culvert blockages will finally be fixed more permanently than just throwing some fill onto the road. Many thanks to Wilfred Karnoll whose persisentence during repeated phone calls and delayed meetings finally resulted in the recognition of the problem and a promise (soon to be fulfilled if it doesn’t rain) to fix it.

Reminder: The Last Paluma Market for 2021

The Queen’s Birthday weekend is the last Paluma Market for the year. It will be held on Sunday 3rd October from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm.

There will be a selection of stalls and the usual sausage sizzle. So, come up the mountain for the day and enjoy the cool ambience of Paluma. The kids can enjoy the playground while the adults scan the stalls in the hall for a bargain, enjoy a cuppa or a sausage or two.

Stall holders are welcome and should contact Lynn on 4773 7675 or eMail  lynnhyland@optusnet.com.au

See you at the Market.

Jack’s Awards

One of Paluma’s youngest residents has finished off the school year with some impressive awards.

Jack Appleton attends Ingham State High School and is finishing Year 12 in 2021. Recently Jack received two awards:- A Merit for Studies and the Subject Award for Certificate II in Automotive Studies.

Anyone who knows Jack, can attest to the fact that he has a remarkable ability to fix anything on wheels or with an engine! He is well known for gathering up all the unwanted bikes, scooters, motorbikes and even lawn mowers from around the village and Ingham township, to recycle the parts into contraptions that go – usually at full throttle and sometimes with a bit of noise!

His parents (Neil and Jennie) are most proud of his efforts at school this year. Mum Jennie might have to stop complaining now about all the ‘bits’ and ‘parts’ taking up space on the verandahs. I reckon it won’t be long before Paluma has its own mechanic on hand!

Congratulations Jack from all your friends and extended family at Paluma. Well done mate, we are proud of you!