THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD TO PALUMA - IS IT WORTH IT?

​Twenty kilometres of sealed but very narrow and winding road up the mountain to Paluma Village…is it worth the effort?

We had high hopes of our three days at Paluma Village. The drive from Bowen was uneventful, but not really in a good way…extensive roadworks and very few comfort breaks made for a challenging journey (so be warned!). Finally, we turned left away from the coast to tackle to mountain road to Paluma. About halfway up the trek we reached Little Crystal Creek – we only stopped briefly as we were keen to settle in at the Village. Even so, it looked promising for a future visit, and several groups of people were clearly enjoying themselves, walking about and swimming. 

​We checked in to our AirBnB accommodation and found it as charming as promised. It was a small and comfortable cabin with an open fireplace – and this proved very welcome when the afternoon mountain air cooled off, even as early as 3.30. But by far the most delightful aspect of our home was the front deck – spacious and enclosed, it was here that we were entertained by the local birdlife whenever we put out, as instructed by our host, small portions of fruit. The villagers have focused on a sustainable approach to the birds, feeding them only fruit (bananas and pears seemed to be favourites). This seems to be working well, and the birds have wised up to this happy source of food.

​Each day, we were visited by satin bower birds, Victoria’s riflebirds, MacLeay’s honeyeaters and Lewin’s honeyeaters. On the first evening we saw a spotted catbird, but it didn’t make a repeat visit during our stay. Needless to say, the birds are very practiced at swooping and claiming the fruit pretty much as soon as it appears, and this sometimes leads to some argy bargy and competitive behaviour. So the front deck could get pretty action packed at times, and action photography was on the menu.

​During our time in the village, we did a few walks and visited the surrounds. The walk from the village square to Cloudy Creek (about 2.6 km return) was a good introduction to the terrain and the rainforest. Birds were audible but as usual hard to spot in the rainforest. This was made more challenging by some pretty boisterous fellow walkers (more on that shortly). 

​We also drove out beyond the village to the Paluma Lake Dam. Some of the road was unsealed but very driveable. This was well worth it – it has quite a few well-established camping sites and walking tracks. We’re pretty sure we spotted the tail end of a cassowary on one of the walks, but no photographic evidence was created. We heard many bird calls and were lucky to get a few shots of a bridled honeyeater, an eastern yellow robin and a Lewin's honeyeater on the edge of the forest and as often happens near the carparks. We also walked across the dam wall, and that led to very different terrain among very tall eucalypts (eucalyptus grandis?). Other walks back in the village included McLellands Lookout, with commemorations to the US presence there during WWII, and the H Track which included lovely benches for rest and contemplation.

​Unfortunately there are no longer any cafes or general stores in the village, except the Rainforest Inn which was not open during our stay. For those who have been to Paluma before, the much-loved Ivy Cottage is no more, and is currently up for sale. However, we had a lovely visit and very engaging conversation with Len Cook at Paluma Pottery where there is a very new gallery for both ceramics and botanic art. We highly recommend a visit there.

So given the challenging trek up the mountain and the lack of cafes you might expect the village to be a very serene experience. Not so: Paluma also houses two environmental education centres, and busloads of children of all ages seem to arrive and or stay overnight. As well as general outdoor activities, they also walk the tracks and visit the Dam. We are so delighted to see these curriculum resources for our younger fellow citizens and hope that their experiences lead to a lifelong love of nature and how to preserve and encourage it. But just be warned that visits during the week might not be such a quiet getaway if that’s what you are hoping for at Paluma. 

So, is that long and winding road to Paluma worth it? We would say “definitely”! The birdlife is tremendous and the walking tracks generally accessible and delightful. The fresh mountain air is an invigorating tonic. And if you enjoy cosying up in front of a wood fire on cool evenings, even better. Go and enjoy it as soon as you can!