Paluma Range National Park is at the southern end of the
World Heritage Wet Tropics. Although this area was settled approximately
120 years ago, its scenic beauty ensured its national park status. Today,
Paluma Range National Park and the mountain settlements of Paluma and
Hidden Valley are popular retreats which have never been exploited or
overdeveloped.
About 60kms north of Townsville, or 40kms south of Ingham, the Mt Spec
Road leaves the Bruce Highway and turns inland towards the beautiful mountains
of the Paluma Ranges. Separating the National Park from the Mt Spec State
Forest, this scenic road is a monument to human effort as it was built
mostly by hand during the 1930’s Great Depression.
Along the winding mountain road can be found examples of original stonework
and ingenuity, the most popular of which is the photogenic stone bridge
over Little Crystal Creek 7 kms from the bottom of the range. This historical
arch was the first of its kind in Queensland and spans the icy cold crystal
clear water rushing down the gorge. The clear pools, huge granite boulders
and lush rainforest vegetation make Little Crystal Creek a popular stopover
on the way up to the village of Paluma.
Picnic, BBQ and toilet facilities are available both at Little Crystal
Creek and at Paluma. Walking tracks, some of which provide stunning views,
wind through the National Park. Continuing west from Paluma, magnificent
stands of eucalypts, ferns and brackens gradually replace the rainforest.
 As
the elevation drops into Hidden Valley, the climate becomes warmer, drier
and the vegetation changes to what is traditionally thought of as the
Australian Bush. On the way to Hidden Valley, the road surface changes
to formed gravel just past the turnoff to Lake Paluma.
The road into Lake Paluma is also gravel, winding through 10kms of rainforest,
famous for its tropical birdlife. |
