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Great Tropical Drive
Self Drive ToursLittle Crystal Creek is 11 kilometres below Paluma on the winding Mt Spec (Paluma Range) Road. This road is not recommended for caravans. At the bottom of the range is an old quarry site where caravans can be left parked for the day. If you drove up to Paluma from the coast road from Townsville or Ingham, you will have noticed the stone bridge about 15 minutes from the top of the range. Ample carparking is available above the road while a dedicated bus pullover area is right beside the National Park picnic area. Free gas barbecues and wheelchair accessible toilets are located in the picnic area. Tap water should be boiled before drinking. Please - no cats or dogs, no soap in the creek and remove all your rubbish upon departure. For your own safety, don't jump off the rocks. The photogenic masonry arch bridge over Little Crystal Creek bridge was built in 1932-33, part of the Mt Spec Tourist Road unemployment relief scheme project. During the 1930s Great Depression, this project employed hundreds of men for periods of up to six weeks. A core of permanent Main Roads Commission staff worked on this road for seven years, many raising their families in tent camps scattered along the length of the road. The crystal clear water rushing down the gorge gives Little Crystal Creek its name and the deep pools are always icy cold, even on the hottest summer's day. The picturesque granite boulders, lush rainforest vegetation and excellent facilities make this the best swimming hole in Townsville-Thuringowa. Pack your camera, a picnic lunch, togs and towel and stop over on the way up to the village of Paluma.
While usually suitable for conventional vehicles with some clearance, visitors are advised to check road conditions with NQ Water between November and March. Allow an hour's driving time for a return trip from Paluma. For your safety, travel with your lights on and observe the reduced speed limit. NQ Water spent more than half a million dollars upgrading the recreational facilities at Lake Paluma. Dedicated day visitor facilities include a boat ramp, covered picnic tables, free gas barbecues, and wheelchair accessible toilets (no showers). Permitted activities include swimming, canoeing, sailing, picnicking and bird watching.
Benham's Track is a tin-miner's access track dating back to the 1880s, originally running from Cloudy Clearing (now Paluma) to Hidden valley via Hermitville (near Lake Paluma) and along Hermit Creek and Running River. Offering the visitor to Paluma a 'ring road' deviation from a Great Tropical Drive trail and an unique four-wheel-drive experience through many different vegetation types, this track is unfortunately currently closed to the general public. Contact Wet Tropics www.wettropics.gov.au to inquire about the possibility of getting a permit to traverse. Eucalypt Forests and Woodland Habitats
Just west of the village of Paluma are some small acreages subdivided during the Second World War, the intention then being to provide Townsville with another source of flowers, fruit and vegetables. Today, most are hobby farms or weekend retreats. Four kilometres on your right you pass by the turn-off to Lake Paluma. By the time you reach the end of the bitumen road (another 10km on), you are over the crest of the Paluma range and the rainforest is being replaced by magnificent tall eucalypt species. The hardwood forest of the 'ecotone' is still being partially logged, so beware of logging trucks. Once past the Taravale Road turnoff, you are driving past 'Taravale' and 'Mt Zero' Stations. These cattle properties were purchased about five years ago by Australian Wildlife Conservancy, a private conservation organisation aiming to protect the concentration of significant flora and fauna found there. A little further on, you drive through a small settlement known locally as Blackfriars. Beyond Blackfriars the country changes yet again, becoming similar to that found around Herberton on the Atherton Tablelands. Tin was mined here as well. As the road drops down to Running River in Hidden Valley (700m above sea level), the climate becomes much warmer and drier. The vegetation is now what is traditionally thought of as the Australian 'bush'. |
The Paluma area features in two of the trails forming the Great Tropical Drive. The Great Tropical Drive is a self-drive touring route that winds its way from tropical beaches, to ancient rainforests and over the ranges to the outback of North Queensland. Detailed maps and touring information for twenty self-drive routes is available from the Great Tropical Drive website at 
Lake Paluma is a water storage facility 15 kilometres west of Paluma, 11 kilometres of which is a well-formed gravel road that presents the visitor with a close-up view of mountaintop rainforest not often accessible elsewhere in the Wet Tropics.
Lake Paluma is also a popular camping destination. For further information, go to the NQ Water website. For information on current road conditions, contact the NQ Water Ranger on 4770 8526 or 4770 8510.
To see how 'thin' the tropical rainforest is along the face of the coastal ranges, drive west of Paluma towards Hidden valley (25km). Most of this drive is now along a narrow but bitumenised road. This drive, when added to that ascending the Paluma Range, covers many of the habitat types found in North Queensland and is a favourite with bird and animal lovers alike. Allow at least an hour for a safe return trip from Paluma to Hidden valley (Running River).