Schedule

Welcome to the 2018 Paluma Push.

Saturday 21st July - Day Before

Rider Pack Pickup & Registration: 9.00AM to 1.30PM

All of you who live in Townsville or are in town on Saturday you can help in a big way by picking up your rider pack, race plate and your t-shirt at Top Brand Cycles.

Top Brand Cycles
200 Charters Towers Road
Hermit Park QLD 4812
Ph (07) 4725 5083

This will greatly reduce the volunteer’s workload on Sunday morning and will avoid the last minute rush at Paluma.

Sunday 22nd July - Race Day

Paluma Car Parking: Race Day Sunday

Parking will commence at the Hidden Valley side of Paluma. Drive through past the Paluma Community Hall and you will be directed by the parking marshals.

Please DO NOT park in driveways. We have a lot of cars to fit into Paluma so please follow the directions of the marshals.

Hidden Valley Parking: Race Day Sunday

Parking marshals will be at the external carpark at Hidden Valley Cabins for those doing the early car shuffle, bus transfer of supporters traveling to Hidden Valley after the start at Paluma.

Car Shuffle: Race Day Sunday

The road into Paluma will be closed by the police at the dam turn off at 8.45 AM until 9.30 AM which is after the last rider leaves Paluma.

IF YOU DO NOT GET BACK TO PALUMA FROM HIDDEN VALLEY BEFORE THE CLOSURE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO START THE RACE.

There will be a lot of traffic on the road between Paluma and Hidden Valley so make sure you allow plenty of time to get back to the start. Times given on the website are realistic.

Rider Pack Pickup: Race Day Sunday

The best option is to do this on Saturday morning at Top Brand Cycles. For those unable to pick up rider packs from Top Brand Cycles on Saturday, your goodie bag, race plate, t-shirt can be picked up at the Paluma Community Centre between 7.00AM and 8:15AM.

If you leave this to the last minute and cause the volunteer timers stress and worry you will be guaranteed a stick in the spokes and flat tires!

Water Bottle Drop Off: Race Day Sunday

For those riders wanting to have extra water bottles at Checkpoint 4, you will need to have your water bottles to the Paluma Community Hall prior to 7.50 AM.

Place your water bottle in one of the plastic tubs provided.
You can collect your water bottle from the same location (Paluma) after 4.00PM. Water bottles not collected will be taken to Top Brand Cycles for collection later in the week.

For Competition Riders Checkpoint 4 is approximately 40 km along the course.
Intermediate Riders Checkpoint 4 is approximately 40 km along the course.
Recreation Riders Checkpoint 4 is approximately 30 km along the course.

Rider Briefing 8:30AM at Paluma Community Centre

All riders must attend and listen.

THE MAJOR RANDOM PRIZE DRAWS WILL BE DRAWN AT THE RIDER BRIEFING.

** YOU MUST BE AT THE BRIEFING TO BE ABLE TO CLAIM THE PRIZE**
If not a new draw will occur. So don’t miss out on your substantial prize courtesy of our local bike shop

Top Brand Cycles!!

Start - In Village Green Park behind the Paluma Community Centre. Signs in the park will clearly identify the start where bikes can be placed in readiness. All riders start at 9:00am. Riders must self-seed but will be sorted… Competition plates in front, then Intermediate plates then Recreational riders

Competition Riders (70km) START : 9:00am

Intermediate Riders (53km) START: 9:00am

Recreation Riders (42km) START : 9:00am

Timing – Timing year is as per 2017 RFID electronic.

You must get your bike into the start zone through the start gates. This informs us who is actually riding on the day and those who DNS. This is important so we know not to go hunting lost riders who never actually started.
You MUST ride through the race start and finish gates riding past the antennae. There is an RFID exclusion area around the gates so you don’t trip the timer at the wrong times.
Please walk well around the gates when not actually racing!

Finish Time - Up to you. Riders may be directed by checkpoint marshals towards Hidden Valley if they look like taking all night or you may be collected up by the sweeps. The aim will be to have all riders finish by 1.30pm in time for presentations and to enjoy a relaxing time on the lawns at the Hidden Valley Cabins, a BBQ lunch (complimentary of Rockwheelers), a drink, and cheer on the others as they come in.

Presentations: 1:30PM for Comp + selected categories only.

You should be there to claim the random prizes.
Definitely be there to claim your category podium step & prize and/or your novelty category prize.
General categories will receive their prizes on the podium as they arrive at the finish line. This will speed up presentations considerably. Only the major categories will be presented at 1:30pm

For the Rider Support Crew (Friends and Family)

Short Walks in Paluma and Hidden Valley Paluma Activities

McClelland's Lookout (100m) is a National Park picnic area adjacent to Paluma. Turn right into the carpark as you reach the top of the range. Wheelchair access to McClelland's Lookout is available from the passenger set-down area above the carpark.

McClelland's Lookout has ample car parking, bus parking, wheelchair accessible toilets, a shelter shed, free gas barbeques, picnic tables and potable water. You will need to take your rubbish away with you, as no bins are provided. The lookout itself provides a panoramic view of Halifax Bay and the Palm Island group and was the site of the US Army's radar station during the Second World War.

Paluma Rainforest Walk (580m) is a circuit walk through rainforest south of the village. Limited parking is available at either end of the track. At the eastern end of the track is Paluma's Village Green, an excellent venue for a family picnic with shelters, tables, toilets and a playground.

This walk takes less than half an hour but unfortunately has no interpretive information provided. Features to look for (from east to west) are - buttress roots, the layers of the rainforest (forest floor, understory, canopy), strangler fig, king fern and a 'tin race' beneath the western boardwalk.

A tin race is a stone-pitched channel constructed by tin-miners to move permanent water through the forest, either to deposits of soil for washing, or to reduce the flow where the creek bed itself was being mined for alluvial tin. There are possibly hundreds of kilometers of tin race along Paluma's rainforest creeks. Some of these artifacts are now more than a hundred years old. The creek and the steps above the boardwalk are a good spot to view glowing fungus at night. You may even spot a glow worm! Remember, nothing can be taken from the rainforest - only memories and photographs.

Paluma Historical Walk (2km)

For an introduction to Paluma's history, there are 10 interpretive storyboards throughout the village, each with a photograph taken during the 1930s or 1940s from the location and direction of the sign. Eight of the storyboards are along Mt Spec Road, the main road through Paluma. Of the other two storyboards, one sign is in Lennox Crescent along from the Paluma Pottery, and the other is in the National Parks car park. Park your car near one of the signs and complete the round trip walk of the village at a leisurely pace.

Hidden Valley

Head out on one of the 2 walks around Hidden Valley Cabins. Follow the ridge to the top of the hill and look out over the valley. Why not take a bottle of wine and watch the sunset or the riders coming in, it's breathtaking.

Walk along Pine Creek and discover the many birds and animals Hidden Valley has to offer or watch the riders coming across the last creek crossing.