By Chloe Chomicki

ABC North Qld

Disaster Reconstruction

Mon 29 Jun 2026 at 8:29am

A village in the rainforest was closed for 16 months.

In short:

Businesses are open again and events are happening in Paluma.

The road to the village was damaged by floods in 2025.

What's next?

Visitors must wait for a guide to take them to and from Paluma.

A rainforest retreat is open again after more than a year.

Paluma is a special place with many animals and plants.

The road to Paluma was closed after heavy rain in 2025.

The owner of Paluma Ivy Cottage said it was like a ghost town.

Carolyn Richards reopened her business on Saturday.

A lot of rain fell in Paluma in February 2025.

The road is being fixed, and visitors can come now.

Visitors can follow a guide to and from Paluma.

The guide helps keep people safe on the road.

Businesses in Paluma are open again.

The owner of Paluma Ivy Cottage was nervous about reopening.

But it was a great day with many visitors.

Saturday was the first day the cafe was open in 16 months.

Only a few people visited the cafe when the road was closed.

Paluma is a small village near Townsville.

Some people missed the social part of having visitors.

A potter in Paluma said he missed talking to people.

The potter is happy to have visitors again.

He said it's good to see people and make them happy.

A music group visited Paluma and brought many fans.

The music group helped bring life back to the village.

The village is coming back to life with more visitors.

It's a great place to visit and enjoy nature.

The road will not be fully fixed for a few months.

The government is fixing the road.

There are 35 places on the road that need to be fixed.

Mon 29 Jun 2026 at 8:29am

Mon 29 Jun 2026 at 9:17am

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