Palmwoods

Palmwoods: Salad Bowl of the Sunshine Coast

Welcome to Palmwoods, an historic country town beside the main railway line in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Blackall Range, it provides a pleasant stopover on the tourist route between the Big Pineapple and Montville.

Palmwoods was originally known as Merrimans Flat, the name of the property of the first white settlers, the Kuskopf family, who arrived in 1881. The name was later changed to Palmwoods because of the abundance of Piccabeen palm groves in the area.

In 1891 - the same year that the railway line arrived in Palmwoods to guarantee its future prosperity - allotments in the growing township were offered for sale at a public auction in Brisbane. The Anglican Church, St Augustine's in Hill Street, is the only remaining original purchaser still in the town.

Palmwoods first appeared in the country section of the Queensland postal directory in 1894-95 when it was described as a receiving office 60 miles from Brisbane on the Gympie line. It was also on the Cobb and Co route between Brisbane and Gympie gold.

By the turn of the century, Palmwoods was a small township centred on the timber industry. Bullocks would haul red mahogany, black bean and flooded gum to the rail head from the surrounding district. It became a major watering point and cleaning point for steam trains on the northern line.

In 1912, a parcel of land was auctioned with the prediction that "in a few years time, there will probably be a number of good fruit farms on this estate as most of the buyers are likely to personally reside on the land."

It was an extremely accurate prediction. Within half a century, Palmwoods had become one of the State's leading fruit growing districts. Pineapples and citrus put Palmwoods on the map as one of the biggest fruit loading centres in Queensland.

From 1915 to 1935, Palmwoods was linked to Buderim by a tramline which carried produce as well as people to and from the coast. Remnants of the line can still be found on a number of properties between the two centres.

During the Second World War, the lagoon, which is now the showpiece of Kolora Park, provided water for troops stationed on the Sunshine Coast. A drinking fountain in the park marks the spot of the tank which gravity fed water into trucks for distribution to about 50,000 men in gun emplacements from Noosa to Caloundra.

Today, Palmwoods is a peaceful country retreat with a patchwork of scenic farms against the splendid backdrop of the Blackall Range. Its irregular pattern of streets reflect the way the town has grown around the railway line which runs through its centre.

It is also home to a major fruit juice factory and a growing range of cottage industries including arts and crafts and fragrant and therapeutic oils and incense.

Palmwoods also has its claim to fame as the home of former Queensland Premier Sir Francis Nicklin and Olympic kayak gold medallist Clint Robinson.

An annual steam train festival is held in Palmwoods to recognise the bond between the town and the railway line. From the early timber days of last century to its modern placement in the Brisbane commuter zone, it is a relationship which will endure into the next century.

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