Communist Cave, Paluma Ranges
Hidden in Thunderbolt Creek is a cave with an unlikely past. In the 1940s it housed a secret Communist printing press producing The Spark. Today, bushwalkers find relics, rusted tins, and faded ochre art—reminders of a time when politics and wilderness converged in North Queensland.
Location: Thunderbolt Creek, approximately 5 km walk from the powerline track (coordinates: N 949, E 988, Paluma WGS 84).
Hidden in the rugged escarpments of Thunderbolt Creek lies a cave with a surprising and little-known history. Today it’s a quiet bushwalking destination marked by boulders, rocky outcrops, and remnants of a turbulent past. But in the 1940s and early 1950s, this was the site of a clandestine Communist printing press.
History
The Communist Party of Australia was declared illegal in 1940, following Stalin’s non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany. In response, a secret operation was established in the Paluma Ranges, north-west of Townsville.
In 1940, a printing press was carried by donkey to a cave on Thunderbolt Creek, west of Mt Zero station. Here, propaganda was produced and distributed to local workers in Townsville and the surrounding tin fields. At the time, there were an estimated 200 Communist Party members at Hidden Valley.
The underground newspaper printed at the cave was called The Spark. Reaching the cave was no simple matter—it involved a two-hour ride on horseback followed by a full day of backtracking to avoid detection.
By 1943, following Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Australia lifted the ban on the Communist Party. Activity at the cave ceased soon after. In 1951, there were plans to resume printing during a national referendum on banning the Communist Party, but when the referendum was defeated, the site was abandoned for good.
What Remains Today
Bushwalkers exploring Thunderbolt Creek can still find echoes of this hidden history: rusting tins, old cooking utensils, bottles, and a faded hammer-and-sickle painted in red ochre on the cave roof. Nearby, a smaller overhang with Aboriginal stick figures painted in ochre is also visible from the creek.
Today, the Communist Cave stands as a reminder of a politically charged chapter in North Queensland’s history—a place where the wilderness once concealed a movement determined to make its voice heard.
Adapted from notes by P.J. Shears (2005).
