Exploring the K-Traverse logging road network - Trip Report

There is something quietly compelling about an old logging road. It is not wilderness in the purest sense – it is shaped by history – but it has been slowly reclaimed by the rainforest. The K-Traverse Network in Paluma Range is exactly that: a forgotten corridor through dense tropical scrub, scattered with relics of an era when timber and tin drove exploration deep into these hills. Explore our local history with us.

Over three separate outings in September 2020, we explored sections of the K-Traverse and surrounding spurs from both the southern and northern ends.

10 September 2020 – Southern End near Williams Creek

Wilfred, Luen, Colin, Jamie & co.

We began at Clapham Junction, about 3 km in on Paluma Dam Road. The start is unmistakable - a large tree marking the southern entrance and the faint line of an old road pushing into thick forest.

The track immediately tells you what you're in for. Fallen trees across the roadbed. Moss-covered log bridges and culverts. Rusting culverts half-swallowed by leaf litter. This is Grade 5 terrain – not technically hard, but demanding constant attention, climbing over, crawling under, navigating around fallen trees and vines.

The forest changes as you move north. Open eucalypt pockets give way to wetter rainforest. Turpentines - some hollow and spared by loggers - still stand tall. In places, the old road is obvious. In others, it dissolves into scrub and memory.

We found bottle dumps - green and brown glass and white ceramic/porcelain scattered amongst the leaf litter - silent reminders of logging camps. Old Coke cans. Remnants of loading ramps. A sense of industry is long gone.

The K-Traverse runs parallel to Williams Creek and Echo Creek for much of this section. Intermittent streams cross the roadbed, some with makeshift log bridges still in place. The landscape feels layered – geology, logging history, regrowth.

Progress was steady but slow. This is not a track you can rush in its current state. Luen was the only one who could see the old road; only the others would believe him when they came across the dozer-torn ground. Towards Birthday Creek, the rainforest gave way to bushland, making the road hard to follow.

17 September 2020 – Northern End to Big Birthday Creek

Wilfred and Luen

Starting from the northern end (the one after the F-Traverse), the character shifts slightly. The ridgeline section towards Paluma Dam feels more open before dropping towards the lower reaches of Big Birthday Creek.

Birthday Creek is the jewel of the traverse. Clear water pools between granite slabs. Quiet swimming holes rarely seen by most visitors to Paluma. After hours of clambering over debris and navigating the overgrown road, the cool water feels earned.

Sections of the road are still surprisingly intact. Turning circles and old helicopter landing pads appear unexpectedly - wide flat areas carved into the ridge decades ago. It is easy to imagine machinery operating here, logs stacked, trucks grinding their way through.

The discussion about potentially reopening this corridor as part of the Paluma Push is interesting. It would create a remarkable historical and scenic route - but at present, it remains a wild and exploratory experience.

20 September 2020 – Mount Benham (Potentially)

Jodie and Luen

Mount Benham remains one of Paluma's small mysteries. No one knows the exact location with certainty. Local place names honour the Benham family, early European settlers in the Mount Spec area. Mining at Mount Benham was notoriously difficult - dense tropical scrub, tin claims buried in rainforest, and the challenge of extracting ore from the hills.

Using old logging maps, we attempted to triangulate a likely summit location. The most plausible access is via the E-Traverse - another abandoned logging road that climbs steadily from the car park area towards what appears to be the high point.

The terrain here is classic Paluma: thick scrub, mossy stumps, layered regrowth. It is a place where history and geography blur. Whether we stood on the "true" Mount Benham or not almost becomes secondary. The act of searching connects you to the stories embedded in the landscape.

The K-Traverse offers something rare - a walk through layered history. You see the marks of industry, but you also witness the power of ecological recovery. Moss blankets stumps. Rusting gates tilt under vines. Culverts choke with leaf litter. The forest is winning. Mother Nature always reclaims. And as always in Paluma, the reward comes not just from reaching a destination, but from moving through the country slowly enough to notice what has been left behind.

- Luen Warneke