Like other rail towns in the region, Palmwoods has a long history, which means it boasts the infrastructure of a country town plus the sense of community that comes with it – including a big public hall, sports fields, school, parks and a pool. Its main street is hard to pinpoint as it has progressed from the pub opposite the train station to the main road, so it is now in four separate parts. Nevertheless, the township is well served by plenty of shops plus medical and professional services.

The area was originally thickly timbered forests with dense palm scrubs. In 1868, it became Cobb & Co’s wet-weather route for coaches heading between the Gympie goldfields and Brisbane after the first white settlers arrived in Palmwoods in 1881. The town was named after the Piccabeen palm groves that grow in abundance in the area, and even today, Palmwoods residents continue to honour the town’s namesake, holding the Palmwoods Piccabeen Celebration every year.

Palmwoods has a long history, which means it boasts infrastructure plus the sense of community

The economy of the town was based on timber but evolved into fruit farming. In the 1950s, the township became an important loading centre for fruit. But now the value of its location on the main northern rail line has changed from fruit loading to commuters.

The Palmwoods Memorial Hall began life in the early 1920s when a committee was formed to build it. Funds for the hall’s construction were raised from the community and the building soon became the heart of the town, hosting movie nights, wedding receptions, dances and fetes. During the war it was blacked out and used for war-time dances and welcome home celebrations. Today the walls of the hall pay tribute to the local service personnel who died during various conflicts.

Just south of the town centre is the Old Orchard estate. Its development over the past decade has cleared the way for population growth, once constrained by the land sizes of the ‘salad bowl’. Palmwoods district also includes the strawberry-growing district of Chevallum further east, Hunchy in the hills to the west and Eudlo and Ilkley further south. The official map also takes in Montville, giving Palmwoods district a land area of 6351 hectares and a density of about 1.1 people per hectare, but on the ground, the two have quite separate fields of interest.

Once the heartland of the hobby farmer, Palmwoods district is gradually moving from large farms and small acreages to a proliferation of residential estates, allowing it to offer a wide choice of lifestyles. It is a good, old-fashioned family town with a strong community spirit handy to the Bruce Highway and only 20 minutes from the beach.