Kutini-Payamu National Park – Cook’s Hut Campground

21 – 24 August 2024

We travelled back down the Peninsula Devemopment Road (PDR to locals) and turned off towards Lockhart River and Kutini-Payamu  (Iron Range)National Park. Cooks Hut Campground is fairly small, and nestled in the rainforest so we were fully aware that we might get rained on. We had been there before, so had a good idea which spot to book.

Not much sun for the solar, but a still a great spot

When we arrived we were the only ones there, but later in the afternoon a large group arrived and set up camp in the space in the middle rather than in their designated campsites. This resulted in less privacy than we could otherwise have expected from the site we had booked. This seems to be a common occurrence with many people travelling in large groups, with little regard for other visitors.

Despite the somewhat crowded campground we did have a good time at Cooks Hut, with both daytime and nighttime birding excursions. Also camped there was a group of young people who were on the hunt for reptiles, but who were also interested in birds. Lots of information was shared with these young men.

The clear skies on our last day allowed the canvas to dry off before we packed up. It had rained a bit, just as we had expected. Because we only had a short distance to travel to our next destination, we took our time and stayed in the campground until after lunch. We then drove towards Lockhart River and The Greenhoose and five days of comparative luxury - or so we thought.