Lockhart River – The Greenhoose

24 – 26 August 2024

Mick had long wanted to stay at The Greenhoose, near Lockhart River, so we booked 5 nights as part of this Cape trip. It is a well known base for birders and offers basic accommodation with a communal, but limited, kitchen space available for those who choose not to dine in. We had frozen a number of meals so that we could self cater, and planned to have at least one meal in the restaurant.

On arrival we were shown to a spot where we could park the trailer and leave it plugged in to power which was very much appreciated. It was a long way to our room and we had to make a number of trips to transport the essentials (including camera gear, personal items, some food etc). While we were doing that we chatted to staff and some fellow guests and Mick teed up a couple of outings to go birding the following morning.

We settled into our room which was small, but air conditioned, with an ensuite. A large verandah outside made for a lovely space to spend time relaxing. We were right on the edge of the rainforest which we both enjoyed.

After a quiet dinner and a couple of drinks we settled in for the night, looking forward to some great birding in the morning – but it wasn’t to be. Mick woke in the early hours extremely unwell. I monitored his symptoms until daylight when I determined that he needed medical attention. After speaking to one of the staff at The Greenhoose about how to access the medical clinic in Lockhart River after hours (early on a Sunday morning), I bundled Mick into the car for the drive into town.

On arrival I summoned the nurse on duty who took one look at the patient and helped him inside the clinic. The two nurses on duty immediately did what was necessary to stabilise him, and stop the vomiting, while getting as much information as possible. A number of phone calls to the Royal Flying Doctor Service doctor on duty in Cairns to relay symptoms, test results and vital signs resulted in more medication and finally a decision to transport Mick to Cairns as soon as possible. I drove back to The Greenhoose to pack the essentials (toothbrush, phone charger, clean clothes) that he would need for an overnight stay in hospital.

Fortunately, a scheduled transfer of a non-urgent patient was due late that morning, and was already on its way via Weipa, for another patient pick-up. About three hours after arriving at the clinic, Mick was at the airport waiting to be transferred onto the plane. At that stage no-one was saying what was actually wrong, but all indications were that it was appendicitis.

Without a firm diagnosis and not knowing what would happen, I decided to stay at The Greenhoose for the night. It is an 8 hour drive to Cairns, and I was very tired for the sleepless night so I didn’t really want to set off just then, and there was always the chance that whatever was wrong might be fixed with medication and Mick would return the next day.

The RFDS provides a vital service
 in rural and remote parts of Australia

It wasn’t until late that evening that Mick called to say that he would be having his appendix removed first thing in the morning. I had figured that would most likely be the case so had already packed up ready to head off early. The staff at The Greenhoose had been so helpful and caring, making a very difficult and stressful time, much less so. In the morning, I was given help to hitch up the trailer and set off for the long, lonely drive to Cairns.