Portland Roads - Portland House

 18 - 21 August 2025

Last year we stayed at The Greenhoose, at Lockhart River, but that trip was cut short when Mick had to be airlifted to Cairns with appendicitis, so we had some unfinished business up here. This time we decided to treat ourselves to three nights at Portland House, at Portland Roads.

We took our time leaving Cooks Hut and departed after lunch. We made a couple of stops along the way at some likely birding spots before reaching our home for the next three nights. When we arrived our hosts were finishing a repair in the kitchen so we went for a short walk. We were able to park the camper trailer so that we could use the solar panels to keep the battery topped up and the fridge running while we were in the house.

Portland House is set on a rise looking our over the bay. The term "roads" means "safe anchorage" and we saw a number of yachts taking advantage over the three days we were there. Mick did a little birding around the property and nearby, but mostly we just enjoyed sitting on the verandah taking in the fabulous view. We also enjoyed the luxury of a house with a proper kitchen and our own bathroom!

The sunsets were stunning!

The house is adjacent to "Out of the Blue" cafe - also owned by our hosts Greg and Sheree - but the cafe wasn't open on the days we were there. We booked to come back for lunch later in the week, when we would be camping not far away.

The three nights went quickly, and it was time to go back to the camper trailer - but worth it for the locations we can get to! We packed up and had morning tea at the cafe before we set off for three nights back in Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park - this time at Chilli Beach.

Hann River Roadhouse

26 – 27 August 2024

The drive from Lockhart River to Cairns is about 800km so I decided that it would be best if I did it over two days. The road is mostly dirt, sometimes very rough, and has a couple of tricky river crossings so would take much longer than the same distance on bitumen. I was a bit nervous about a couple of the river crossings on the first section of road – we’d passed a truck stuck at the Wenlock River when we drove in a few days ago.

It was a long, lonely drive on my own

There was no option but to set off on my own, take it easy and takes lots of breaks along the way. My aim was to get to Musgrave Station Roadhouse where I could get a room for the night, before continuing on the next day.

The first leg of the journey was from Lockhart River to Archer River and I made it to the junction without incident, despite my nerves about the Wenlock River. There wasn’t much traffic along the first stretch but I knew there would be more once I joined the Peninsula Development Road just north of Archer River Roadhouse.

I listened to podcasts as I drove, and stopped at each opportunity along the way – Archer River Roadhouse, Coen and Musgrave Station Roadhouse. Because I was making good time, I decided to press on to Hahn River Roadhouse. Even though it was still only mid-afternoon, I figured it was best to stop there so that I could get to my final destination early in the day.

I had managed to call Mick a couple of times, before and after his surgery and was relieved to know that it had all gone well. I checked into very basic accommodation at the roadhouse and started to make some plans. Mick would need some time to recuperate from surgery and that would probably mean we would have to find alternative accommodation to the camper trailer. After discussing it with him, I booked a week in a caravan park cabin in Atherton, where we could store the trailer while we stayed there.

I was up early the next morning and ready to set off for Atherton, and then to collect Mick from hospital.

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.

Cape York - To The Tip and Back - Kutini–Payamu (Iron Range) National Park

Cook’s Hut Campground

19 – 22 June 2016

We stopped for coffee at Archer River Roadhouse and then drove on. We turned off onto the Portland Roads Road (that is not a typo - that's really its name). There was less traffic on this road, but still we saw quite a few cars – mostly towing camper trailers or laden with camping gear on the roof. We stopped for lunch on the side of the road near one of the creek crossings and arrived at the campsite mid-afternoon.

There are lots of these crocodile warning signs to be seen in the far north, this one came in handy for our Friday drinks.

After settling in, Mick did a little exploring and discovered the walk down to the creek – complete with crocodile warming signs. The campground filled up as the afternoon progressed and eventually was almost full. You have to book in advance, and signs on the road from Archer River remind travellers about this. There is a booking kiosk at the ranger station but it’s a long way to drive to on the off chance of getting a site.

My understanding is there are eighteen species of bird that, in Australia, are found only on Cape York. Of these, only two are endemic; the White-streaked Honeyeater and Golden-shouldered Parrot. The rest occur in Papua New Guinea and possibly other areas I'm not aware of. All but two of these species can be found on the Cape all year round. However, the Red-bellied Pitta and Black-winged Monarch migrate to Cape York during the wet season making them a difficult prospect. 

Not surprisingly, I didn't see the two migrants (I did see Red-bellied Pitta on a previous visit twenty years ago). I did manage to find all but two of the other Cape York specialties. Although supposedly common, I could not locate a Fawn-breasted Bowerbird or Spotted Whistling Ducks.

I did manage to see and photograph many of the Cape York specialties making the visit well worthwhile. The conditions were very challenging for bird photography due to the both the naturally low light of the rainforest and the overcast and rainy conditions. On my best day I added five lifers to the list so I'm not complaining. Mick.

Frill-necked Monarch

Red-cheeked Parrot male.

Tawny-breasted Honeyeater.

Tropical Scrubwren

Yellow-billed Kingfisher.

Yellow-legged Flycatcher.

Green-backed Honeyeater.

Northern Scrub-robin.

The very cute White-faced Robin.

Magnificent Riflebird. This appears to be a young male.

We set off in the morning for the ranger station to see if we could change our booking (again!) to have another night at Chilli Beach, but the self-serve computer was off-line. A notice in the window indicated that the campsite we had booked was available on Wednesday night as well as the Thursday we had already booked so we set off for the Lockhart River airport where there was mobile phone reception. We were able to add the extra night at Chilli Beach, but couldn’t change the existing booking at Cook’s Hut – not to worry, it only cost an extra $11.90 anyway.

Australian Brush-turkey race purpureicollis, looking miserable in the rain. This race has a purple collar.

We had the camp to ourselves for most of the afternoon, until a tour bus arrived with about 20 happy campers. They spent the afternoon sitting around talking, then went to bed at 7:00 pm. Makes our early nights seem positively late-night.

It's called 'rainforest' for a very good reason. Note the perennial puddles on the left. The tour bus is in the background.

In the morning we set off again for the ranger station and Lockhart River. The fridge had been playing up and we wanted to get some ice. Lockhart River is serviced by a good supermarket but their ice machine had broken down, so no luck there. We bought fresh bread – a very strangely textured loaf that made beautiful toasties, and fuel from the self-serve card pumps. Visitors need to be aware that alcohol restrictions apply in this area.

Lovely Fairywrens.

Graceful Honeyeater is not a Cape specialty but they were plentiful at Iron Range.

We stopped in at the ranger station and had a chat about a number of things including the new National Parks booking system. The ranger also gave Mick some tips about likely bird spots. We stopped at one on the way back to camp and the Ecletus Parrot was exactly where he said it would be.

Female Eclectus Parrot (the male is green). Often seen and heard briefly as they fly over, it's much harder to find them perched.

The sites at Cook’s Hut are fairly large (except for Number 3) so it never really felt crowded. There is only one toilet with water for hand washing only. This wasn’t a problem for us as we carry plenty of water for drinking and washing. When it had been raining we also collected two buckets of rainwater which we used to have a tub and wash our hair. This was a bit of a luxury really.

In the morning we had a leisurely start (we had this campsite booked as well as the one at Chilli Beach so there was no need to hurry). Our new neighbours told us about a place to buy ice on the way to Chilli Beach so we set off after an early lunch.

Chilli Beach Campground

22 – 24 June 2016

We found the signs to the place that sells fish and ice, but it was closed! Off to the campsite and set up with more rainclouds looming. We had been rained on for the last few days so weren’t surprised. Chilli Beach is a beautiful and very popular spot. Some if the campsites are quite exposed, but the one we had chosen was quite sheltered. This was good, but it also meant we couldn’t get any solar – that, and the ever present rainclouds, conspired to keep our fridge out of action.

Chilli Beach at low tide.

Our shady camp.

In the morning we set off again and this time the ice place was open so we bought a couple of (very expensive) blocks of ice to keep our food fresh and beer cold for the next few days. We then drove in to Portland Roads – with a stop at the rubbish tip (for birds of course!) We visited again later in the day too. There is a café in Portland Roads which we had heard is very good – but it too was closed when we visited. The sign out the front offered apologies as they had to restock.

Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo occurs from around the base of the Cape northward.

Fan-tailed Cuckoo.

Portland Roads.

There is a walk through the rainforest which is only about 720 metres – so just a pleasant stroll really. We walked it together then Mick went back later on his own. We also went for several walks along the beach. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that we could get a reasonable mobile (Telstra) signal just at the front of our campsite, and an even better one on the beach.

Rose-crowned Fruit-dove seen on the walk in drizzly conditions.

Small Brown Crow butterflies mating.

After 2 nights we packed up and headed back to Cook’s Hut for another two nights.

Cook’s Hut Campground

24 – 26 June 2016

We arrived back at Cook’s Hut to find the neighbours who had just set up when we left were still there, along with a few others.

We had some sunshine, but not sufficient to recharge that batteries enough to get the fridge going again so we were glad we had picked up more ice on our way back from Chilli Beach. We enjoyed another two nights here, with Mick spending most of the time with the camera in front of his face and chatting to the neighbours who were also birders.

Before we left, Mick took the neighbours down to the Eclectus Parrot nest site. The female was home again so they were very pleased. We finished packing up and headed off. Because it was now the start of the school holidays there seemed to be an increase in the traffic.

Northern Laughing Tree-frog. This is one of many frogs that tried to move into the camper over the course of our tip trip.

We stopped at the Mount Tozer lookout and discovered Telstra coverage (thanks to the worker who was in his ute on the phone when we arrived, otherwise we wouldn’t have checked). We phoned ahead to Merluna Station to reserve a powered site. The road seemed a bit wetter than when we drove along a week ago – and many of the creek crossing have more water in them, although it still wasn't a problem.

One of the beautiful rainforest streams we crossed.

Shot from Mount Tozer lookout.

We drove on looking for a suitable spot for a picnic lunch and found one just before the Wenlock River crossing.  That’s when we discovered the flat tyre! We weren’t sure how long it had been like that as the rough roads would have made it difficult to tell. This created a challenge as we had never changed a tyre on this car. I had to get the instruction manual out just to find out how to take the spare off the back. My advice – try this at home first before you head off into a remote area. Anyway, we had lunch and managed to get the spare on without too much trauma before we hit the road again. Back to the main road (Peninsular Development Road) and on towards Weipa. We found the turn-off to Merluna Station and arrived there after 3:00pm. Not bad considering I had said we would be there between 3 and 4.

Australian Hobby seen not long after fixing the flat tyre.