For Sale: “The Bastion” – a tropical outpost – Lot 13 (4,688 sq m)
“The Bastion” is a WW2 Range Direction Finder and Observation Post (aka O-Pip) for the two anti aircraft artillery below on Lot 12.
It has an elevation of 87 mts with coordinates of 12°35’43.4″S 143°24’48.6″E on a unique hilltop block of 4,688 sq mts situated above the tropical hamlet of Portland Roads.
“The Bastion” could be incorporated in a dwelling with splendid views of the ocean, islands and coastline, with the Great Barrier Reef just 11.5 kms off shore. There are alternative house sites.
The property is within an “esplanade” and a few kilometres from the iconic Chili Beach; the lovely Ball Tree Beach is just down the hill.
The Iron Range National Park (Kutini-Payamu) which is close-by has endemic fauna and flora, and also the green python and eclectus parrot.
There is a bunker used for hardware storage and a larger bunker used for water storage with a capacity of 60,000 litres for garden use.
There are eight potable water tanks: 3 X 11,500 litre plastic, 2 X 9,000 litre fibreglass, 1 X 5,000 litre plastic, 1 X 4,500 litre fibreglass, 1 X 2,500 litre plastic.
Also 20 X 6 volt 225 Amp hour batteries, 6 X 200 Watt solar panels, 1 X 1600 Watt inverter
One drives 600 metres up Aylen Hills Road lined with coconuts, mangoes and frangipani, from the hamlet of Portland Roads to the property.
Portland Roads has the only coastal freehold land between Cooktown and the tip of Cape York.
Portland Roads has eleven dwellings, and a cafe and postal agency. Mail is delivered from Iron Range Airport to Portland Roads on Tuesday and Friday.
The harbour offers a good anchorage for the SE Tradewind and Packers Bay, 2 kms south gives protection from the northerly monsoon.
Portland Roads had a large jetty until 1976 and was the supply port for the Iron Range Airforce base during WW2.
Today Iron Range Airport (commonly known as Lockhart River) 36 kms south has 5 weekday flights to Cairns and a car hire service.
Lockhart River community, 4 kms farther on, has a health clinic with weekly visits by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, supermarket, mechanical workshop and fuel, postal and banking facilities.
From early March to roughly early November a “mother ship” for the prawn fishery calls at Portland Roads. Fuel and gas are available on the “mother ship”, and freight and stores can be shipped from Cairns.
A weekly barge service transfers freight and freezer goods from a coastal freighter to Quintel Beach at Lockhart River community. Cairns is 805 kms by road and takes 10-12 hours and to Weipa takes 4 – 5 hours depending on road conditions.
Wet season rains cut the road at river crossings generally from early January to early April.
