Watching a sunbird frolicking in the rain. Although I try to avoid anthropomorphism, it was hard to not feel that this little bird was having a great deal of fun.
Sunbird frolicking in the rain
cape york in the wet
Dainty Green Tree Frogs
I was woken at 4am by the noise of hundreds of Dainty Green Tree Frogs (Litoria gracilenta). The noise was enough to wake and the bedroom was over 100 metres from where the frogs were. They are beautiful little frogs (also known as Graceful Tree Frog) only about 40mm – 45mm long. I could only see a couple while I was taking the video.
We’ve had them in the shack before but only one at a time.
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- Dainty Green Tree Frog Litoria gracilenta
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- Dainty Green Tree Frog
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- Dainty Green Tree Frog
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- Dainty Green Tree Frog
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- Dainty Green Tree Frog
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- Dainty Green Tree Frog
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- Dainty Green Tree Frog
Fly/drive/stay deal – the wet season is the best time for wildlife
You can Fly into Cape York and spend some time exploring. There is heaps to see in just one area. Explore the Iron Range National Park, Chili Beach and Lockhart River area from Portland Roads.
To encourage people to visit Portland Roads Beach Shack during the wet season, we have negotiated deals with Skytrans and Lockhart River Car Hire so that our customers can get discounts when booking through us.
Spring is sprung and the wet is nearly here
I’m not sure that we actually have spring here, but the plants and trees are bursting with new life. And we are seeing more and more different animals and insects each day. Of course the humidity keeps rising too. But the winds are lessening and the sea is calming and becoming glass-like in the mornings. There is burning off happening and this gives us some incredible sunrises where the air is smoky and the morning sun is a red as a sunset.
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- Frangipanni in flower
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- sunbird in nest
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- flower petals
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- mangoes!
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- more mangoes
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- purple flowers
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- flowers
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- sunbird in nest
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- sunbird in nest
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- yacht in the morning
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- We have the Biggest grasshoppers at Portland Roads
Portland Roads in the Wet
We are now experiencing “the wet”. It’s generally very humid but quite a few days are reasonably cool and quite pleasant. Mostly when it does rain it really pisses down, but we also get soft gentle rain.
Rain at Portland Roads
Our daughter Zoe loves it when it does rain – it’s warm and fun and just fantastic just to play in. She found her own locally grown umbrella.
Zoe Water Nymph at Portland Roads
We have stairs up the side of our shack and then all the way up to the top shack (where our guests stay) – during a big downpour the stairs act as a wonderful waterfall.
The water just pours down the hill and then re-shapes our little front beach.
We also hear the frogs at night.
Q. Can I visit Cape York in the wet season?
A. Yes, you can visit Cape York in the wet season.
Most people think that it is impossible to visit Cape York in the wet season. It is true that the major rivers flood, cutting off road access.
However you can still explore the Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park, Portland Roads and Chili Beach. Forget your vehicle and take a flight from Cairns.
1. Hire a 4×4 from Lockhart River Car Hire and stay at the Portland Roads Beach Shack, or
2. Hire a 4X4 campervan from Lockhart River Car Hire and camp at Chili Beach, or one of the designated camping spots in Iron Range National Park.
Roads
The road from Lockhart River to Portland Roads does not cross any major rivers. It is graded and well drained, so the rains do not make it impassible. Occasionally Chili Creek may rise and make the crossing difficult, but it is tidal so will recede within an hour or two.
Flights
Skytrans flies in to the Iron Range Airport at Lockhart River 4-5 days a week.
Transport
Lockhart River Car Hire has a fleet of vehicles that are utilised by workers in the area in the dry season.
Paul and Laney Piva from Lockhart River run the local family owned business.