A Cape York Blog

A perfect holiday home on a virtual island surrounded by a nature refuge. You can enjoy complete tranquillity disturbed only by the lapping of the waves, the soughing of the breeze and the calling of the birds.

The property of 3720 sq metres is on verdant coastal hillside with splendid views of offshore islands, coastline and the inner Barrier Reef where the fishing is great.

Beaches are close by with the iconic palm-fringed Chili Beach a few kilometres south.

Portland Roads has the only coastal freehold land  between Cooktown and the tip of Cape York.

Skybird Chalet is built on a WWII gun emplacement making use of the two concrete magazines.

The house has a large living area, a kitchen and one bedroom with the intention of building a second bedroom abutting the present upstairs bedroom. The building is being refurbished.

The property has a second gun emplacement below, on which two 11,500 litre tanks and one 5,000 litre tank are placed.
There is an additional 11,500 litre and two 600 litre plastic tanks placed above the house for header tanks.
Also a 4,500 fibreglass tank next to the house.
There is a bunker measuring 5m X 4m X 2.8m which is used for storage.

One drives 500 metres up Aylen Hills Road lined with coconuts, mangoes and frangipani, from the hamlet of Portland Roads to the property.

Portland Roads has eight dwellings and the harbour offers a good anchorage for the SE Tradewind. 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 WWII.

Today Iron Range Airport (commonly known as Lockhart River) 36 kms south has 5 weekday flights to Cairns and a care 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.

Mail is delivered to Portland Roads on Tuesday and Friday.

From early March to mid November a “mother ship” for the prawn fishery calls at Portland Roads. Fuel and gas is 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 5 – 6 hours depending on road conditions. Wet season rains cut the road at rivers generally from early January to early April.

For further information please phone 07 4060 7156

WWII Observation Post – Lot 13 – For Sale  (4,688 sq m)

View images of  Lot 13 here

A WWII Observation Post (O-Pip)  and Direction Range Finder (DRF) stands at 86 m elevation with coordinates of 12° 35.7 South and 143° 24.8 East.

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.
Two 9,000 litre, one 4,500 litre fibreglass and one 5,000 litre plastic tanks are for potable water.

For further information please phone 07 4060 7156.

Lot 12 and Lot 13 are for sale either separately or together as one property.

View images of  Lot 13 here