Cockatours

16/08/2024

What is the ‘wet season’ everyone talks about in northern Australia? And was this year’s wet “bigger than average” like everyone was saying?

Let’s get into it. The best graph (third one) I’ll describe last. Some context first…

The wet season is also known as ‘the monsoon’ or monsoon season in northern Australia. In November, we have the ‘build up’. It’s really hot and throughout the day you can feel the humidity and temperature build. Sometimes, in the mid-afternoon thunderstorms erupt and soak the landscape with rain. In December, rain becomes more frequent and then in January the monsoon has usually set in. Generally, it lasts until April, sometimes into May. The landscape in northern Australia is defined by this monsoon system and is adapted to a seasonal drenching. Come May it gradually dries out (and travel becomes regular again). Northern Australian landscapes are so resilient to these monsoonal rains.

The first graph shows wet season rainfall (defined as rain from December to May) at 5 different locations across Far North Queensland, from when the station first started recording data. A basic trendline is fitted. So, was this year’s wet season bigger than average? Yep, it was a bit bigger than average in 4 out of 5 of these locations. Cyclone Jasper brought with it a tremendous amount of rain, the most of any cyclone in Australian history.

Next, the two Bureau of Meteorology images show roughly where the monsoon trough comes down to. You can ready plenty about this if you search “The Australian Monsoon BOM”. The colour map is a brilliant representation of rainfall in the monsoon season. This was from January 2006 and shows very high rainfall in Cape York, the Northern Territory and the Kimberley.

Now, the most epic graph I’ve seen this year! The third image represents our north Australian wet season perfectly. It shows monthly rainfall (stacked) between 2003 and 2023 for our 5 locations (see the map at the end if you’re not sure where they all are). Combining 5 locations over 20 years shows the trends a little clearer and absorbs some of the errors caused by missing values or outliers.

You can clearly see our build-up in November, rain setting in by December and the wet season in full swing January to March. In April, things start to chill out a little as we all get eager to risk camping for Easter long weekend. And then by May, our ‘dry season’ starts, lasting until October.

I hope this has been helpful or at least insightful and enjoyable. Share it around if ya like! Do it for the pretty graphs 😍
Cheers, Rossy.

Note: this is from BOM data that I have graphed myself. I only used data with complete years/seasons but did not remove sets that had an occasional missing value (due to equipment/recording error that month). I have watermarked anything I’ve produced. as I’ve had a lot of my images used without permission lately.

14/08/2024

Massive price drop! Tour bus-truck for sale!
This would make the perfect vehicle to fit out into a 4x4 motorhome. I dreamt of keeping it myself, but don't have the time to do it unfortunately.

We are finally at a stage in our business where we can buy a new vehicle and our reliable tour truck is up for grabs. This truck has been used for camping tours and has been maintained impeccably. After every trip the truck would go to the mechanic for a check up and ANYthing that needed doing was done, as we couldn't afford a breakdown on the road. It is a brilliant truck and these older rigs are renowned to run up to 1,000,000km. We have done several upgrades over the years.

Features include:
- Odometer: 350,164 km
- 18 seat capacity, 15 in passenger module, 3 up front
- 5-speed manual gearbox
- 4WD: 2 High, 4 High, 4 Low
- Increased GVM to 7,000kg and GCM 9,000kg with blue plate
- Big storage space up top
- Rear storage space for food etc.
- 3 side compartment bays
- 2x New Delkor Start batteries in August 2022 (24V truck system)
- 24-12V Converter behind front seat
- Amplifier behind front seat & improved sound system in rear module
- Alpine stereo & linked in PA system
- Tow-pro Elite
- New suspension in 2021
- New rear compressor, front compressor & condensor, alternator as part of lifetime part replacement
- Lightbar
- Bullbar
- Powerful A/C front and rear and both have been serviced recently
- Engine Guard (audible overheat warning system)
- Various spares
- $62,000

Comes with roadworthy and a new windshield. Has a complete service record. Has been checked at Transport and Main Roads every 6-months to obtain a Certificate of Inspection needed to run tours.

There are some improvements (blemishes and body work) that you could do if you really wanted, but it is all aesthetic. This truck is solid and has been an incredible vehicle for us.
Located in Cairns and stored undercover.

02/08/2024

Do business wisely, not how they tell you to do it...
Do you want to earn more interest on your large deposit than the bank gives you? Well, we are looking for a few small investors and would rather pay you the interest (at a higher rate than you're currently getting) than a bank. A little while ago I mentioned this, but since then I've looked at some of the offers from banks and I realised how well they get you where they want you. So...

We are looking for an investor...well kind of! It's time for us to buy a new truck...and if it's suitable, we could pay you more interest than your current savings account does. Read on if you're interested or want an insight into what the banks are doing.

I am not too proud of a business owner to ask for investment rather than play the game by the bank's rules. These days, banks charge an absolute fortune to have a loan and are especially inflexible when it comes to business asset loans. I'm a big fan of paying any loan off fast, so I give as little of my money to the banks and continue to support remote regions and my clients. As an example of how much banks take (that they don't make clear), for a $500,000 home loan over 30 years, they will charge you $700,000+ in interest on top of your $500k over the life of the loan. You will pay $1.2M for a $500k loan.

Interest rates for loans have risen 1.25% in the last year, but unsurprisingly, banks haven't passed this on to savings accounts. I would much rather pay my interest to a person, than pay it to a bank.

So, here's the proposition. I have been a good little saver and saved a substantial deposit for a new tour truck. This leaves us with the need to get a loan for the remaining $200,000. We are pre-approved for loans with a few banks, but I'm not a fan of their options or the interest I pay.

If anyone wants to invest in a pretty solid tour company with a great ethos, and get more interest than your current bank savings account gives, then please reach out via email or message me through here.

I forecast the loan to be paid out within 2-3 years. There will be a contract, security and a once-off bonus payment for your time.

On another note, if anyone that has made it this far wants a few tips on how to save yourself $300,000 in interest over the life of your home loan, please message me. I'm not joking, I've just done it myself and would be happy to help.

13/07/2024

Triple-fanged Taipan!
A few weeks ago we were heading into camp and found a taipan dead on the road nearby. Coincidentally, we had just finished listening to Brendan James Murray’s incredible podcast on taipans. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show everyone the snake they’d just heard all about and highlight some of its features.

Measuring 7ft and having typical Cape York colours it was a spectacular snake. I started to show my guests the head, pointed out teeth first and then the sheaths around the fangs. I exposed one fang and showed everyone the pretty impressive fang of a taipan. Then I exposed the next fang and it took me a second to interpret what I was seeing! Somehow, this taipan had grown 2 fangs side-by-side on the left side, meaning it had 3 fangs in total! It was pretty bloody awesome and everyone was in awe of such a spectacular animal.

On tour, I do my best to give people different perspectives. I am passionate about snakes and love sharing my knowledge with guests. I love challenging many beliefs, especially the one that says snakes are aggressive and will chase you. Taipans are highly alert and incredibly intelligent and whilst this one wasn’t alive, I’ve seen many up close and when given respect, they will act pretty calm. To the point I feel you can see them analysing you as much as you are them.

I’ve added a couple pics in here so you can see their colour and scales from different angles. They generally have that creamy/pale snout and large supraocular scales that give them a mean appearance.

17/04/2024

Counting down the days to Weipa sunset dinners 😍

12/04/2024

Absolutely incredible! We've recently had solar installed at our depot and day 1 results are outstanding! Grey is what we sent to the grid and blue/yellow is what we used.

We are trying our best to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact in every way possible. We've decided to forgo becoming an officially recognised 'Eco Certified Tourism' provider, after seeing some operators that sport the Eco logo, do things we don't really see as environmentally friendly. We also couldn't justify the cost each year just for a badge. Instead we are putting that money back into our own efforts to reduce our impacts.

Last year we partnered with Reforest to plant trees to remove the CO2 equivalent produced by our tours. We planted 80 trees which contributed to the reduction of 18t of CO2 and repaired 719 square metres of habitat. This year we are looking to donate money to a new cause to reduce our CO2 impact. If you know a great, local tree planting group, let us know!

11/04/2024

After 16 months of not being able to advertise due to a system error, it's probably time to reach out via post for help. I've tried contacting all kinds of people, submitting forms and more, but nothing has fixed this yet. I need to speak to someone at Meta to remedy this it seems. If you can help, please please let me know. It seems to have been caused by taking my annual vacation from Facebook (I deactivate for a month most years).
Details below...

05/04/2024

Can you name the beach? This place has grown on me since the first time I visited. At first it was just a nice beach, but each time I meandered through the rocks my appreciation for it grew. Now when I visit, I find it absolutely stunning. It’s picturesque for sure!

04/04/2024

Do business wisely, not how they tell you to do it.
We are looking for an investor...well kind of! It's time for us to buy a new truck...and if it's suitable, we could pay you more interest than your current savings account does. Read on if you're interested or want an insight into what the banks are doing.

I am not too proud of a business owner to ask for investment rather than play the game by the bank's rules. These days, banks charge an absolute fortune to have a loan and are especially inflexible when it comes to business asset loans. I'm a big fan of paying any loan off fast, so I give as little of my money to the banks and continue to support remote regions and my clients. As an example of how much banks take (that they don't make clear), for a $500,000 home loan over 30 years, they will charge you $700,000+ in interest on top of your $500k over the life of the loan. You will pay $1.2M for a $500k loan.

Interest rates for loans have risen 1.25% in the last year, but unsurprisingly, banks haven't passed this on to savings accounts. I would much rather pay my interest to a person, than pay it to a bank.

So, here's the proposition. I have been a good little saver and saved a substantial deposit for a new tour truck. This leaves us with the need to get a loan for the remaining $175,000. We are pre-approved for loans with a few banks, but I'm not a fan of their options or the interest I pay. If anyone wants to invest in a pretty solid tour company with a great ethos, and get more interest than your current bank savings account gives, then please reach out via email or message me through here. I forecast the loan to be paid out within 2-3 years.

On another note, if anyone that has made it this far wants a few tips on how to save yourself $300,000 in interest over the life of your home loan, please message me. I'm not joking, I've just done it myself and would be happy to help.

27/03/2024

"Is this the biggest wet you've seen? Are you still going to run tours?" I've been fielding plenty of questions lately about our wet season, with some thinking tours would be doomed for the year. I've also been hearing many locals anecdotally say that it has been a BIG wet. To be honest, I hear these questions every year. So, I thought I'd check the data...

I compared monthly rainfall at 5 locations; Cairns, Coen, Weipa, Lockhart River & Horn Island (shown in the map for those not familiar with the area).

As a rough idea...
December - all 5 locations received Higher Than Average (HTA) rainfall, especially Cairns with over 3x it's average December rainfall. This was thanks to Cyclone Jasper and the rains it brought after.

January - was pretty average across the board, except Horn Island, which had a much HTA rainfall in January

February - was Below Average (BA) for Cairns, Weipa & Horn Island, about spot on average for Lockhart, but HTA for Coen.

March - now this is why we're getting the questions and statements. Up to the 27th March, all locations except Weipa have already received HTA rainfall for March. Weipa is just BA, but will likely be HTA by end of March.

So, it's been a wet December, an average January, a below average February, and an above average March. It's hard to say until the end of the wet season in late April if it is a big wet season or not. What is certain is that December and March have been wet, the landscape is still waterlogged, the rivers are still swollen...and that's pretty normal for a landscape defined by monsoons.

By early May, the rain decreases as the monsoon trough moves back north and we start experiencing cooler temperatures. Cape York tours will be incredible this year with the landscape expected to be very healthy and rejuvenated. There will be fat and happy wildlife everywhere and many will have had a good breeding season.

For those going on our tours or heading to the Cape, the Bloomfield Track is still closed. It is unknown at this stage if it will be open before the June school holidays. But there is still plenty to do in that little section of the Cape! Happy travels everyone!

26/03/2024

The steps in setting up our private tour vehicle with a good 12V system. Let me know your thoughts, or any feedback you have! I’ll share a couple time-lapse videos of the work in the next couple days too.

21/03/2024

Meet our NT cooler...and the woeful concept art I give the team to work with 😂 Thankfully the team at Murray Views are good at what they do and can make lemonade with my lemons (you know what I mean)! I also give them a few pics to help fill the gaps. Both times now, they have came back with art that I'm stoked with, and only had to make one minor adjustment request. Phenomal stuff!
If you want to get your hands on one of these, message me! They're only $10 and great art to boot!

21/03/2024

Applications close tomorrow! Get em in if you're interested :)

18/03/2024

I put this together so it was easy to visualise our 2025 tour routes. I think this nails it! These tours are going to be absolutely off tap! Kimberley has sold out already, Gulf Savannah has limited seats left and Cape York will be released tomorrow! Let me know what you think below, or if you'd like to secure one of those rare and elusive Gulf Savannah seats!

13/03/2024

The camping season is coming 🏕️😁🤩
Where is your first camping trip to?

11/03/2024

Here's our secret little packing list for our camping tours. What would you add that we haven't got on there?

08/03/2024

Has to be one of the coolest signs in Cape York! Anyone know where it is?

07/03/2024

Seeking advice...Now, I'm not sure, but I think this might be living?
Tag someone who needs a reminder to go camping!

05/03/2024

How good is this little win for nature!? 🥰

05/03/2024

The new Isuzu D-Max has performed well beyond expectations. We purchased this ute to run private tours and it has now done 3 laps of Cape York, including the full Old Telegraph Track. We never had to winch once on the entire OTT thanks to the factory rear locker. This is the base model and it absolutely delivers!
4WD mods by Cairns to Cape 4x4
Canopy by DNC Metal Works
12V Setup by Rossy 😜

04/03/2024

We have a position available for an experienced chef/cook for 4x 15-day camping tours to the bucket list location of Cape York! We are hoping this year's successful candidate will be interested in joining us for our Kimberley, Gulf Savannah (NT) & Cape York tours in 2025!

It’s a fun and adventurous way to get paid and see Australia’s remote north, immerse in culture and see epic wildlife.

Tours are 15 days with 6 days in between. Staff are required for 1 day after tour and 2 days before. Pay starts at $250/day and goes up based on experience. We pay fairly and treat our staff with respect and are as helpful as possible.
- based in Cairns, Qld
- cooking experience is a must
- candidate must enjoy camping/outdoors
- employment to start on 1st May, 2024 & finishes on 30th July.

We have a short season in 2024. 2025 will be a full season, operating from May-October.

To complete an application, please follow the information at www.cockatours.com/jobs
Applications close 22nd March.

27/02/2024

In the wildlife world, just sitting down and watching animal behaviour absolutely takes the cake for me. We took a little break on tour and soon found this Plumed Egret resumed fishing. It nailed this little meal within a couple minutes and chowed it promptly!

26/02/2024

Hi all operators/ . I just want to alert you all to a clever scam that is happening more frequently now and is quite risky...

At first, I thought these were legitimate enquiries, but none of them have ever replied and they always have the itinerary attachment as a SHTML file. Generally itineraries would be attached as a PDF file, and less often as a JPG/PNG (image) file. Most legit enquiries would also generally just copy and paste their itinerary into the email body.

I have never opened one of these attachments, and instead just asked them to send their details in the email itself. No one responds.

The email content itself reads pretty well and the user has taken the time to learn about your business and customise the email to it.
Please NEVER open an SHTML link from anyone. You can find the URL and type it in yourself if it is a basic website, otherwise it may display as one URL and take you to a different URL that seems the same.

24/02/2024

Isn't this just the cutest little bundle of joy ever?! We came across this little Spotted Python in Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park on our way home one night. It took all the stopping power we had to pull up our 12 tonne truck and not run the warmth-seeker over!

20/02/2024

The Kimberley tour has finally been uploaded to the website! Tentative dates are up, as well as the itineraries! We only have 36 seats available (2 tours) and there is already a massive waiting list. Things will be official soon...

Arguably the most comprehensive, best value Kimberley tour in existence! Helicopter flights included. Save money AND go with an ecologist!

18/02/2024

My favourite tour of all time. The Kimberley might be good, but I reckon this will still take the cake for the pure mind blow factor and adventure. A ridiculous amount of value and outsourced tours!

15/02/2024

KIMBERLEY 2025! I've researched (& procrastinated) the absolute buggery out of this one 🤓😂 It's nearly finalised now and I'm pretty happy with the pace, inclusions and the inevitable adventure and shenanigans! The best part...all the outsourced tours, heli flights etc are included😎 Love to hear your thoughts & feedback!

13/02/2024

What's that? Just a sea of Brolga & Sarus Crane. The flood plains on the west coast of Cape York hold enormous flocks of these birds. Numbers are staggering with up to 10,000 animals in a region. This is just a small flock...yet still somehow massive compared to the usual flocks you'd see in Cape York.