Barry and Shelley Lyon are the owners of Monsoon, a property situated in Cooktown, approximately 100km north of Cape Tribulation, Queensland. The property is a residence and dedicated wildlife sanctuary, which the owners intend to maintain for the conservation of wildlife and their habitat.
Monsoon spans 2 hectares, with a small section cleared for a residence and shed. The remaining 1.5 hectares is comprised of remnant native vegetation. The property is situated at the base of Mount Cook National Park, and connects to an extensive area of mixed woodland, paperbark swamp, rainforest and mangrove forest. The block itself is primarily vegetated with tropical rainforest, with a smaller area of mixed eucalypt woodland.
The property is home to a rich diversity of species including endangered northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), amethystine pythons (Simalia amethistina), spotted tree monitors (Varanus scalaris), lace monitors (Varanus varius) and major skinks (Egernia frere). Birdlife includes Torres Strait pigeons (Ducula spilorrhoa) and noisy pittas (Pitta versicolor). The surrounding land is also home to threatened southern cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius) and ant-plants (Mymecodia beccarri).
