Port Douglas
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Port Douglas

Port Douglas

Relaxed Coral Sea resort town between Four Mile Beach, rainforest drives, and Great Barrier Reef trips.

Port Douglas is a small resort town on the Coral Sea coast, about 70 km north of Cairns along the Captain Cook Highway. The drive up is one of the best in Australia — the road hugs the coast with rainforest on one side and the sea on the other, passing through country that looks largely as it must have before Europeans arrived.

The town itself sits on a low peninsula between Four Mile Beach and Dickson Inlet. It is upmarket and relaxed, more so than Cairns, with good restaurants and a quieter pace. The main drag, Macrossan Street, fills up in season but never overwhelms. Heritage buildings on Wharf Street — including St Mary's by the Sea and the Court House Museum — give the town a bit of historical texture.

Port Douglas is exceptionally well-placed for two World Heritage areas. Reef trips to the outer Great Barrier Reef run daily from the marina — conditions are generally better here than at Cairns, as the continental shelf is closer. The Daintree Rainforest, the oldest tropical rainforest in the world, begins about 30 km north. Most visitors use Port Douglas as a base to explore both, making it one of the most productive bases for natural history travel in Australia.

Guide

Eating Out

Port Douglas has a restaurant scene that reflects its upmarket positioning: the options are good, the prices are high, and the emphasis is on tropical Queensland produce — barramundi, mud crab, Atherton Tablelands produce, and tropical fruits. Macrossan Street is the main dining strip.

Guide

Things to Do

Port Douglas punches well above its size as an activity base. The Great Barrier Reef is accessible on day trips from the marina — multiple operators run daily boats to the outer reef, and the closer low islands are good for snorkelling. The Daintree Rainforest, beginning about 30 km north, is the other major draw: guided tours, river crocodile-spotting cruises, and self-drive exploration of the oldest tropical rainforest on earth. Within town, Four Mile Beach is a long sweep of sand that works for swimming in season (October to May, when the marine stingers are manageable with stinger suits).