Port Douglas

View from Port Douglas to the Bellenden Ker Ranges

Four Mile Beach

A view from the road Cairns to Port Douglas

When I discovered that Cairns’ population had grown threefold to 140,000 since my last visit in 1976, I settled for the quieter town of Port Douglas which is 67 kilometres north. I also thought at the time we would make frequent trips back to Cairns to take in the sights such as the Barron Falls, Kuranda and Green Island. This was not to be as the road from Cairns to Port Douglas starts with a series of heavily travelled roundabouts (twelve of them) and then winds its way between mountain and sea for dozens of kilometres. The trip took us 1h30 but the scenery is spectacular.

Port Douglas has many advantages as unlike Cairns it is right on the beach (the famous four mile beach) and it is closer to Mossman, the Daintree Coast, and the Great Barrier Reef. Even though it is small you will find all the grocery and boutique shopping desired, a weekly market, some great restaurants (try the Beach Shack on 4 Mile Beach where you can dine barefoot in the sand), and the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary.

We stayed in a condominium complex a short walk to the beach. After we got used to the cries of flying foxes (bats) we spent a restful time in this lush tropical North Queensland retreat.