Located just 70 kilometres north of Cairns, Port Douglas shares the same latitude as Tahiti.
The endlessly warm weather, pollution free air, relaxed atmosphere and obvious natural attractions make for an inviting destination.
Port Douglas is the only place in the world where two natural, world-heritage listed sites – the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest – exist side by side.
These other worlds are right on the doorstep for those who live in paradise permanently. And according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) at the last census that was 10,193 people.
The township of Port Douglas features one main street, that is Macrossan Street which runs from the Inlet at one end to the Coral Sea at the other.
At the inlet end of Macrossan Street is Anzac Park, which is where the Sunday markets are held.
The colourful stalls offer arts and crafts, food, tropical fruit and you can even get your coconut cracked so you drink milk straight from the shell, a-la Gilligan’s Island style.
Alongside the Port Douglas Sunday markets is the delightful, quaint church known as St Mary’s By The Sea. The 1880 church was the only remaining church left in Port Douglas.
It was restored and re-located to its current site where it enjoys the most pictureque setting thus making it very popular for weddings.
Further along Wharf Street is the Old Port Douglas Court House Museum, which is the oldest building in Port Douglas, circa 1879. It is a Queensland Heritage building and now houses a collection of memorabilia from the gold rush and early days of settlement.
Extend your stroll along Wharf Street and you will end up on the boardwalk of the Port Douglas Marina.
This is the nautical gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and just in case you are wondering – no, you can’t drive there, but you can choose from a range of boats that will take you there.
The Marina in Port Douglas
