The Beauty of Port Douglas
Port Douglas is about an hours drive north along a beautiful coastal road from Cairns and was once a tiny fishing village. Today it is a tourist centre and a Mecca for food lovers with a wide variety of wonderful restaurants, cafes and bars.
Macrossan Street is where all the village shops, restaurants and bars are and it is a lovely wide street typical of many Australian country towns. Many 19th century building still line the street, the Court House Hotel is one example and thankfully, the town planners must have been determined to keep this towns endearing character as they have modernized it but all the new buildings have architecture that blend in with the old including the notable absence of high rise buildings.
The original port was set up during the gold rush in the 1850s but it was superseded by Cairns as the main port of the area. At one point the population went down to a mere 500 people after a particularly horrific cyclone in 1911 but now it thrives with activity in some ways due to the construction of the Sheraton Mirage Resort , built in 1980s which started bringing in the tourists and was the beginning of a new boom in restaurants and accommodation.
On either end of the street you will find a beach and a marina. While at the beach you can enjoy safe swimming, in the netted sea, parasailing, helicopter rides, and Dive School. At the marina you can enjoy golf or yachting, it is also the home to the Sheraton resort.
On Sundays there is a Sunday Market held in Market Park which has been going for about twenty years. It provides you with the opportunity to but locally hand made arts and crafts of every description. In 1998, the council decreed this market to be a Cotters Market, thereby ensuring that the goods on offer for sale are made only by the stall holder of their immediate family making it a wonderfully unique place to shop.
There are numerous accommodation, luxury or budget to choice one. You will almost always be guaranteed a bed except in May. If traveling in May you will want to book in advance, as the Port Douglas Carnivale, one of Queenslands most popular event, last for ten days.
The Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas is a five star luxury hotel, with it’s beachfront view. Amenities include a golf course, salt water swimming lagoons, and three restaurants. Their country club includes a gym, tennis courts, a lap pool and a kids club.
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.