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Port Douglas, Queensland

 
Port Douglas, Queensland

 
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Port Douglas, Queensland
 
 
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Port Douglas is a town in Far North
Far North Queensland

Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns, Queensland north to the Torres Strait....
 Queensland
Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, approximately north of Cairns
Cairns, Queensland

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia. The area upon which the city has been built is known in the local Yidiny language as Gimuy....
. Its permanent population was 948 residents in 2006. The town's population can often quadruple, however, with the influx of tourists during the peak tourism season May-September. The town is named in honour of former Premier of Queensland, John Douglas
John Douglas (Queensland politician)

John Douglas Order of St Michael and St George was an Anglo-Australian politician and Premier of Queensland.Douglas was born in London, the seventh son of Henry Alexander Douglas and his wife Elizabeth Dalzell, daughter of the Earl of Carnwarth....
. Port Douglas developed quickly based on the mining industry. Other parts of the area were established with timber cutting occurring in the area surrounding the Daintree River
Daintree River

The Daintree River runs through the Daintree Rainforest in the Cape Tribulation region of Queensland in northern Australia. It is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Cairns in far north tropical Queensland and drains an area of 2,125 square kilometres....
 and with settlement starting to occur on lots around the Mossman River by 1880.

Previous names for the town included Terrigal, Island Point, Port Owen and Salisbury.






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Port Douglas is a town in Far North
Far North Queensland

Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns, Queensland north to the Torres Strait....
 Queensland
Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, approximately north of Cairns
Cairns, Queensland

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia. The area upon which the city has been built is known in the local Yidiny language as Gimuy....
. Its permanent population was 948 residents in 2006. The town's population can often quadruple, however, with the influx of tourists during the peak tourism season May-September. The town is named in honour of former Premier of Queensland, John Douglas
John Douglas (Queensland politician)

John Douglas Order of St Michael and St George was an Anglo-Australian politician and Premier of Queensland.Douglas was born in London, the seventh son of Henry Alexander Douglas and his wife Elizabeth Dalzell, daughter of the Earl of Carnwarth....
. Port Douglas developed quickly based on the mining industry. Other parts of the area were established with timber cutting occurring in the area surrounding the Daintree River
Daintree River

The Daintree River runs through the Daintree Rainforest in the Cape Tribulation region of Queensland in northern Australia. It is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Cairns in far north tropical Queensland and drains an area of 2,125 square kilometres....
 and with settlement starting to occur on lots around the Mossman River by 1880.

Previous names for the town included Terrigal, Island Point, Port Owen and Salisbury. The town is situated adjacent to two World Heritage areas, the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately ....
 and the Daintree Rainforest
Daintree Rainforest

The Daintree Rainforest is a tropical rainforest near Daintree, Queensland, on the coast, north of Cairns in tropical far north of Australia....
.

Government

The town is within the Federal electorate of Leichhardt
Division of Leichhardt

The Division of Leichhardt is an Australian Electoral Divisions in Queensland. The division was first proclaimed in 1949. It is one of Australia's largest electorates, covering an area stretching from Cairns, Queensland to Cape York and the Torres Strait, including the Torres Strait Islands....
, and within the State electorate of Cook
Electoral district of Cook

The electoral division of Cook is an electoral division in Queensland, Australia.Cook covers the vast Cape York Peninsula north of Cairns, Queensland, including the resort town of Port Douglas, Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands....
.

History

The Port Douglas township was established in 1877 after the discovery of gold at Hodgkinson River by James Venture Mulligan
James Venture Mulligan

James Venture Mulligan was a bushman and Prospecting. He was born in Drumgooland, County Down, Ireland and emigrated to Australia in 1859. Mount Mulligan in Far North Queensland was named after him in 1872 by fellow prospectors....
. It grew quickly, and at its peak Port Douglas had a population of 12,000 and 27 hotels. With the construction of the Mulligan Highway
Mulligan Highway

The Mulligan Highway is a new state highway in Queensland, Australia. It runs for approximately 270 km between Mareeba, Queensland and Cooktown, Queensland, on the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula where it terminates....
 it serviced towns as far away as Herberton
Herberton, Queensland

Herberton is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, located at , 882 m above sea level. It has a population of approximately 1,500....
.

When the Kuranda Railway
Kuranda Scenic Railway

The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a name for the railway line that runs from Cairns, Queensland, Australia to the nearby town of Kuranda, Queensland....
 from Cairns
Cairns, Queensland

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia. The area upon which the city has been built is known in the local Yidiny language as Gimuy....
 to Kuranda was completed in 1891, the importance of Port Douglas dwindled along with its population. A cyclone
Cyclone

In meteorology, a cyclone refers to an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth's rotation. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate counter clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth....
 in 1911 which demolished all but two buildings in the town also had a significant impact. At its nadir in 1960 the town, by then little more than a fishing village, had a population of 100.

In the mid-1980s, tourism boomed in the region with the aid of Christopher Skase
Christopher Skase

Christopher Charles Skase was an Australian businessman who later became one of his country's most wanted fugitives, after his business empire crashed spectacularly and he fled to Majorca in Spain....
, an investor who financed the construction of the world-class Sheraton Mirage.

Significant events, visitors and residents


On the July 5, 1943, a RAAF Vultee Vengeance (Serial Number A27-217) crash landed
Emergency landing

An emergency landing is an unplanned landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport....
 on the beach near Port Douglas.

In November 1996 United States President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
 and the First Lady chose the town as their only vacation stop on their historic visit to Australia. When dining at a local restaurant they witnessed a couple's wedding certificate who had just got married the same day. On a return visit on September 11, 2001, the then ex-President was again dining at the Salsa Bar and Grill, a local restaurant, when he was advised of the 9/11 attacks. He subsequently returned to the United States the following day .

The town has enjoyed a steady influx of full-time residents since its 'rebirth', with most newcomers arriving from Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
's south, namely Victoria
Victoria (Australia)

File:Map Victoria Aboriginal tribes .jpgVictoria is a States and territories of Australia located in the southeastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area but the most Population density and urbanised....
 and Tasmania
Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and States and territories of Australia of the same name. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait....
.

On 4 September, 2006, entertainer a.k.a. "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin

Stephen Robert Irwin , known simply as Steve Irwin and nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an iconic Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist....
 died at Batt Reef
Batt Reef

Batt Reef is a coral reef off Port Douglas, Queensland in Queensland, Australia. It is centred at and is part of the Great Barrier Reef.The reef is about 18 km long by 5 km wide, lying northwest to southeast, at the northern side of Trinity Passage that leads from the inner Reef channel from Trinity Bay to the Pacific Ocean....
, off Port Douglas, after a stingray
Stingray

The stingrays are a family, Dasyatidae of batoidea, cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are common in coastal tropical marine waters throughout the world, and several species are known to enter fresh water....
 barb went through his chest into his heart while Irwin and his crew were filming a documentary called The Ocean's Deadliest. Irwin was filmed snorkelling directly above the stingray when it lashed him with its tail, embedding its poisonous barb. Irwin died almost immediately. This event was widely reported both in Australia and overseas.

Every year Port Douglas attracts tourist and locals alike to two significant festival periods. The original and world renowned festival the 'Port Douglas Carnivale' is on around the end of May and runs for 10 days over two weekends beginning with the Macrossan Street Parade attracting over 10,000 people. The second festival period is held over two weekends in October and consists of the 'Footprints Music Festival' an Eco / Arts Festival & 'Porttoberfest' a Far Northern Queensland Beer Festival. Both periods showcase and celebrate the regions unique tropical island like lifestyle.

Geography


Climate


Port Douglas has a tropical climate with warm summers and warm winters, and rainfall mainly Jan through Mar.

Recreation

Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing

Kitesurfing or kiteboarding is a surface water sport that uses wind power to pull a rider through the water on a small surfboard or a kiteboard ....
 is popular at the southern end of Four Mile Beach, particularly during the winter months when trade winds blow from the South.

Port Douglas is near the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately ....
. Numerous companies run daily trips from the marina to the outer reef and the Low Isles for scuba diving
Scuba diving

SCUBA diving is Underwater diving, or taking part in another activity, while using a scuba set. By carrying a source of breathing gas , the scuba diver is able to stay underwater longer than with the simple breath-holding techniques used in snorkeling and free-diving, and is not hindered by air lines to a remote air source....
 and snorkelling
Snorkeling

Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins....
. Port Douglas is also well known for its many restaurants, golf courses, and five star resorts.

A number of private homes are available for rental year round, from simple budget-style accommodation to the ultimate in luxury living.

External links