Port Douglas is a town in
Far NorthFar North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, approximately 70 km (43.5 mi) north of
CairnsCairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
. Its permanent population was 948 residents in 2006. The town's population can often double, 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 DouglasJohn Douglas CMG 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 RiverThe 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. The river, along with the Daintree...
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 ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
and the
Daintree RainforestThe Daintree Rainforest is a tropical rainforest on the north east coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Mossman and Cairns. At around 1200 square kilometres the Daintree is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the Australian continent...
.
Port Douglas was No. 3 on Australian Traveller magazine's list of 100 Best Towns In Australia.
Government
The town is within the Federal electorate of
LeichhardtThe Division of Leichhardt is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was first proclaimed in 1949. It is one of Australia's largest electorates, covering an area stretching from Cairns to Cape York and the Torres Strait, including the Torres Strait Islands.-About the...
, and within the State electorate of
CookThe electoral division of Cook is an electoral district in Queensland, Australia.Cook covers the vast Cape York Peninsula north of Cairns, including the resort town of Port Douglas and the Torres Strait Islands...
. At local level, it is part of the Cairns Region.
History
The Port Douglas township was established in 1877 after the discovery of gold at Hodgkinson River by
James Venture MulliganJames Venture Mulligan was a bushman and prospector. He was born in Drumgooland, County Down, Ireland and emigrated to Australia in 1859...
. It grew quickly, and at its peak Port Douglas had a population of 12,000 and 27 hotels. With the construction of the
Mulligan HighwayThe Mulligan Highway is a new state highway in Queensland, Australia. It runs for approximately 270 km between Mareeba and Cooktown, on the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula where it terminates....
it serviced towns as far away as
HerbertonHerberton is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Herberton had a population of 974.-History:...
.
When the
Kuranda RailwayThe Kuranda Scenic Railway is a name for the railway line that runs from Cairns, Queensland, Australia to the nearby town of Kuranda. The tourist railway snakes its way up the Macalister Range and is no longer used for regular commuter services. It passes through the suburbs of Stratford,...
from
CairnsCairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
to Kuranda was completed in 1891, the importance of Port Douglas dwindled along with its population. A
cycloneIn meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
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 after investor
Christopher SkaseChristopher 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.-Early life:...
financed the construction of the world-class Sheraton Mirage.
Significant events, visitors and residents
On 5 July 1943, a RAAF Vultee Vengeance (Serial Number A27-217)
crash landedAn emergency landing is a 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.-Types of emergency landings:...
on the beach near Port Douglas.
In November 1996 United States President
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and First Lady
Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
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. On a return visit on 11 September 2001, the then ex-President was again dining at the Salsa Bar and Grill, a local restaurant, when he was advised of the 11 September attacks. He 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
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's south, namely
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
On 4 September 2006, entertainer a.k.a. "Crocodile Hunter"
Steve IrwinStephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
died at
Batt ReefBatt Reef is a coral reef off Port Douglas 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...
, off Port Douglas, after a
stingrayThe stingrays are a group of rays, which are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae , Plesiobatidae , Urolophidae , Urotrygonidae , Dasyatidae , Potamotrygonidae The...
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 toxic 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 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 in October and November and begins with
Porttoberfest North Queensland's own Beer Festival around the middle of October. In late October the
Go Troppo Arts Festival, kicks off and ends with
The Sunset in the Park Music Festival held on the last weekend of October .
In November Port Douglas turns into an athletes' village to host
The Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival. Steve Moneghetti is the event ambassador and competitors get the chance to race against the Marathon Olympian in the Steve Moneghetti Invitational Half Marathon. Both periods celebrate and embrace the regions unique tropical island like lifestyle.
In 2012, Port Douglas will be the pole position for a Total Solar Eclipse. This phenomenon will take place at 6:38 am on 14 November 2012. The total eclipse will be visible from approximately Innisfail in the south to Cedar Bay National Park in the North. Port Douglas is right in its path. Thousands are expected to converge at this unique destination to see the event.
The first ever
Solar Eclipse MarathonThe Solar Eclipse Marathon is a marathon race taking place in Port Douglas, Australia on the morning of 14 November 2012. The occasion for the event is the total solar eclipse that will cover a part of northern Queensland in the early hours of the day...
is being organised in Port Douglas to coincide with the Total Solar Eclipse in November 2012. This 42.195 km Marathon will race over 2,000 competitors starting at 6:41am on the morning of 14 November as the first rays of the sun re-emerge from behind the moon thus incorporating the Eclipse as the worlds first
intergalatic starting gun.
Climate
Port Douglas has a tropical climate with warm summers and warm winters, with heavy rainfall mainly occurring January through March.
Recreation
KitesurfingKitesurfing or Kiteboarding is an adventure surface water sport that has been described as combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a...
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 ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 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 divingScuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
and
snorkellingSnorkeling 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. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
. Port Douglas is also well known for its many restaurants, golf courses, and five star resorts.
External links