Port Douglas Lastminute Hotels & Travel Guide
Port Douglas is, 70 kilometres of very attractive coastal highway north of Cairns. The village of Port Douglas has a natural harbour on one side which includes the Marina Mirage with its excellent shopping and restaurants and on the other side of the peninsula is the beautiful white sandy Four Mile beach.
Port Douglas offers a great selection of day trips. Dive or fish the Great Barrier Reef, take an escorted tour of the Daintree River and Rainforest. The coastal strip of the Daintree, Cape Tribulation region to the north of Port Douglas is home to some of the oldest forests in the world.
Shopping
No holiday is complete without some terrific shopping and what better place to do just that in Port Douglas. You can enjoy everything from visiting the markets to the designer boutique.
Port Douglas offers retail stores that sell everything from fine clothing to a unique artefacts. You will also find Indigenous artworks and crafts, European and Australian brands.
Head to Macrossan street and you will find the perfect gift for love ones or even yourself, from Akubra hats to a top designer brands.
Attractions
Daintree – The Daintree and Cape Tribulation is to the north of Port Douglas. It is an area of spectacular scenery with tropical rainforest and ocean. The Daintree Cape Tribulation coast is where the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree rainforest meet, the only place on earth where two World Heritage areas exist side by side. Book your Daintree Tours & Activities online.
Great Barrier Reef – Diving trips go out to the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest World Heritage Area extending over 2000 kilometres and covering an area of over 350,000 sq km. It is probably the best known marine protected area in the world including over 2800 individual reefs and more than 1000 islands. The Great Barrier Reef’s great diversity reflects the maturity of the ecosystem, which has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years. It is the world’s most extensive coral reef system and is one of the world's richest areas in terms of faunal diversity. The Great Barrier Reef is larger than the whole of the United Kingdom.
Most trips offer a diving option, snorkelling, glass bottom boats and submarine. There are a large number of tour operators that depart from Port Douglas depending on what you want to do. If you do not want to dive, stick to the snorkel only options. If you would like to try diving, but never have before, look for the companies that offer “introductory” or “resort” dives. And if you only want to dive, check out the specialty diving services. Book your Diving Tours in Port Douglas online.
Four Mile Beach – A long sandy beach stretching from Island Point in one long arc. There is patrolled swimming at the north end of the beach with nets to protect swimmers from the stingers.
Mossman Gorge – Mossman Gorge is an attractive area for a walk and five kilometres from Mossman. Mossman is about 75km from Port Douglas. The walk is a through dense forest and with pleasant views of the river. There is also a swimming place in the Mossman River. A popular walk is to the suspension bridge across the river.
Dining & Entertainment
Port Douglas has great variety of dining options for you to enjoy. The restaurants are among the best in Australia from fast food to elegant dining. There are plenty of style to suit your taste buds, whether you fancy seafood, Mexican, Chinese, Mediterranian or simple the famous kangaroo or crocodile BBQ steak. Port Douglas has it all.
Head to Mango Jam for a world famous wood-fired pizza, enjoy the ultimate outdoor dining experience at Nautilus restaurant and you wont be disspointed. If you fancy seafood (well you are in the right place), due to its location by the sea, many Port Douglas restaurants specilaises in seafood and have local access to fresh, good quality seafood all year round.
Markets
The market is held in Anzac Park every Sunday and provide locally made hand crafted goods of every description. You will find arts and crafts, pottery, glassware, tropical clothing, souvenirs and jewelleries. You will also find fruits and vegetables. Market open from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Gallery
Australian and Oceanic Art Gallery – Specialises in Contemporary Australian and Aboriginal Art, this boutique exhibits works by the Lockart River Art Gang, artist from Kintore, Balgo, Utopia, Mornington Island and local Indigenous artists. The gallery present a unique opportunity for art lovers to experience the works of many extremely talented award winning artists.
Bundarra Gallery – Conveniently situated in the heart of Macrossan Street, open daily from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, the gallery is one of the most respected galleries in Australia that showcase an extensive collection of contemporary and traditional Aboriginal Art.
Accommodation
Port Douglas has a great range of accommodation options from backpackers to luxury apartments. Book your tropical holiday accommodation online at lastminutehotels.com and enjoy your perfect hide away in the Tropical North Queensland.
