By air
Cairns (CNS), ~65 km south along the coast road
Australia & New Zealand · Australia
Port Douglas, Australia
Palms, a four-mile beach and two World Heritage sites
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to October — dry season, mild and stinger-free
Don't miss
Four Mile Beach
Flagstaff Hill lookout
Macrossan Street
Mossman Gorge
The Daintree Rainforest
Agincourt Reef
Things to do
Reef trips to Agincourt Reef
The Mossman Gorge walk
A day in the Daintree and Cape Tribulation
Sunset from Flagstaff Hill
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Kgbo · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, insect repellent for the rainforest, swimwear
A quieter corner
The Sunday market under the trees in Rex Smeal Park by the water
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Port Douglas?
May to October — dry season, mild and stinger-free. What to pack: Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, insect repellent for the rainforest, swimwear.
How do I get to Port Douglas?
Fly into Cairns (CNS), ~65 km south along the coast road.
What is there to do in Port Douglas?
Reef trips to Agincourt Reef, the Mossman Gorge walk, a day in the Daintree and Cape Tribulation, sunset from Flagstaff Hill. A quieter find: The Sunday market under the trees in Rex Smeal Park by the water.
What should I eat in Port Douglas?
Barramundi and reef fish on Macrossan Street, tropical fruit from the Sunday market.
About Port Douglas
- Coastal
Where it is
Port Douglas is a resort town in far north Queensland, Australia, about 65 km north of Cairns on a headland between the Coral Sea and the rainforest, where the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree meet.
History
Port Douglas was founded in 1877 as a port for the Hodgkinson goldfield and declined once the railway favoured Cairns, surviving as a sleepy fishing village until resort development in the 1980s. It is now the quieter base for the northern reef and the Daintree.
People
The town is small and unhurried, its life on Macrossan Street and the marina; the Kuku Yalanji people are the traditional owners of the Mossman and Daintree country, and their guides lead walks in the gorge. Reef boats leave the marina early and the beach empties by dark.
Known for
- Four Mile Beach
- The Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation
- Mossman Gorge
- Agincourt Reef
Did you know?
Four Mile Beach really is about four miles long, and at low tide its sand is firm enough to cycle on from one end to the other.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.