Siteseeing: Gateway to Australia's coral reef

Drive 70km north from Cairns along the spectacular Queensland coast and you arrive at the delightful town of Port Douglas. The resort consists of a wide range of hotels and holiday units running parallel to a white sand beach with a cluster of shops, bars and restaurants at the end of the road.

Port Douglas is too tropical to be a summer playground outside air-conditioning range, but in winter with an average temperature of 26 deg C, the resort is popular with Sydneysiders and Melbournites escaping the cold.

The beach is the resort's main attraction but this area of Far North Queensland is also a good base from which to explore the Great Barrier Reef and rainforest coast of Daintree and Cape Tribulation.

The Port Douglas Daintree Tourism Association gives you an overview of what the town and surrounds has to offer.

A premier attraction is the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary in Port Douglas where native birds and animals roam free in their natural environment and can be observed from elevated walkways.

Many boats leave Port Douglas each morning for guided tours of the Great Barrier Reef. Try Poseidon Snorkel and Dive. Also close by is the Mossman Gorge, part of the Daintree National Park.

There is a wide range of accommodation in and around Port Douglas. The Sheraton Mirage is the largest of the hotels with all rooms surrounded by salt-water pools. The hotel's golf course is by a lake and golfers have been known to be startled by small estuarine crocodiles.

Links

Port Douglas Daintree Tourism Association

Poseidon Snorkel and Dive

The Sheraton Mirage