The best time to visit Port Douglas is of course when you can visit. Never let the weather put you off too much, but should you choose summer or winter, wet season or dry and should you factor in stinger season? A lot depends on which of the things to do in Port Douglas appeal …
Australia
Belanglo State Forest is a forestry plantation of exotic radiata pines in New South Wales Australia. It is famous, unfortunately, for a series of murders but is also a popular recreational area and a great spot for wild mushroom foraging. The New South Wales Government owns the plantation and planting started back in 1919, today the …
What’s it live to live, sleep, eat, scuba and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef? We’ve taken 2 liveaboard scuba diving trips on the reef now in Queensland Australia, both departing from Cairns. But what do divers and snorkellers do out there, what’s it like? It’s the ultimate dive experience and we did it as …
What’s it like to learn to scuba dive? Our post covers the basics of scuba certification and follows my son learning to dive in Cairns, Australia and on the Great Barrier Reef with Divers Den, a local dive school and scuba operator. Yes, kids can scuba dive too, but how old do they need to …
Cairns has numerous great attractions within easy reach of the city and CBD but there are also loads of things to do in the surrounding area. We’re local travel bloggers, we live just outside Cairns when we’re not travelling the world, so we really enjoyed putting this Cairns travel blog section together for you. In …
The only way to get from Cairns to Port Douglas is by road (unless you take a helicopter or charter a boat) and it’s officially one of the most beautiful drives in the world. The Captain Cook Highway between Cairns and Port Douglas hugs the coast offering stunning views of the Coral Sea. Along the …
Hiring a car in Port Douglas can be quick and easy but during the high season the availability of cars will be limited so book ahead if you want a particular type of car. Cars available range from budget small hatch backs to convertible, 4wds and people carriers. There are far more car hire companies …
K’gari island is a must-visit for adventure seekers, wildlife enthusiasts and beachgoers in South East Queensland, K’gari, formerly Fraser Island, is a sand island (the largest in the world, in fact!) located in southern Queensland only 25Km from Brisbane. (For how to get to K’gari, see our post.)A popular spot for many people both backpacking …
To the north of Cairns and Port Douglas, you will find the oldest rainforest in the world, the Daintree Rainforest. Daintree Village, Daintree River, Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation are areas you will most certainly want to see during your time in Port Douglas and Far North Queensland. A look at everything the Daintree has …
If you’re looking for Great Barrier Reef Tours from Port Douglas, congratulations, you picked a great place from which to explore the reef. Port Douglas Australia is a stunning holiday town in Far North Queensland, home to beautiful 4 Mile Beach, close to Mossman Gorge and the Daintree Rainforest as well as the cooler Atherton …
Adelaide is well-known for its award-winning wineries and amazing restaurants. If it is your first time in Adelaide and you want to book a food and wine tour, you might get overwhelmed with the choices, as there are A LOT. You can also be a local who’s looking for different options. Whatever it is that …
Yes, you read that right we have a stinging tree in Queensland. It’s not just a bit “ouch” it’s more searing blinding agony that can persist for months. It’s not going to kill you with venom, but suicide could sound like a good option. Yes, it’s that bad. This post is about Gympie Gympie, the …
If you’re visiting the Cairns and Port Douglas region in summer, you absolutely must check out some of our freshwater swimming spots as well as the iconic Great Barrier Reef. These are where the locals go to cool off and some, like Mossman Gorge, receive large numbers of tourists too. Families visit these jungle swimming …
Our Australia travel blog has all of our Australia content on one page. Just jump to the post you need. I never thought I’d spend any time in Australia let alone such a large chunk of my life. I certainly never dreamed I’d marry an Australian and move to the other side of the world. …
World Heritage-listed K’gari (formerly Fraser Island), the world’s largest sand island, sits roughly halfway up Australia’s east coast in Queensland, giving it a maritime subtropical climate and pleasant temperatures all year round. It’s always a popular travel destination for all ages and rightly so. Let’s have a look at getting to Fraser Island, Australia and …
It’s time to introduce you to yet another amazing part of Australia and one you may never have heard of. I’m sure you’ll want to visit Lord Howe Island. Lord Howe is a stunner, a paradise for beach and nature lovers, isolated and relatively untouched by tourism. Lord Howe Island is a rocky volcanic crescent lying …
To explore the vast spaces that Australia has to offer, you’d be hard pressed finding a better way to explore the sun burnt country than by getting yourself behind the wheel of a four-wheel-drive, just for ease, convenience, and the ability to pack up and move to wherever the fish are calling you! You can …
Are you thinking of visiting Port Douglas Australia? Good choice! Port Douglas is a beautiful part of the world and a top holiday destination. The town and region are rich in natural beauty, amazing wildlife and good hotels. There are dozens of diverse things to do in Port Douglas and surrounding area and we’ll try …
We think road tripping is an excellent way to see the real Australia. The iconic train journeys are great, the buses will get you there and flying is quick but nothing beats touring the magnificent scenery of the Great Southern Land in your own vehicle. So are you planning a family road trip in Australia? …
Back home in Australia outdoor pursuits are, understandably, big news. We owned kayaks, camping gear, fishing tackle and a great big truck to transport them in. Our children were small, so our kayaking endeavours were restricted to our local (Four Mile) beach, Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tablelands along with the occasional foray as far …
If you are moving to Australia, welcome! We moved to Australia in 2007 from the UK. By 2013 we were travelling full-time but lockdown saw us holed up in Queensland. We still own a house there and we’ve just bought a farm or homestead in Australia. We want to put more information on our blog …
As long-term Port Douglas residents turned professional travellers, we know the local accommodation, from luxury hotels to private rentals, from resorts, to hostels, very well indeed. Readers often ask where to stay, which is the best hotel in Port Douglas, what hostel is most affordable, and what accommodation is best for families? They need recommendations …
Australia offers some amazing bushwalking opportunities and surprisingly, some of the best are within a few hours’ drive of the biggest cities. Sydney and Canberra have plenty of first-class bushwalks and hikes, from day treks to full week and longer hikes. If you can make it to Tasmania, the state is set up for bushwalking. …
Ten million tourists visit Queensland’s Gold Coast every pre-Covid year, handily generating over $2.5 billion for the region. Whether they come for the excellent surfing and amusement parks or the stunning architectural landmarks, the Gold Coast is where holidays would holiday if they could. One of the city’s most popular sections is the suburb known …
Perth is a city on Australia’s West Coast. It’s the capital of Western Australia and stands on the Swan Coastal Plain, the junction of the Swan River and the Indian Ocean. It’s pretty isolated over there but if you get the chance to visit, it’s a beautiful destination. “This World is Beautiful!” That’s a quote …
Australia with kids. What does it have to offer? Is it worth the mammoth flight to take your kids to Australia from the US, UK, or Europe for a family holiday? If you’re already in Australia, where are the best places to take kids? What should you see in Australia and what are the practicalities …
This post is from our first day of travel, our first day as a nomadic family, not quite digital nomads yet, our travel blog wasn’t making enough money for us to call ourselves that. These early months of travel were funded by savings. We’d saved for a year, planned for a year, and now we …
This is my last week in Port Douglas, Queensland. Regular readers will know we are British expats and have been living in paradise here for almost six years. They will also know that it hasn’t always been paradise for me. I suffered badly with culture shock and found it hard to adjust. But goodbye Port Douglas, hello new adventure. …
Cairns, Australia, is one of the stepping off points for snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, but is there a beach in Cairns? No, actually, there’s not in Cairns City itself. There is a pretty esplanade walkway and a narrow strip of sand but mostly Cairns has a busy estuary and salt water crocodiles, big ones. …
Looking for a foodie treat in Cairns or this area of Far North Queensland? I’ve posted about London’s Borough Market before, well this is our local version when we’re at home in Port Douglas. Rusty’s Market Cairns is not to be missed! Rusty’s Market Rusty’s Market is fabulous, every type of fruit and veg you …
Yes, we have saltwater crocodiles in Queensland and yes, they can eat you. But mostly they don’t, which is good. Taking a boat trip to go crocodile spotting in Port Douglas is a lovely way to spend a few hours, I’ve taken the children many times and they always enjoy it. Each trip is different …
Want to know what’s top of my “Things to do in Port Douglas” list? Well, I always say that feeding George the groper is the most exciting thing that happens in Port Douglas. It’s certainly not something you should miss if you are in the top right-hand corner of Queensland or visiting Port for our beaches, rainforest, …
Healthy, Delicious Paleo Food In Cairns. We’ve just been on a mission to try the new cafe serving paleo food in Cairns. It’s an hour in the car from Port Douglas to Cairns, a long way to go for lunch, but I was really excited to try out the Paleo Cafe on Grafton St. Cairns. …
I’m no expert on gardening in the tropics, I’ve lived here for 5 years, in tropical Queensland, I’m a British expat in Australia, I’ve made plenty of gardening mistakes, but I’m starting to see some good results in the tropical food garden. Check out our tomato crop. Until a few years ago I lived in …
Honestly, I’m confused, my head is a mess. I spent forty-two years experiencing Christmas in winter. December, in my mind, will always be cold, now, suddenly, our tropical Christmas is in summer, it’s too weird! I find myself living in Port Douglas, Australia, in an alternate hemisphere, am I supposed to adjust to the idea …
Yesterday was the first day of summer in Australia. It brought wind and rain to Port Douglas, looks a bit stormy doesn’t it? Our wet season has started, so there is plenty more rain to come . Don’t be fooled into thinking it was cold, the temperatures were up in the thirties and the humidity …
The scary scuba diving story is the scariest of my travel horror stories. If you’re learning to scuba dive, read this first and avoid my mistake! Is scuba diving scary? Well, yes, it can be, depending on the person, but this experience would scare the whatsit out of most people. Despite this newbie diver story, …
We live in the tropics, Far North Queensland, we get horrible tropical diseases, more so, because we have children, adorable little germ factories that they are. Today’s disease is impetigo or school sores. It’s so bad I’m going to add it to my list of travel horror stories, I didn’t even have to leave home for this one! …
We’ve just got back from Four Mile Beach Port Douglas, the total solar eclipse was stunning! Dragging the kids out of bed at 4am didn’t go down too well, but a Daintree ice cream and some celestial spectacularness soon perked them up. Part of Photo Friday on Delicious Baby. As a new blogger I’d do linkies …
Is snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef on the top of your bucket list? It’s an experience like no other, a marine adventure that people travel the whole world to experience, an unforgettable day during your time in Australia. In this post we talk about snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, what it’s like, what …