In the 15+ years I’ve been living in Port Douglas (intermittently), I’ve never seen a big cyclone. With Cyclone Jasper heading our way in December 2023, in a few days, I thought I’d share what it’s like living with tropical storms and cyclones in tropical north Queensland. Extreme weather events are an interesting aspect of …
Port Douglas
Port Douglas Australia. Things to do in Port Douglas, activities, dining, hotels, what to see, where to go. Our Port Douglas holiday information is here to help you plan the perfect Port Douglas trip.
Firstly a quick Port Douglas overview to help you decide if Port Douglas is for you.
Facts about Port Douglas
- Port Douglas has a tropical climate with the summer months being our “wet” season.
- Reef boats, fishing boats, and pleasure cruises depart the Port Douglas superyacht marina pretty much every day of the year.
- People can and do visit Port Douglas year-round.
- You can visit the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas, for the outer reef, or for Low Isles.
- Sailing, scuba diving,snorkelling, glass-bottom boats, kite surfing, SUP, there are many activities in Port Douglas.
- The Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge are very close to Port Douglas.
- You can visit Cairns, Palm Cove, Kuranda and the Atherton Tablelands from your Port Douglas base.
- If you're flying to FNQ, you'll likely arrive at Cairns International Airport, approximately an hour south of Port.
- There are campsites, luxury hotels and backpacker accommodation in Port Douglas.
- Port Douglas has an abundance of restaurants featuring Australian and international cuisines.
- The Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas now has its own crocodile encounter tank.
- There are many ways to see crocodiles nearby.
- Be aware of stinger season. Visitors still swim and go to the reef during stinger season, with reasonable precautions.
- Port Douglas is a historic town built around the sugar industry. Tourism came later.
- Possibly the two best hotels in Port Douglas are the Sheraton Mirage and Sea Temple. Both are outstanding hotels with huge pools.
If you'd like to look at discounted tours and activities available in Port Douglas, you can do that here. (this link opens in a new tab)
See more general information on the Cairns and Port Douglas region here.
Port Douglas is a lovely holiday town in Far North Queensland Australia. It’s the perfect place to stay for visiting the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. It really is a great holiday destination. Are you planning a trip to Port Douglas? Here’s what you should look out for when planning a trip or …
There are many options for Great Barrier Reef tours from Port Douglas Australia. Some trips are full day and a few are half day. The question I’m most asked about snorkelling on the reef, by readers, is this one. What Are The Best Reef Tours From Port Douglas For Families with Kids? In our opinion, …
Port Douglas is a pretty resort town in Far North Queensland Australia, roughly an hour north of Cairns, a much larger city. Cairns has the nearest international airport to Port Douglas and most visitors will arrive here for their Port Douglas stay. From the airport, either book the shuttle to Port or pick up a …
Port Douglas has some of the best snorkelling in the world, being perfectly located on the Coral Sea, a short boat ride away from the Great Barrier Reef. In Port Douglas you can go snorkelling from the beach (although there’s not much to see) or take various tours and boat trips to Low Isles, the …
Most of the biggest and best hotels in Port Douglas do not allow dogs to stay, other than assistance dogs, but a handful of hotels, camp sites and villas, will allow dogs and pets. We run through the best Port Douglas hotels with dogs. Some Port Douglas restaurants and pubs will also allow dogs on …
Yes, you can snorkel off the beach in Port Douglas at any time of year. In summer “stinger season” there is a netted swimming enclosure on Four Mile Beach. Snorkelling at Port Douglas beach is something I’ve done many times. But read the rest of this post to find out about potential dangers and limitations. …
Port Douglas has just one beach, Four Mile Beach. Another site claims Port Douglas has multiple beaches, they’re a large, commercial site and are trying to cash in on the keyword “Port Douglas Beaches”. That keyword exists because Port Douglas has a hotel called “Beaches”. We live in Port Douglas. We live minutes from Port …
Port Douglas is pretty popular as a Christmas holiday destination. With Australian long summer school holidays falling over the Christmas period, many families choose to travel around Christmas time and into the early New Year. However, Christmas and summer time bring some of the hottest, most humid weather to the tropics. Port Douglas is just …
Dining in Port Douglas is made all the better if you can find a restaurant with a good view. A delicious dinner of local seafood or a modern Australian dish is always enhanced by a wonderful sea view, don’t you think? We have a few Port Douglas restaurants to share with you, where you can …
There are many things to do in Port Douglas Australia and others near this pretty Australian resort town. Most visitors take trips to the Great Barrier Reef and Low Isles for snorkelling and scuba diving. Then there are natural attractions like the Daintree rainforest and Mossman Gorge to explore. This post lists the best activities, …
Port Douglas Queensland Australia is a beautiful, up-market resort town with easy access to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. It’s a dream destination for families with kids with many safe, beautiful, outdoor things to do. We’ve called it home since our kids were toddlers, babies really. If you’ve not had a chance to …
Yes, absolutely, you can swim in Port Douglas Australia in the sea from the beach, unless the lifeguards close the beach due to various unusual dangers. Beach closures aren’t common. Should you swim? There are a few things you need to know about safety, crocodiles, deadly jellyfish, nets (swimming enclosures), and lifeguards. This post is …
OK, so Port Douglas isn’t cheap. It’s a high-cost destination in the global travel scene but if you’re trying to stretch your budget there are a few things to do in Port Douglas for free. We’ll give you some ideas on free things to do below. If you’re planning a holiday this year we also …
There are several optiond in Port Douglas for Scuba Diving. You can learn to Scuba Dive in Port Douglas, take trial and introductory dives on The Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas, and there is more advanced and liveaboard scuba diving available nearby. This post covers options for scuba diving from Port Douglas Australia, a …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
In this post we cover the best places to stay in Port Douglas and near Port Douglas. While the best hotel in Port Douglas is probably the Sheraton Grand Mirage, it may not be the best place to stay, for you. We cover the best places to stay in Port Douglas, for every kind of …
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. …
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 …
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 …
There are quite a few options in Port Douglas if you are interested in helicopter rides and charters. We live in Port Douglas, but tourists are just as likely to take a helicopter ride here in Queensland too. Taking helicopter rides is one of the more expensive things to do in Port Douglas, but there …
This post was written and titled “Living in Port Douglas” when we were planning to escape Port Douglas over a decade ago. We have lived in Port Douglas on and off since we emigrated here from the UK. We owned a beautiful house there, but we left to travel the world for several years in …
Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, was closed a while ago by a 4-meter saltwater crocodile. He didn’t do much, just swam along the beach about 20m from shore. A crowd gathered and watched, that’s about as exciting as the day got. It made me think though, not many people have the experience of sharing their home with …