Gateway

Location: Port Douglas, Australia

Introduction:

Port Douglas is a tourist mecca for good reason. It’s a gateway to visiting the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. The town itself is pleasantly understated with lots of boutique shops, restaurants and cafes. Many of the tourists are Aussies. The weather in early June was ideal with temperatures reaching 80 and reasonable humidity. After starting out this trip in cooler southern Australia, it felt good to be back in shorts and short sleeves. The ocean water temperature was also approaching 80, making it comfortable for swimming and snorkeling.

Sights Visited:

We used Quicksilver Cruises for a snorkeling trip on the Great Barrier Reef. This was the main draw for us to come to this part of Australia. So, we made it one of our first activities. It was a good thing that we did as our original booking was canceled just as we were about to board the boat due to an engine failure. Fortunately, repairs were made in time for us to make the trip the next day. The boat ride to the outer reef took an hour and a half. Quicksilver has a massive floating pontoon there where the boat was docked and various activities were offered. We chose snorkeling. However, the ocean depth out there was about 25 feet and better suited to scuba diving. Still, we were able to see a variety of coral and fish. The highlight was riding in a semi-submersible vessel that revealed the reef’s natural beauty. Overall, the day was a memorable adventure. That said, the lower isle reef trips are better for children due to the shallower depths of the water making for a better snorkeling experience.

The Daintree Rainforest Discovery Center is about an hours drive north of Port Douglas. This includes a short ferry ride over the Daintree River. There are exhibits including some live fish and reptiles but the main draw is the audio-guided treetops walk. The Jurassic Forest section is especially popular with children. In total, it’s good for about an hour to an hour and a half for a visit. While we found it interesting and worthwhile, we feel that a guided tour of the Daintree is a better way to go.

Mossman Gorge is located in the Daintree Rainforest. It’s much closer to Port Douglas than the Daintree Rainforest Discovery Center and we enjoyed the experience even more. There were good hiking trails, a suspension bridge, a swimming hole, large smooth boulders to climb upon and more. It was a great place to hike and connect with nature.

Four Mile Beach was a short walk from where we stayed. It was low tide during the daytime exposing an expansive sand beach that was hard and smooth. The water was warm enough for swimming and the waves were modest. While there wasn’t a seashell in sight, coconuts were plentiful.

Wildlife Habitat offered our last chance to spend some time with animals endemic to Australia. It was smaller than the previous wildlife sanctuaries we visited in Australia but it was nicely done. Adelaide even had a chance to feed a cassowary (through a fence for safety). There was an entertaining brief crocodile show. Note: admission tickets are valid for the date of purchase and then re-entry for four consecutive days after, which is a nice perk if you have an extended stay in the area.

The Cairns Aquarium was worth a visit. They had some impressive fish tanks and several touch tanks to explore.

Play:

There’s a nice playground in Port Douglas near the marina but it was closed leaving just a very small playground nearby as the only alternative. We found a good playground in Mossman about 10 miles to the north that included some ziplines.

On the day of our departure, we had to checkout by mid-morning but our flight out of Cairns wasn’t until the evening. Luckily, we found a couple of great playgrounds. Muddy’s is right on the esplanade next to Muddy’s café where we had lunch. It was impressive. Pictures don’t do it justice. We also took advantage of Centenary Lakes Nature Play.

Accommodations:

We used Booking.com to reserve a five-night stay at Verandahs Apartments. We booked a two-bedroom, two full-bath apartment with a full kitchen and large veranda. It was spacious and well appointed. The euro-style AC units and ceiling fans in each room worked well. The WiFi was good. A French press was provided for coffee making. Parking was located in an underground garage. The only downside was that our unit was located on the third floor and there was no elevator.

Food & Drink:

There were numerous restaurants, cafes and take-away options for dining within walking distance. We took advantage of each type. The tap water was fine for drinking. The best selection of wines could be found at the Bottlemart next to Coles. There was also an IGA in town. However, the best supermarket (Woolworths) could be found in Mossman.

At a weekly market on Sunday mornings, there was a booth serving fresh coconut milk. Once you finish the milk, they split the coconut open and shred the coconut for you to eat. It was quite the novelty.

Transportation System:

We flew Virgin Australia to Cairns and picked up a BMW X3 from Avis. Now that we’ve gotten used to having the turn signal on the right side of the steering wheel, this car had it on the left side just to mess with us. The drive north to Port Douglas took a little over an hour.

For Your Amusement:

Chilly’s Pizza & Trattoria advertised Cane Toad racing on Saturday night. So, we decided to have dinner there and check it out. As luck would have it, Adelaide’s raffle number was drawn to be one of the jockeys. Her toad, Skippy’s Love Child, finished fifth. The crowd of a hundred people thoroughly enjoyed the show.