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Exploring Port Douglas    

Sandip Hor visits a primordial earthly paradise to experience ecological marvels

Located at the upper end of Queensland, the Australian township of Port Douglas is a gateway to two UNESCO World Heritage Site natural wonders – viz. the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s most extensive coral reef ecosystem. It covers an area of around 344,400 square kilometres and contains some 2,900 individual reefs of varying sizes and shapes, and over 900 islands ranging from small, sandy cays and greater vegetated versions to large rugged continental islands – rising in one instance to around 1,100 metres above sea level.

Within the zone are some 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 kinds of molluscs. These landscapes and seascapes collectively provide some of the most spectacular maritime scenery in the world.

The Great Barrier Reef shakes hands with the Wet Tropics of Queensland, which is home to the Daintree Rainforest – a landscape with striking diversity. The ecological marvel is endowed with mountain ranges, flowing streams, rushing waterfalls, lagoons and Aboriginal culture.

And this vibrant wonderland has been home to the Kuku Yalanji people for some 50,000 years.

Every corner of this complex ecosystem uncovers parts of history belonging to the land and is a cultural museum to its custodians, as well as a living timeline of evolution where plant and animal life have thrived for geological ages.

This seaside nest was a small fishing village until the mid-1980s when Australian entrepreneur Christopher Skase spotted the location and developed it as a high end destination for the rich by building the luxurious Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort on the Gold Coast.

WHERE TO STAY Over time, many other resorts have sprung up; and today, Port Douglas is a resort destination with classy accommodation options lining the tree fringed sands of Four Mile Beach. Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel is popular as it’s close to the beach and town centre. Another abode near the beach is the Oaks Port Douglas Resort, which offers everything guests need to make their stay extra special.

WHERE TO EAT The destination is packed with cafes, pubs and restaurants that offer multi-cuisine food ranging from a simple steak, chicken schnitzel or a seafood platter, to Italian pasta, Spanish paella and Thai curries. Worth visiting are the Nautilus Resta­urant (for its degustation menu), Seabean Tapas Bar Restaurant (to sample an exciting array of Spanish cuisine) and the 50-year-old Mocka’s (for its meat pies).

WHERE TO GO The small township boasts a simple landscape without any high-rise buildings and traffic lights. All the shops and eateries are located in the town centre, which is home to a marina from where different types of boats depart to showcase the region’s underwater scenery. There are also many great diving and snorkelling sites not too far from the shoreline.

The 130 million-year-old Daintree Rainforest, which was described by British biologist Sir David Attenborough “as the most extraordinary place on Earth,” is teeming with life. Covering an area of about 1,200 square kilometres, it is home to many amazing plants and foliage.

These include some of the largest tropical trees on the planet, and exciting wildlife such as butterflies, frogs, reptiles, marsupial species and the flightless bird cassowary, which is native to the land.

The Daintree River passes through the forest and is home to large saltwater crocodiles that can be spotted when cruising the waterway on a boat. A key attraction of Daintree is Cape Tribulation where the rainforest kisses the reef and the Mossman Gorge, which has a swimming den at the bottom.

If a cassowary can’t be spotted in the wild, visitors can visit the wildlife habitat that’s close to the town centre to see these birds along with other varieties of avian life.