Port Douglas is a great base if you want to explore the Great Barrier and also, for us as we wouldn't be heading back out to the reef this time, to take day trips to the Daintree, Cape Tribulation and Mossmon Gorge and to simply enjoy the laid back vibe that the community has to offer. The major draw card for most to this tropical rainforest holiday spot is the balmy climate - warm days and just as warm nights, with a host of amazing eateries and cafes to tempt you and amazing coastline to enjoy. It's easy to see why Port Douglas is spotted with resorts and backpacker hostels and it's population is very transient because of this.
The kids enjoyed slowing down and not having to pack up each day whist we were here. One of our favourite daily activities was jumping on own bikes and hitting the beach, riding on the flat, hard sand under the coconut trees. The kids also loved playing in the sand and collecting the coconuts....
A must-do whilst visiting Port Douglas is dropping by the famous waterfront markets that are held every Sunday morning. There's an amazing array of homemade crafts and art, skin creams, lotions and potions, children's clothes and jewellery but most importantly delicious local produce and treats to eat! We were in heaven with a cup of locally grown coffee and the kids were too eating their frozen Port Douglas bananas dipped in melted cacao! It's easy to spend a full morning here sampling the food and listening to the locals perform - like the captivating boy who played the wooden whistle with a lizard on his head!
A stand-out stall at the markets has to be the coconut heads for sale made by the terrific coconut head carver who has been selling his amazing little creations here for 15years! Luke kicked himself that he didn't buy one of these beauties on our last visit but I'm happy to report, we will be taking home his twin this time around...
We took a trip up to the Daintree on the one day it sprinkled with rain. There was a bit of an eerie feeling about the place when we visited as a woman was unfortunately taken by a crocodile off the beach, just up from the ferry at the Daintree River crossing. The SES workers and police were still there investigating as we drove past Thornton Beach and it made me wonder whether people get a little complacent living with these creatures so close by?
We did a little rainforest walk which crossed over into the mangroves (all on pretty high boardwalks thank goodness!!) and I admit I screamed when Luke brushed my leg with the umbrella from behind... A little jumpy? Yep! And then Sage accidentally dropped said Bunnings umbrella off the boardwalk into the murky brown water below and despite hating the fact that we had technically littered in one of the prettiest places around, there was no way we were jumping in after it! Hope you're dry Mr Crocodile!
We also visited the beautiful Daintree Ice Cream Co, which was a highlight for the kids, and us too! Walking through the lush tropical fruit farms and marvelling at the weird and wonderful fruits that these guys turn into little sample pots of ice-cream was amazing. The ice-cream (wattleseed, pineapple, raspberry and jackfruit) was pretty amazing too!
Cane toad races was the next must-do on Arley's list so we made our way to the Iron Bar for dinner one night and payed our $5 to watch a Steve Irwin wannabe with a very dirty sense of humour (which was thankfully above the kid's comprehension) get his seven cane toads out for a few races. Some of the contenders in the race to get to the side of the table (aided by a screeching party blower) were "Jerry Springer," "Aussie, Aussie Aussie," and "Camel Toad." Luke even got to hold one of these ugly creatures! Lucky him....
Mossman Gorge was next during our week of touring the sites in and around Port Douglas. The way the gorge is accessed has changed since we last visited and now, instead of hoards of tourists overwhelming the little car park at the National Park and following each other up and down on the windy, small road, there is a terrific tourist centre at the base of the Gorge with a lovely Aboriginal Art gallery and shop and a great cafe. For a reasonable price, a shuttle bus now takes tourists up to the gorge. The kids loved the bus as much as the bush walking and boy did we end up doing some bush walking - almost 6km in total, past beautiful flowing rivers and streams, wild pig tracks, amazing rainforest and another snake which made Sage scream so loud we thought a Cassowary had attacked her! The final walk ends at the beautiful riverbed of the Mossman River, where the kids couldn't help having a paddle.
To end our week in paradise, we visited Wildlife Habitat and had Breakfast with the Birds. What a way to finish our terrific week in Port Douglas, surrounded by some amazing birds and eating a beautiful buffet breakfast that had the kids in disbelief that you could have eggs AND bacon AND cereal AND waffles AND fruit AND croissants AND an endless flow of juice.... they were on cloud nine. Luke and I thought that the Wildlife Habitat park was in need of a bit of TLC but the kids didn't seem to notice the peeling paint and creaky boardwalks. They loved feeding the wallabies and seeing a real-life 4.5metre croc up close and also touching a bunch of reptiles too. Port Douglas we will definitely be back (and next time maybe stay in one of your fancy-pants resorts instead!).
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