Port Douglas (Queensland)

Port Douglas
Beach Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas
State :  Australia State : Queensland
Coordinates : 16 ° 29 ′  S , 145 ° 27 ′  E Coordinates: 16 ° 29 ′  S , 145 ° 27 ′  E Height : 4  m Area : 10.2  km²
Residents : 3,504 (2016) Population density : 344 inhabitants per km²
Time zone : AEST (UTC + 10) Postal code : 4877 LGA : Douglas Shire
Port Douglas

Port Douglas is a small town with around 3,500 (2016) inhabitants, about 60 km north of Cairns , Queensland , Australia .

Due to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef , it mainly lives from tourism . There are numerous hotels and resorts and many restaurants. About 30 minutes north of Port Douglas is Daintree National Park , which can be reached via a small car ferry. Further north you can continue to Cape Tribulation in a normal vehicle . From there it is possible to reach Cooktown by four-wheel drive vehicle. With one of the many sailing or motor boats you can reach the Low Islands, which are surrounded by reefs, in about an hour from the harbor. The nightlife of the small town also has something to offer for every taste. The Iron Bar on Macrossan Street is particularly well known. After a year of renovation, the popular Cane Toad Races can be experienced 3 times a week.

On September 4, 2006, the Australian “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin died while filming the animal documentary The Ocean's Deadliest on the coast of Port Douglas by a stingray .

history

Port Douglas was established in 1877 when gold was discovered in the area. The place name is due to the then Prime Minister, John Douglas. In the following years there was a rapid population increase. Businessmen, government institutions and banks moved to Port Douglas from the Cairns area. More and more farms were established, specializing in the cultivation of bananas, rice, corn and sweet potatoes. By 1882 the place finally had 14 hotels and around 12,000 inhabitants. With the construction of the railway line between Cairns and Kuranda in 1885, the development of Port Douglas stagnated. Because of the increased sugar cane cultivation in the 1890s, the economy stabilized again. On March 16, 1911, a cyclone raged in the region and destroyed numerous buildings. In 1933 the Captain Cook Highway was opened. This is the most important transport route to Cairns to this day. Until tourism took hold in Port Douglas in the 1970s, the at times 100 citizens lived mainly from fishing. In 1984 Cairns Airport opened, which greatly benefited Port Douglas tourism. In 1996, Bill Clinton visited the resort with his wife Hillary Clinton . Today Port Douglas is a popular travel destination for national and international visitors. Especially in the winter months from May to October, the population can double due to the influx of tourists.

photos

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  View of Port Douglas and Ocean Beach, ca.1908

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  Harbor in Port Douglas

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  Court House Hotel

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  Old court house

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  St. Mary's by the Sea Church

Web links

Commons : Port Douglas  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Queensland Places: Port Douglas , Center for the Government of Queensland, 2015.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Australian Bureau of Statistics : Port Douglas ( English ) In: 2016 Census QuickStats . June 27, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
2. ↑ Jason Staines Crocodile man, Steve Irwin, dies , The Age , September 4, 2006
3. ^ Port Douglas. In: www.in-australien.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014 .