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Interesting Facts
- Port Douglas is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, approximately 80 km north of Cairns. Its permanent population is around 1300 people, but that number grows exponentially during the high tourist season from May to September.
- The town is named in honor of former Premier of Queensland, John Douglas. Port Douglas developed in the late-19th century with a local economy based on mining and timber cutting.
- The Port Douglas township was established in 1877 after the discovery of gold at Hodgkinson River. It grew quickly, and at its peak Port Douglas had a population of 12,000 people.
- A 1911 cyclone, which destroyed all but two buildings in the town, had a significant impact on town growth, and Port Douglas grew slowly throughout the 20th century. In the mid-1980s, tourism became a vital economic driver for the region as more and more resorts sprang up luring vacationers to the tropical rainforest and the nearby Great Barrier Reef.
- The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of more than 3000 individual reefs and 900 islands that stretch for more than 1600 miles. It is so expansive, it can be seen from outer space. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
- The Great Barrier Reef – and Port Douglas, its closest Australian town – is a very popular destination for tourists, especially scuba divers and sailors. Many cities along the Queensland coast offer daily boat trips to the reef, and several islands off the coast have been made into resort areas. It is estimated that more than 2 million people trek to the Great Barrier Reef each year.
- In November 1996, United States President Bill Clinton and the First Lady chose the town as their only vacation stop on a notable visit to Australia. Interestingly, the Clintons were again vacationing in the region when the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 occurred in New York.
- Sadly, on September 4, 2006, entertainer "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin died at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas, after a stingray barb went through his chest into his heart while he and a crew were filming a documentary.
- For travelers to Port Douglas who want something a little different from the hotel/resort itinerary, a number of private homes are available for rental year round. Accommodations range from simple budget style accommodations to luxury homes.
- Port Douglas boasts warm weather throughout the year. The coldest month is July, when Down Under is in the midst of winter, and lows are in the low 60s with highs in the low 70s Fahrenheit. January is the warmest month on average with highs clocking in at an average of 87 degrees Fahrenheit and lows at 76 degrees.
