The quaint fishing village of Port Douglas is located a mere one hour’s drive from Cairns, in one of Australia’s most sought-after regions. Hugged by the Wet Tropics rainforests on one side and the Great Barrier Reef on the other, Port Douglas is situated in the only place in the world where two UNESCO heritage sites touch.

The town itself boasts 5,000 locals, though the infrastructure sustains many times more during the peak tourist season. Port Douglas has often served as a hideout for the world’s rich and famous, and it’s not uncommon to see international celebrities dining out in the city centre. People who holiday here are drawn by the unexpected mix of excellent infrastructure in a quaint environment.

Macrossan street is the main artery of Port Douglas, and a number of cafés, bars and boutiques operate here. There are easily 60 restaurants located in the city centre—most of which are within walking distance of Macrossan street and the waterfront.

Visitors can shop for everyday goods and souvenirs at a number of retailers across town. Boutiques are prevalent, while there are also a number of shopping centres in Port Douglas. On Sunday mornings, Anzac Park hosts a weekly marketplace where shoppers can find anything from fresh produce to clothing, indigenous handicrafts and Australiana.

Numerous travel agencies operate in Port Douglas, many of them in conjunction with their affiliates in Cairns. Day-tripping tourists from Cairns arrive in Port Douglas before heading to Cape Tribulation or the Daintree. Locally, Quicksilver is the front-running catamaran company leading tours to the Great Barrier Reef.

Accommodation is plentiful throughout town, with an emphasis on the coveted Four-Mile Beach. Options range from simple campsites to an upscale Sheraton resort and golf course. Virtually everything is within convenient walking distance of Four Mile Beach and Macrossan street, making this a convenient place to reside.

The delightfully sleepy town of Port Douglas knows how to attract and keep tourists for much longer than they intended. There is so much to see and do in this part of Queensland, and Port Douglas is the perfect place to stage excursions to the reef, the rainforest, or to little villages like the Mossman sugarcane outpost. All the while, visitors have the opportunity to interact with Australia’s amazing wildlife and to learn about the unique mix of cultures that have combined to form this modern nation.

Port Douglas was officially founded in 1877 and named after the previous premier of Queensland, John Douglas. In the coming decades, the promise of gold brought settlers from across the continent. Those who didn’t strike it rich were still able to generate an income from the timber, sugarcane, tin and silver industries. The first strides toward modern tourism were taken in these days, and there were 27 hotels onsite before the turn of the 20^th century.

By 1893, the railroad connecting Cairns to Mareeba was completed, making it easier for settlers to reach Port Douglas. However, the thrill of the gold rush began to wane and the town’s population shrank. The small town’s initial success was temporarily forgotten as prospectors sought gold in other parts of Australia.

A fierce cyclone swept through Port Douglas in 1911 and devastated the town. The old courthouse was one of the only structures to survive, and today it houses a museum that hosts a wealth of information regarding the region. The cyclone formalised the decline that had already begun in Port Douglas.

Industry continued to decline over the coming decades, and by the 1950s fishing was the only viable industry in Port Douglas. The sugarcane was milled in nearby Mossman, and the final product passed through Port Douglas before it was shipped out of the harbour. Population dropped dramatically there were just 100 residents in 1960. The previously booming town that was founded with nearly 12,000 citizens had become little more than a ghost town.

In the early 1980s, tourism began to bolster Port Douglas’ economy. Tourists quickly realised that they could escape the hectic streets of Cairns without losing all the opportunities and scenery afforded in this region. Like Cairns, Port Douglas has access to both the inner and outer portions of the Great Barrier Reef. The port town is also situated closer to the Daintree and Cape Tribulation National Forests.

Today, Port Douglas supports a meagre 5,000 citizens in a laid back community that caters for resort vacationers, sitting as it does at the apex of two UNESCO World Heritage sites. While the town sees its fair share of tourists, it still manages to maintain an unhurried and relaxed atmosphere.

The climate in Port Douglas is characterised by alternative wet and dry seasons. The heavy rains of the monsoon season begin in November and continue to bring storms until late May. During these months the heavy rains dramatically boost annual rainfall figures in the Wet Tropics, placing this region at the top of Australia’s charts in terms of record annual precipitation. Balmy temperatures regularly exceed 30°C during this season.

Season cyclones are also indicative of this part of Port Douglas’ climate, especially during the monsoon season. Despite their relative frequency, it’s worth noting that citizens and tourists are seldom actually at risk. In the rare event that a cyclone does come ashore, city officials will provide ample advance notice for evacuation.

The weather sees drastic changes from June to October, when rainfall levels recede and temperatures dip to around 25°C. Overnight lows can be downright chilly, so visitors who are planning overnight outdoor activities will want to pack a warm change of clothes. Average temperatures at the higher altitudes of nearby Kurunda are even lower.

This is the most comfortable time of year to visit Port Douglas, though the city can become crowded as the tourist season peaks. Swimming is not advised during this time of year except in specially-marked, netted areas that prevent seasonal box jellyfish from stinging swimmers.