Port Douglas Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 16°29′00″S145°27′55″E / 16.4834°S 145.4652°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 3,650 (2021 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 202.8/km2 (525.2/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4877 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Area | 18.0 km2 (6.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
Location |
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LGA(s) | Shire of Douglas | ||||||||||||||
County | Solander | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Cook | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Leichhardt | ||||||||||||||
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Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, [2] [3] approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the 2021 census, Port Douglas had a population of 3,650 people. [1] The town's population can often double, however, with the influx of tourists during the peak tourism season from May to September. The town is named in honour of a former Premier of Queensland, John Douglas. Port Douglas developed quickly based on the mining industry. Other parts of the area were established with timber cutting in the area surrounding the Daintree River and with settlement starting on lots around the Mossman River by 1880.
Previous names for the town included Terrigal, Island Point, Port Owen and Salisbury. The town is situated adjacent to two World Heritage areas, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.
Port Douglas was No. 3 on Australian Traveller magazine's list of 100 Best Towns in Australia. [4]
The Port Douglas township was established in 1877 after the discovery of gold at Hodgkinson River by James Venture Mulligan. Port Douglas Post Office opened on 1 September 1877. [5] It grew quickly, and at its peak Port Douglas had a population of 12,000 and 27 hotels. With the construction of the Mulligan Highway it serviced towns as far away as Herberton.
Port Douglas State School opened on 11 November 1879, but closed in 1962. It was reopened on 23 January 1989. [6] [7]
When the Kuranda Railway from Cairns to Kuranda was completed in 1891, the importance of Port Douglas dwindled along with its population. A cyclone in 1911 demolished or severely damaged all but seven residential buildings and 4 commercial buildings, including the Wharf buildings (rebuilt), the Courthouse (rebuilt), the Catholic church (rebuilt) and Chinese temple (not rebuilt). [8] [9]
The Port Douglas War Memorial was unveiled on 10 February 1923 by Mrs Tresize. [10]
On 5 July 1943, a RAAF Vultee Vengeance (Serial Number A27-217) crash landed on the beach near Port Douglas. [11]
At its nadir in 1960 the town, by then little more than a fishing village, had a population of 100.[ citation needed ]
In the late-1980s, tourism boomed in the region after investor Christopher Skase financed the construction of the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort.
The music video for Kylie Minogue's 1988 single "It's No Secret" was filmed in Port Douglas.[ citation needed ]
In November 1996 United States President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton chose the town as their only holiday stop on their historic visit to Australia. When dining at a local restaurant they witnessed a couple's wedding certificate. [12]
On a return visit on 11 September 2001, Bill Clinton was again dining at a local restaurant, when he was advised of the September 11 attacks. He returned to the United States the following day. [12]
On 4 September 2006, television personality and conservationist Steve Irwin died at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas, after a stingray barb pierced his chest during filming of a documentary called The Ocean's Deadliest. [13] Irwin was filmed snorkelling directly above the stingray when it lashed him with its tail, killing him almost immediately. The event was widely reported in Australia and overseas. [14]
Although historically and currently Port Douglas is with the local government area of Shire of Douglas, between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Cairns Region following a local government amalgamation which was subsequently reversed following a vote by residents of the area. [15]
Port Douglas was a popular location to view the 14 November 2012 solar eclipse at 6:38 am (local time). Thousands travelled to Port Douglas to see the phenomenon.[ citation needed ] [16]
At the 2011 census, Port Douglas had a population of 3,205 people. [17]
Port Douglas has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
In the 2021 Census, there were 3,650 people in Port Douglas. 51.9% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 6.7% and New Zealand 4.1%. 69.9% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion, so described 46.7% and not stated 16.3%. [1]
Port Douglas has a tropical monsoon climate according to the Köppen climate classification (Am), with hot summers and warm winters, with heavy rainfall primarily from January–March, the wettest month of the year typically being February. The average temperature of the sea ranges from 23.7 °C (74.7 °F) in July to 29.5 °C (85.1 °F) in January. [22]
Climate data for Port Douglas, Queensland | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.1 (86.2) | 29.5 (85.1) | 28.3 (82.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.6 (76.3) | 25.3 (77.5) | 26.7 (80.1) | 28.3 (82.9) | 29.5 (85.1) | 30.3 (86.5) | 27.9 (82.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.5 (74.3) | 22.8 (73.0) | 21.5 (70.7) | 19.5 (67.1) | 17.7 (63.9) | 16.8 (62.2) | 17.1 (62.8) | 18.6 (65.5) | 20.8 (69.4) | 22.3 (72.1) | 23.3 (73.9) | 20.6 (69.1) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 401.6 (15.81) | 429.7 (16.92) | 425.6 (16.76) | 204.8 (8.06) | 70.8 (2.79) | 47.3 (1.86) | 25.6 (1.01) | 24.1 (0.95) | 32.0 (1.26) | 52.0 (2.05) | 107.9 (4.25) | 213.2 (8.39) | 2,032.4 (80.02) |
Average precipitation days | 15.5 | 15.9 | 16.1 | 13.3 | 9.8 | 7.0 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 6.4 | 9.0 | 11.7 | 120.8 |
Source: Bureau of Meteorology [23] |
Port Douglas is susceptible to extreme weather events such as cyclones and floods. These events can have immediate and severe impacts on critical infrastructure, including water supply systems. In the end of 2023, they experienced a critical water supply issues following a cyclone. [24]
Port Douglas State School is a government primary (Preparatory to Year 6) school for boys and girls at Endeavour Street ( 16°31′27″S145°27′40″E / 16.5242°S 145.4612°E ). [25] [26] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 281 students with 20 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 12 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent). [27]
For secondary school, Port Douglas is within the catchment of Mossman State High School. [28]
The Port Douglas Community Hall houses the Port Douglas Library, 11–29 Mowbray Street, operated by the Douglas Shire Council. [29] The Library opened in 2010. [30] Another branch library is located in Mossman. [31]
The Port Douglas branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the CWA Hall at 8 Blake Street. [32]
St Mary's Catholic Church is at 2 Endeavour Street. It is within the Mossman-Port Douglas Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. [33]
The annual Port Douglas Carnivale is held in May and runs for 10 days over two weekends, beginning with a parade attracting over 10,000 people. [34]
In October Porttoberfest (a play on Oktoberfest ) is held.[ citation needed ]
The Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival is also held during October. [35]
Every May The Port Douglas Yacht Club hold their annual Regatta in May. Port Douglas Race Week attracts yachts from all along the Eastern Seaboard and provide views for visitors from Four Mile Beach.[ citation needed ]
Kitesurfing is common at the southern end of Four Mile Beach, particularly during the winter months when trade winds blow from the South.[ citation needed ]
Port Douglas is near the Great Barrier Reef. Numerous companies run daily trips from the marina to the outer reef and the Low Isles for scuba diving and snorkelling. Port Douglas is also well known for its many restaurants, walks, golf courses, and five star resorts.
Near the centre of town is a wildlife park that displays crocodiles, tree-kangaroos, cassowaries, koalas, quolls, flying foxes and other native animals.
Cairns is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population as of the 2021 census was 169,312, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-populous in Queensland, and 15th in Australia.
Daintree is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Daintree had a population of 129 people.
The Captain Cook Highway is a short, regional highway in Queensland which originates in Cairns and terminates in Mossman, where it joins Mossman-Daintree Road, continuing to Daintree. It is a state-controlled regional road.
Maytown was the main township on the Palmer River Goldfields in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is now a ghost town within locality of Palmer in the Shire of Cook, having been active from c. 1874 to the 1920s. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 June 2004.
Cape Tribulation is a headland and coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas in northern Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Cape Tribulation had a population of 123 people.
Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf Country. The waters of Torres Strait include the only international border in the area contiguous with the Australian mainland, between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Mossman is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the Douglas Shire Council In the 2016 census, the locality of Mossman had a population of 1,937 people.
The Shire of Douglas is a local government area in Far North Queensland. It is located on the coast north of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mossman, covers an area of 2,428 square kilometres (937.5 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1880 until 2008, when it was amalgamated with the City of Cairns to become the Cairns Region. Following a poll in 2013, the Shire of Douglas was re-established on 1 January 2014.
Wonga Beach is a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. The town of Wonga is within the locality. In the 2016 census, Wonga Beach had a population of 975 people.
Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. Both the town and Mount Cook which rises up behind the town were named after James Cook.
Cairns City is a coastal suburb at the centre of Cairns in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as the Cairns Central Business District (CBD). In the 2016 census, Cairns City had a population of 2,737 people.
Bloomfield is a town in the Shire of Cook and a coastal locality which is split between the Shire of Cook and the Shire of Douglas in Queensland, Australia. The neighbourhood of Ayton is within the locality. In the 2016 census, Bloomfield had a population of 204 people.
Palmer is a rural locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Palmer had a population of 46 people.
St Mary's by the Sea is a heritage-listed non-denominational church at Wharf Street, Port Douglas, Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1913 to 1914. It is also known as the former St Mary's Roman Catholic Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Port Douglas Wharf is a heritage-listed wharf at 6 Dixie Street, Port Douglas, Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1904. It was also known as Shipwreck Museum. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
National Bank of Australasia Building is a heritage-listed former bank at 11 Mill Street, Mossman, Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Lange Leopold Powell and built from 1935 to 1936 by Arthur E Zillfleisch and Tom Booth. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 August 2010.
Exchange Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 2 Front Street, Mossman, Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Vibert McKirdy Brown and built from 1934 to 1935. It was also known as Daintree Inn. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 9 November 2012.
Miallo is a rural locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Miallo had a population of 376 people.
Mowbray is a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Mowbray had a population of 362 people.
Newell is a coastal town and rural locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It is a sugarcane growing district.
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