Clare Horsfall

*Port Douglas

*OverviewPort Douglas is in the ‘Sunshine State’ of Queensland. It is famous for its refreshing beaches and its tropical climate. It has tourist attraction, man made and natural

*Geographical Location &

Features

* Port Douglas is in North Queensland. It is a small town that is know for its ‘tropical oasis and modern world comforts’

* It is a perfect holidays destination at anytime of the year. It has a warm and hospitable village atmosphere

* It is the closest mainland village to the popular Great Barrier Reef

* It is also incredibly close to the world know, Daintree Rainforest.

* These two natural landmarks made Port Douglas an ideal vacation location, nationally and internationally

* There is a variety of Flora and Fauna throughout the town. The Daintree Rainforest is breathtaking and picture perfect.

* The Great Barrier Reef is serene and fascinating.

* Staying in Port Douglas allows tourists to now only experience the amazing atmosphere of the town, but also of the wonderful Daintree Forest and Great Barrier Reef

* The rainforest in Port Douglas have a variety of wildlife, insects and plant life.

* The Humid Climate is a geographical feature of Port Douglas as it comes from being so high up on the Queensland Border.

*Location of Other Major Towns &

Cities

*The closest Airport and Major city to Port Douglas is Cairns which is just 70 km south on the Queensland Border. You can get there by a scenic and well posted road.

*The Port is also surrounded by a number of climate towns such as Palm Cove and Clifton beach to the South, Mossman is 9 km north if you wanted to get away from the coast, just a few km south west is Mount Molloy

*All these towns can be reached by doing a tranquil scenic drive along the coast. This will allow you to gain a great experience of Tropical Queensland

*Transport

* To get to Port Douglas, the most common way is to drive. There is a scenic road winding along the coast. This scenic drive will also lead you through various towns in which you can get a greater experience

* If coming from outside Queensland, the easiest way would be to fly into Cairns and drive from there.

* There are car, caravan and motorhomes that are able to be rented

* Bicycle Hire

* Disabled Hire

* There are Taxi’s

- Port Douglas Taxi Service

- 131 008

* There are local buses

- Sun Palm Local Bus

- 7 4087 2900

*History

* Port Douglas was founded in 1877. Before being called Port Douglas is was called Terrigan, Island Point, Port Owen and Salisbury

* It was named after former Queensland Premier John Douglas

* The population and industry grew when gold was discovered. The stage coaches that serviced the goldfields made their way from the Port, down the beach to ‘Four Mile’ mark which is now called Craiglee. They continued over ‘The Bump’ and then onto the gold fields

* Today there are 3, 600 residents and its biggest industry is the tourism industry. It brings people from all around the world.

* The Douglas Shire is in the tribal lands of Kuku Yalariji Tribe. Their territory included coastal environments, rainforest, range and riverine. Their culture is known to be more than 9,000 years old

* The Kuku Yalariji people have survived traumatic times but have managed to keep their tribal identity

Railway Station

*Economy

* The economy of Port Douglas has been dramatically affected by the recent Cyclone and Floods that a lot of Queensland has face

*It has impacted greatly on the local businesses of the town. They have had to spend a large sum of money on repairing and rebuilding their town

*The tourism industry was temporarily weakened, but it quickly recovered

*The economy for Port Douglas always booms during the hotter seasons as a lot of tourists are attracted to the beaches and the climate of this tourist town

*Local Customs

*Between the 19th of May and the 29th there is the Port Douglas Carnival

*On the 21st of May from 9:30 till 5:30 there is the Bulls Masters Cricket Event

*Local Facilities

Provided by Thala Beach Resort* 2 Freeform Pools

Located on the crest of the headland that is the location of Thala’s central complex. It has spas and waterfalls. These pools are hidden away in secluded gardens

* Private Sandy Beaches

There are sheltered coves and sandy beaches, surrounded by 2km of private land

* Australians Currency Exchange

There are all international exchange rates available at anytime, day or night. There are all foreign currencies available and cheques can be converted

* Art Gallery

Thala has a gallery full of art works done by local artists. There are a number of different, beautifully painted canvases

* Golf

There is an 18 hole gold course, just 10 minutes from Thala.

Provided Locally- Outdoor Dining Facilities

- A number of sparkling clean beaches

- A Steam Railway

- Baby Sitting Services

- Picnic Areas

- Caravan Parks

*Climate

* All year round Port Douglas has warm seas, refreshing sea breezes and warm climate. It’s weather is almost perfect, and hard to beat

* There is two season

* 1. Winter Period: Has work temperatures and low rainfall

* 2. Summer period has high rainfall and balmy temperatures

* The temperature of the ocean waters is usually between 23 degrees in July to 29 degrees in February. Since Port Douglas’s weather is warm all year around, there is no time when you cannot swim, therefore it is always a good time to take a holiday there.

* Winter is between May and October and has relatively low humidity but Summer on the other hand has tropical down pours with occasional electrical storms. During summer the humidity is dramatically higher.

* Between November and March, the Box Jelly Fish arrive in the port, but to accommodate this hazard there are enclosures

*Health and Safety Advice

* When swimming it is recommended that all swimmers, swim at patrolled beaches with Lifesavers. This is due to the fact that rips and other dangerous hazards can occur and not all are prepared

* Because the sun is out often, sun safety is required. This included sunscreen, hat, sunglasses

* To ensure dehydration doesn’t occur, plenty of water should be drank

* Need to be wary of the tropical insets and life forms that live in Port Douglas. They can causes rashes and skin problems, so should be dealt with immediately

* There are also heat related hazards which include fires

* There are poisonous animals, all bites or scratches should be checked out

* Heat exhaustion is also common as people are busy and forget to eat and drink

* It is more common for children to experience heat related illnesses so they should never be left alone in the car – high temperatures can be fatal

*Weblinks

* http://www.tourismportdouglas.com.au/Port-Douglas-Tourist-Information-Centre.705.0.html

* This website provides information for all tourists visiting Port Douglas

* http://www.portdouglasinfo.com/?gclid=COSpoaeS4acCFQHhbgods1na8w

* This website specialise in holidays. They provide information, accommodation, and sites to see

* http://www.portdouglas.com.au/

* This website is all about the places that must be seen in Port Douglas

*Bibliography

* http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cairnsunlimited.com/images/w_port_douglas_qld_australia.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cairnsunlimited.com/portdouglas.htm&usg=__wpcx33vqzoFwxw1_iWCoVwIwk8Y=&h=357&w=680&sz=80&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=cQhp4YDIeR3gPM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=206&ei=aOV-TaTRLIT0cbfD7fkG&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPort%2BDouglas%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1276%26bih%3D818%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=203&oei=aOV-TaTRLIT0cbfD7fkG&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=120&ty=83

* http://www.portdouglaswebs.com.au/port_douglas_history.htm

* http://www.accomportdouglas.com.au/aboriginal.htm

* http://www.tourismportdouglas.com.au/Port-Douglas-tours-activities.7.0.html

* http://www.portdouglas.com/port-douglas-weather.html

* http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/australia/port-douglas/useful-information/port-douglas-health-&-safety.html

* http://portdouglas.i4u.com.au/page/port-douglas.htm