There are two types of people – those who love the bright lights of the city and those who love the quiet nature of a little town.
If you belong to the latter group, then you’d probably love a little seaside village called Port Douglas.
Port Douglas makes for a great place for a quiet and peaceful family vacation where you just want to relax and enjoy the surrounding nature, along with the cozy towns’ atmosphere.
With just over 4,500 permanent residents, it’s a seemingly simple town, but what makes it special is the place that it resides at – located between the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest it makes for a perfect escape from the high paced big city world.
After all, do you really need all the city glamour, when you have such beautiful nature’s spectacle surrounding you?
The locals surely have a definite answer to this question, although the towns’ population can more than double in the peak of tourist season.
While many people choose Cairns as a bigger city from which to travel to the Daintree Rainforest, Port Douglas is the closest town to the amazing wonder of nature.
While residing in Port Douglas, all of the great activities – hiking, kayaking, bird watching, animal and plant spotting and many, many more – are just a 20 minute ride away.
On the seaside you have the Great Barrier Reef – another wonder of nature that has many great activities suited for anyone.
You can go snorkeling, scuba diving or board a vessel and even go whale watching if it’s the right season.
The great thing is that Port Douglas is the closest town and departure point to the Reef, meaning that you’ll have the best access to explore it.
Although the biggest attractions for tourists are obviously the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, another great place to relax that’s exclusive to Port Douglas is the famous Four Mile Beach, which is the premier beach of the town.
The beach is famous for its beautiful surroundings, size, and quiet nature – there aren’t even any waves crashing on the beach, which is sheltered by the Great Barrier Reef.
The beach is located just a few minutes from the towns’ center – there you can take a long walk along the sea or simply lie back and enjoy the warm tropical weather.
Another great Port Douglas’ own tradition is their Sunday Markets – opening up every Sunday at about 8am, they are a place where you can buy not only fresh produce but all kinds of lovely arts, crafts, and souvenirs that help you take home something to remind you of the time spend there.
The market is also a great place to meet the locals, see the towns’ artists and street performers.
It is one of those great small town traditions that separate Port Douglas from the bigger cities, which can often be diverse, but bland.
After all, when you have so much natural beauty around you, perhaps there isn’t much need for anything else.
Hayley Woodward is a Melbourne based travel writer. When Halyley is not busy writing or researching her work, she enjoys travelling to Cairns.