Pushpitha Wijesinghe
Port Douglas is the nearest city to the beautiful Great Barrier Reef and many of the thrilling tours to the reef depart from there. Sunday Markets, Four Mile Beach & art galleries are other top lures.
Port Douglas being the closest mainland city to the Great Barrier Reef is the premier destination for departing tours to the reef. At Port Douglas you've got all the thrills of the Great Barrier Reef right at your fingertips. Enjoy snorkelling, diving and touring around the reef; which is the world's largest reef system and also one of Australia's top iconic locations. One of the most popular is accommodated cruising which is about a week based on a sail or motorised boat. If you don't want to spend a week at sea there are many day tours that depart from the Reef Marina in Port Douglas. You can also choose Island Day Trips offering excursions to beautiful Green Island. Dive tours are amongst the most favourite with dive enthusiast longing to get as many dives as possible around the verdant reef offering a fascinating world of much splendour.
Sunday Markets or Cotters Markets are very popular in Port Douglas. There a massive range of arts and crafts are on display. Markets are held every Sunday from 8 am to lunch and again from 1.30 pm onwards. The markets are almost always located along the coast and offer lovely holiday vibes for browsing across local artists work, local farmer's wares, tradesmen stalls and the ever popular craft stalls. The more popular venue is at Anzac Park. Just like the markets, Port Douglas hotels too are quite varied and offer a variety in accommodation styles. The best would be an apartment hotel offering apartments as well as conventional rooms. These give enough freedom to roam about Port Douglas to your own schedule.
Four Mile Beach which is just 30 minutes from the Oaks Lagoons hotel and apartments complex is the Port Douglas' main beach. It runs the length of the eastern edge of the city and is one the area's best beaches. Definitely the most iconic attraction in Port Douglas Four Mile Beach is a wide expanse of golden sand; favoured by families and beach lovers the place is ideal for enjoying a picnic, swim and simply relaxing under sunny skies.
Art Galleries are top attractions in Port Douglas. There you will come across the best work by both local and international artists. Galleries well worth a scout are Archiart Tropical, Mowbray Gallery, Candlenut Gallery and the Marina Gallery.
The Reef Marina is where you go to enjoy a relaxing morning or evening in Port Douglas. There you can sit down to a scrumptious meal, sip a glass of wine and enjoy the expansive views across Mossman Ranges and Dickson's Inlet. There is also a big boardwalk that flanks the area along which you will find shops, cafes and tour operators offering tours to the Great Barrier Reef.
