> > by Craig Tansley
Explore Queensland’s tempting tropical north and find out what the locals recommend.
PORT DOUGLAS became a bona-fide celebrity hang-out not long after Christopher Skase came to town in 1986, liked what he saw and turned the sleepy fishing village into the kind of place Bill Clinton chose to stop on his President’s tour of Australia just a decade on. Five years later, ex-president Clinton was back dining in the town’s main street, Macrossan Street, at the Salsa Bar & Grill the night terrorists flew into the World Trade Centre. Tiger Woods comes here too, Natalie Imbruglia and Daniel Johns chose Port Douglas to get married in and tragically, the Crocodile Hunter died not far off her shores in 2006. But somehow, amongst all this celebrity, the little town of Port Douglas never outgrew itself. Spend an evening in a quiet park with the locals, looking out to the Great Barrier Reef, or back to the mountains of the Daintree rainforest (it’s one of the only places in the world two World-Heritage-listed icons intersect) as the sun sets low over the stunning hinterland, or share a champagne on the white sands of Four Mile Beach, and Port Douglas still feels like the same small north Queensland fishing village of 100 lucky souls it was just before the 80s Skase-led boom. Many destinations lose their magic when they’re discovered en masse, but it only takes a quick stroll past Macrossan Street’s two-storey timber pubs and weatherboard shops and the quaint little wooden church sitting alone in its park – St Mary’s By The Sea – to see Port Douglas somehow managed to remain true to herself. Well-heeled movers and shakers dine in fancy restaurants in fancy resorts, millionaire businessmen park multi-million-dollar motorboats in her huge marina, but you can still feel the ghosts of 143 humble years everywhere around. She started as a goldfields port, at one stage there were 27 hotels in her main street, then everyone forgot her entirely except a handful of Cairns fishermen who built shacks here to escape for weekends. It’s this history that keeps her unpretentious. But its her surroundings that make her ageless; from the inky blue seas of the Coral Coast where the Great Barrier Reef beckons just a few kilometres off shore, to the spectacular delight of the strip of white sand you get to yourself at sunset on Four Mile Beach. These days, the laid-back and subtly stylish ambience of her galleries, cafes, outdoor bars and boutique shops only add to her mystique.
It’s the same story half an hour’s drive down the road at the region’s other knock-out destination, Palm Cove. Named for her palm-fringed coastline – an experiment in agronomics by a former owner, a Cairns Archdeacon – Palm Cove is now one of Queensland’s number one luxury vacation destinations. Just 50 years ago Palm Cove was nothing more than a bunch of cattle feeding paddocks – although the crocs made raising cattle a risky business. There were even rodeos – some of Queensland’s biggest. These days the energy levels have
slipped right back – being at Palm Cove now is more about lazy beach days, pampered massages and facial treatments and seaside meals that linger on all evening, till the clear stars have to guide you home along a deserted beach.
With off-shore islands and that famous, long beach – long and white and empty and lined by palm trees that sway with summer’s afternoon breezes – Palm Cove has now become the ideal destination to relax away from all distractions. Cairns might be just a 30 minute drive south, but it might as well by 30 hours. Fringed by low-key luxury resorts, restaurants and spas, Palm Cove exists for one thing alone: romantic retreats. Once, land-owners could only get here by horse and foot, now strangely enough with all that technology and progress it still feels just as shut off. There are activities to choose from – swimming, sailing, jet skiing and alike - but most guests choose to switch off from everything and enter a state of relaxation they call the Palm Cove slumber.
But then Far North Queensland was surely designed by Mother Nature just for the purpose of romantic escape. Drive a short distance north and you’ll find yourself lost within the cool tree canopy of the world’s oldest rainforest – the Daintree. The options for escape are endless; drive north past Port Douglas and you’ll find nothing but tiny, quaint sugar towns like Mossman and rainforest retreats custom-made for couples. Head west from Mossman to the serene rock pools of Mossman Gorge, or head north to the Daintree Ferry, which takes you on a short, time-honoured journey across the crocodile-infested Daintree River to a narrow, winding road through the heart of the rainforest. Keep your eyes open for cassowaries – although at over two metres high they’re not something you want to meet on the road – but the Daintree is one of the last remaining habitats of these precious birds. You can stop at gorgeous picnic spots on empty, romantic beaches like Cow Bay and Thornton Beach with just sea creatures for company, or take the road for 40 kilometres to Cape Tribulation – stop for a sunrise on the Cape and watch dolphins, migrating whales, reef sharks and gigantic, colourful fish all swim past. The road gets downright dirty, bumpy and windy from here – but if you’re game the Bloomfield Track will take you all the way to Cape York – Australia’s northern-most point.
You can find the same sort of splendid isolation further south in Mission Beach. Famous for the glorious, wide sandy beach that gives the town its name, Mission Beach also offers up world-famous off-shore islands like Dunk, Bedarra and Hinchinbrook Islands. They call it “old North Queensland” round these parts because there’s still not much more here than in the early ‘60s when former Prime Minister Harold Holt kept a holiday house here. The bohemians, hippies and artists discovered it in the decades after, but it’s the slow, subtle changes they made to an area where rainforest quite literally grows right to the sea, that has made Mission Beach what it is today. It’s really four tiny villages linked together by pasture land and old-growth rainforest, but you won’t find tacky tourist traps, and locals here stand as united as Byron Bay old-timers against development like traffic lights or unsightly concrete resorts. The best attractions in Mission Beach are the simple ones: walk the 14 kilometres of her beautiful beach, swim in the blood-warm seas or take a boat less than 40 kilometres to the Great Barrier Reef; or walk the beautiful Ulysses Track beside the beach, watching for the gigantic, blue butterflies it’s named after, and parrots, wallabies and rare cassowaries.
Then of course, there’s Cairns, the perfect antidote to all that sleepy tropical ambience. Cairns offers couples just about everything imaginable: from romantic, five star restaurants, lively cafes and raging night spots (including a casino) to a World-Heritage-listed hinterland totally free of any human habitation. You could dive, hot air balloon, jet ski, bungy jump, sky dive, fish for marlin, ride helicopters or white-water raft – all within a few kilometres of the town centre. There’s still enough of the old town left for couples to imagine what life must’ve been like in this former maritime port, a key stop for the region’s sugar, timber and beef industries. Now Cairns is more famous for other types of ocean-going craft – it’s one of the best places in North Queensland to access the Great Barrier Reef or go deep-sea fishing – check the fishermen returning to the Cairns Marina to weigh in their marlin (Lee Marvin was a regular visitor in the ‘70s, Kenny Rogers still visits occasionally). You could also find yourself shipwrecked at a nearby off- shore island like the eco-friendly Green Island, or ride Australia’s most scenic railway past waterfalls and through rainforest to the tourist town of Kuranda (you can also ride above the rainforest on the Skyrail).
INSIDER GUIDE:
Our North Queensland locals share their favourite spots to eat, shop, and see. Plus romantic recommendations to impress your holiday co-pilot.
RICHIE STEVENS
DIRECTOR, INSIDEOUT GROUP
SYDNEY, CAIRNS, BRISBANE
FAVOURITE BEACH: Would have to be Ellis Beach, just north of Palm Cove – a picture-postcard sandy beach lined with coconut palms. There’s no development on this beach, just a little ol’ fish and chip shop and a caravan park ... and perfect aqua water.
FAVOURITE LOCAL CAFE: This one goes to a little cafe on the beach at Holloways Beach. All the furniture is made from old trees and it’s right on the sand ... Sunday mornings ... perfect.
SCENIC MUST-SEE: The Barron Gorge and waterfall ... spectacular during the wet season.
SHOPAHOLICS WILL LOVE: The cute little boutiques on Grafton Street in Cairns.
BEST PLACE FOR A ROMANTIC NIGHT OUT: Salthouse Restaurant on the Marina in Cairns ... perfect location. Make sure you get there as the sun goes down to really impress.
BEST SPOT TO WATCH THE SUNSET: The end of the jetty at Palm Cove where you can sit and look back at the beach.
BARBARA THOMSON
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
WILDLIFE TROPICAL
NORTH QUEENSLAND
FAVOURITE BEACH: Palm Cove (clean, friendly, water sports if feeling active, plenty of restaurants and boutiques and the surf life savers are a bonus).
FAVOURITE CAFE: Coffee and yummy treats at Deli aDrift, Brunch at Vivo, all day brekkie at Cocky’s at the Cove. Koala Café at Cairns Tropical Zoo – ask for the Belgian waffles ... delicious .
FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS: Everyone knows award winning Nu Nu’s and Sebel Reef House ... however a couple of others that are very popular are Lime & Pepper, Bella Baci and upstairs at Casmars.
SCENIC MUST SEE: View from Sapphire Ridge – overlooking Palm Cove – and kayaking around Double Island with all the turtles and marine life.
SHOPAHOLICS WILL LOVE: Tropical Collection and Paradiso Resortwear – individual, relaxed and stylish, classy tropical clothes and accessories to match (amazing colours). My sister and I joke we have never left without buying something ... and we only went out for coffee!
BEST PLACE FOR A ROMANTIC NIGHT OUT: Far Horizons restaurant at Angsana right on the beach front. In fact you can have a table for two with the water lapping at your toes, moonlight, palm trees ... your date will look like George Clooney ... eventually!
BEST PLACE TO WATCH THE SUNRISE: Sunrise is just perfect anywhere on the beach. For the sunset hour, a stroll down to the Palm Cove Jetty really soothes the soul.
HELENA McINNES
WED IN PARADISE,
TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND
FAVOURITE BEACH: Pretty Beach, just south of Port Douglas is one of the most picturesque beaches in the region. At low tide the reef is exposed and you can lounge in the numerous rock pools filled with warm water.
FAVOURITE LOCAL CAFE: Cafe Ecco. Great atmosphere in the heart of Port Douglas, on Macrossan Street. I love sitting on the garden terrace away from the hustle and bustle of the main street. The service is fantastic and David makes a great cup of coffee.
SCENIC MUST SEE: Scenic drive from Cairns to Port Douglas absolutely takes your breath away on a clear blue day (which is most days). You can see straight out over the Coral Sea to Double Island and Low Isles.
SHOPAHOLICS WILL LOVE: The Sunday markets in Port Douglas or the Saturday markets on the Esplanade in Cairns. It is great to wander amongst the stalls with a freshly brewed cup of coffee or freshly squeezed sugar cane juice.
BEST PLACE FOR A ROMANTIC NIGHT OUT: Can’t go past Nautilus Restaurant in Port Douglas for a truly romantic experience. Located amongst a coconut tree grove with lighting that enhances its magical romantic atmosphere, it is the perfect place for a special romantic celebration.
BEST PLACE TO WATCH THE SUNRISE: Although the sun sets over the mountains it paints an amazing picture over the sea. One of my favourite places to watch the sunset and moon rise is with a glass of wine on Four Mile Beach.
INSIDER TIP !
Artist - Jai Vasicek ... has a little gallery tucked away in Port Douglas village