From glamorous Four Mile Beach to the wilderness of Dickson Inlet, picturesque Port Douglas has become an international holiday mecca with five star to budget accommodation, shops, galleries, and enticing restaurants.

Holiday activities and sightseeing options include a golf course and an old steam train which provides a fun alternative to walking between the marina and nearby holiday accommodation.

There's a unique rainforest habitat where you can experience life in a tropical forest at birdseye level, observing native wildlife from treetop walkways. As well, there are cruise, dive and fishing boats departing daily for reefs, islands and cays, while day tours and safaris cover the coastal and inland regions.

From the village of Port, as it is known by the locals, the Great Barrier Reef is just 13 kilometres (8 miles) off-shore, affording excellent access. The north's first Outer Barrier Reef cruises from Port Douglas in the early 1980's hastened the rebirth of the sleepy village of Port Douglas, which last century rivalled Cairns as the area's main centre. Sharing the same tropical latitude as Tahiti, Port Douglas attracts visitors for its old fashioned charm, wide tree-shaded streets, and superb holiday attractions.

Some of the most enticing resorts in the world are to be found around the seaside village and its lush coastal hinterland. At nearby Mossman Gorge you'll discover rainforest walking tracks and refreshing swimming holes and Mossman, a thriving old sugar town, has a variety of holiday accommodation. North, between the long sandy beaches and mist-capped mountains, are more well-concealed resorts, lodges and hostels, also sugar, fruit, tea and coffee plantations, a rainforest theatre, walking tracks and mangrove boardwalks.

View from the lookout between Cairns and Port Douglas

Information courtesy of Tourism Tropical North Queensland