With hotels providing golf, 24-hour gyms, dry cleaning services, and hotel lobbies with fountains and fairy lights, Port Douglas is anything like the rest of Queensland's tropical north. Here, luxury is the currency, and the hotels and restaurants are far from the likes of those in Cairns or Cape Tribulation. But it wasn't always this way.
History of Port Douglas
There was a mad rush for gold in Australia in the late 1800s, and Port Douglas thrived on it. The small port became a booming town, and its population soared. But when the Queensland government built a railroad to Cairns which bypassed Port Douglas, the economy started dwindling, as did the population. Then, in 1911, a cyclone hit and devastated the town. Port Douglas was all but forgotten.
Tourism in Port Douglas
In the 1980s, investors began building up the tourism industry. The old buildings were kept, and more modern holiday houses and lodges were built. Its paradisal beaches and lush forests attracted those with a fat wallet and a liking to luxury.
