Cairns Holiday Specialists BlogCHS Blog

Port Douglas – Essential Information

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Sophie Tabouel

If you like to browse thru the local shops and boutiques on your Tropical North Queensland holiday then Port Douglas will definitely have what you are looking for. As the township has grown so have the shopping centres that signal the arrival of a few well known city brands such as Just Jeans, Target Country, Lorna Jane and Jay Jays just to name a few.

Port Douglas still retains that relaxed laid back village atmosphere that offers unique local designer stores that showcase locally made fashions and handicrafts. A lot of visitors say that the main street of Port Douglas, Macrossan Street is very similar to Hastings Street Noosa Australia and is similar in its offerings of sheik but casual beachey resort style clothing.

 

Port Douglas Day Spas and Resorts

Holidays are for luxury and for pampering so don’t forget to indulge yourself and book a spa treatment when you are on holiday. Ask the team at Cairns Holiday Specialists to send you some spa menus for you to pre-book a day of indulgence for you and a friend. There are approximately 7 spas in Port Douglas each one offering a unique spa experience with differing spa products and facilities.

 

Post Office The post office is located at 5 Owen Street which is just off Macrossan Street near the Saltwater shopping complex. Services they offer are foreign currency, traveller’s cheques and other banking facilities.

Opening hours

Mon – Fri 8:30am – 5:30pm

Saturday 9:00am – 12:00pm

Sunday Closed

Phone 07 4099 5210

 

Port Douglas Internet Cafes/Services

Cafes and restaurants are still a bit slow to catch on with providing free internet but here are a few for you to try otherwise check with your hotel accommodation

Wicked Internet Café-48 Macrossan Street call 07 4099 6900

Parrotfish lodge backpackers Port Douglas-37 Warner Street 07 4099 5011

Finz Restaurant cnr of Macrossan and Owen Street call 07 4099 5433

Zinc cnr of Macrossan and Davidson Street call 07 4099 6260

Port Douglas YHA – Port Street 07 4099 5422

Central Hotel 9 Macrossan Street 07 4099 5271

 

Port Douglas Bottle Shop-Liquor Store-Take Away Alcohol

Living in the tropics the locals love to socialise and have a few drinks or two with family and friends so we definitely do not suffer from a shortage of venues to purchase take away alcohol. In Australia we have drive thru liquor barns unlike in the southern states you can purchase alcohol in a supermarket bottle shop

Bottle shops in Port Douglas can be found very easily on most main roads and near shopping centres and listed below are their addresses and contact numbers.

Village Cellars Shop 8 11-17 Macrossan Street call 07 4099 6060

Reef Cellars IGA Shopping Centre call 07 4098 5098

Tavern Cellars 54 Macrossan Street call 07 4099 5730

Port Cellars Cnr Barrier Street and Port Douglas Road call 1300 364 441

Port Liquor Discount Lot 58 Captain Cook Highway call 07 4098 5073

 

Pubs and Clubs-Entertainment

Port Douglas Yacht Club

The Port Douglas Yacht Club is a great place to relax and unwind of an evening (don’t forget the bug spray) and look at all of the boats in the marina and have a chat to a few of the locals. Dinner at Spinnakers Restaurant is open 7 days a week from 6pm and lunch on weekends. Call for reservations on 07 4099 4386.

Wednesday Night Sailing

Every Wednesday afternoon the members go sailing and racing for some fun. Tourists visiting Port Douglas are more than welcome to come along and crew the boats and meet with the locals. Give the yacht club a call and book your berth on Wednesdays race night 07 4099 4386.

 

The Tin Shed

Otherwise known as the Port Douglas and District Combined Clubs Inc. The Tin Shed commands a prime waterfront location where you can watch all the day tour boats leave the harbour each day for the Great Barrier Reef. It’s also a fabulous venue for a sundowner drink with a few friends or a good place to find some friends, just make sure you are there for the Crown Lager now on tap! Exclusive to Port Douglas and the first venue in north Queensland. For the gamblers there is a gaming room available for you to have a go at losing some of your money to the machines.

Make sure you pre-book for meals as this place is very popular 7 days a week call 07 4099 5553

The Tin Shed on the western end of Macrossan Street next to Anzac Park on the waterfront at 7 Ashford Avenue Port Douglas.

 

 Port Douglas Surf Club

Cnr Mowbray Street and Four Mile esplanade sits the white sails and timber deck of the Port Douglas Surf Clubs outdoor restaurant.

Very laid back casual feel as you would expect from a surf club with an easy going menu to suit parents and children. Kids can play down on the grass that leads to the beach or in the playground whilst the parents enjoy some time to themselves on the deck. Good value for money and the drink prices will not kill you.

Support the Port Douglas Surf Club and dine here as often as possible you will really like the menu and the prices

 

Chemist-Medical Centre

There are a number of pharmacies in the main street of Port Douglas and in the shopping centres.

 

Port Douglas Doctors

The Port Village Medical Centre 07 4099 5043

The Port Douglas Medical Centre 07 4099 5276

New Horizons Health 4099 1111

 

Hairdressers-Beauty Salons

Due to the high number of destination weddings in Port Douglas each year there are plenty of hairdressers, beauty salons and spas with most of them located on Macrossan Street or inside the local hotels and resorts.

 

Delicatessens-Coffee Shops-Bakeries

The main street of Port Douglas is lined with eateries to suit most palates, along with a good choice of fast food type outlets like home style bakeries, sushi, pizza, fish and chips, kebabs, Chinese, burger bars and much more.

 

Shopping – Ladies – Men- Children

Port Douglas is home to a lot of fashion artisans so the range of small boutiques are just wonderful if you love shopping for something that is really different.

There are the high end fashions for those special events and the more casual resort style attire that locals and tourists alike love to wear in the tropical sunshine. The children’s wear stores have some of the most gorgeous creative out fits that you will just not be able to resist even if you do not have a child of your own.

Swim wear is a biggie in Port Douglas as you will be spending a major portion of your holiday time beside the swimming pool or snorkelling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef so the shops that carry swimwear are dotted up and down and around Macrossan Street.

Souvenir shopping is also well catered for with knick shops located in the main street and inside the hotels and resort lobbies.

While shopping in Port Douglas you will find everything you need for everyone and much much more!

 

Port Douglas Restaurants – Dining

Port Douglas is very well recognised as a foodie’s paradise with the bountiful produce that is available all year round in the tropics Port Douglas is also a chef’s paradise. There are a number of events through the year that celebrate the food and wine from this region and some of these events end up as 10 day events like the Port Douglas Carnival.

To see a list of the restaurants in Port Douglas take a look here

 

Port Douglas – Fishing

Fishing in Port Douglas is big business with the Great Barrier Reef on the door step. You can throw a line off Four Mile beach or sit down by the riverside and try your luck for a Mangrove Jack or a Barramundi.

Taking a half day boat charter to fish the Port Douglas inlets and waterways is a great way to spend some time with your family or friends or book yourself onto a full day reef charter and go after a Giant Black Marlin or Sailfish or have a big fight with a tuna or Spanish Mackerel. You must book early for these fishing tours as they are very popular all year round due to our drop dead gorgeous weather and fishing conditions. Take a look here for some fishing tours.

 

Car Rental

Booking a car from Cairns Airport or directly from Port Douglas is easy, just make sure you pre-book the car in advance before you actually arrive either in Cairns or your hotel in Port Douglas because during the school holidays rental cars are at a premium and you may just miss out.

All major rental car companies and current live availability Avis, Hertz, Europcar, Budget, Thrifty

Check all of the rental car company prices here

 

Port Douglas Holiday Accommodation

There are a multitude of choices for holiday accommodation in and around Port Douglas and the Daintree and Cape Tribulation region and our team at Cairns Holiday Specialists can certainly assist you in selecting the right accommodation choice for your requirements. Our office is located in Tropical North Queensland and we have seen and know just about every single accommodation place on a personal basis so we are happy to speak with you on the telephone 7 days a week to ensure you are comfortable with you holiday accommodation and tour choices.

Please give the team a call on 1300 852 526 or International +61 7 4049 5959

We look forward to welcoming you to Cairns and Port Douglas in Queensland Australia

Author: Christina James – Port Douglas Holiday Specialist