Port Douglas Landmarks and Historical Walk

(Port Douglas, Far North Queensland - QLD, Australia)

Take a walk into the past in Port Douglas, by strolling along the Douglas Shire Historical Society's popular Historical Walk. Along the route you will pass many of the town's most important remaining landmarks, although a number of these have been rebuilt, following the devastation causing during the 1911 cyclone.

Signposts are dotted all around the trail and are designed to give you information about what you are actually looking at. The Port Douglas Historical Walk finishes at the Caledonian Hotel, which is the perfect place to end your sightseeing and enjoy a drink or two.

Port Douglas Historical Walk

Address: Port Douglas, Queensland (QLD), Australia, AU
Tel: +61 07 4099 1598
One of the very best ways to experience the numerous landmarks of the town and learn more about its history is to take a stroll along the award-winning Port Douglas Historical Walk. This self-guided trail has been laid out by the Douglas Shire Historical Society and brochures of the route are available at many stores and hotels, taking in sights around the Heritage Waterfront and Rex Smeal Park.

Tours led by experienced guides are also available and depart on a regular basis, leading to the following attractions:

• 1. 1879 Port Douglas Court House (former) - now home of the Douglas Shire Historical Society Museum
• 2. St. Andrew's Anglican Church - located just across from the Court House and rebuilt in the 1970s, within Reef Park
• 3. Flagstaff Hill Lighthouse (former) - the second lighthouse to have been built on this site, replacing the 1878 wooden lighthouse and its historic kerosene lamp
• 4. Flagstaff Hill Lookout - reached by a short climb to the top of Flagstaff Hill, with views of the eastern side of Point Douglas, as well as Four Mile Beach and the coastline leading towards Black Mountain
• 5. St. Augustine's Catholic Church - a Roman Catholic church rebuilt following the cyclone of 1911 and successfully relocated to the waterfront precinct
• 6. State School No. 334 (former) - one of the town's oldest buildings, dating back to late 1879 and now used as a private residence
• 7. Rutherford's Corner - at the junction of Davidson Road and Macrossan Street, where famous local George Rutherford once ran his chemist shop
• 8. The Red Road (Davidson Street) - built directly on a sand spit and once used as the main road into town, when it was lined with red soil originating from local building excavation work
• 9. Port Douglas Hospital (former) - sited on the original southern limits of the town and once serving the entire region, using a replacement hospital was built at Mossman in 1930
• 10. Bank of New South Wales - located on Mowbray Street, the former Mossman Court House, now operating as the Clink Theatre
• 11. Exchange Hotel - amongst the town's largest and most prestigious early hotels, known as the Mining Exchange
• 12. North Australian Hotel (Central Hotel) - originally named the Reefer's Arms and widely associated with the past gold mining boom
• 13. Buchanan's Family Hotel (Court House Hotel) - boasting a desirable corner location on Macrossan Street
• 14. Waterfront Precinct - based within Anzac Park and Market Park, once forming the very heart of the port, being home to the Customs Office and tramway station
• 15. Ramsay's Store - a particularly famous hardware store founded by local timber merchant John McDiarmid Ramsay
• 16. Caledonian Hotel - an imposing hotel dating back to 1886, rebuilt following fire damage in 1920s

Open hours: daily
Admission: free, charge for guided tours (depart from the former Court House)

St. Mary's by the Sea Church

Address: Anzac Park, Port Douglas, Queensland (QLD), Australia, AU
A charming church located within Anzac Park, St. Mary's by the Sea Church is a small non-denominational chapel built in 1911. This white-timber church is easy to spot and has become a popular venue for weddings, since the enormous altar window offers enviable views of the Coral Sea and distant rainforest mountains. Each year, the St. Mary's by the Sea Church hosts approximately 200 weddings, with many couples favouring an open-air ceremony amidst the tropical scenery.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free