Australian Traveller — Issue 75 — June-July 2017

AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM 87

GETAWAYS | Port Douglas

DETAILS

Getting there

Port Douglas is a one-hour drive

from Cairns International Airport.

Staying there

After a stunning revitalisation last

year, the Sheraton Grand Mirage

Resort has returned to five-star

luxury status. Pick a Lagoon Edge

room to dip straight from your

balcony into one of the two

hectares of saltwater swimming

pools. sheratonportdouglas.com

Eating there

Head to Hemingway’s Brewery at

the Reef Marina for a waterfront

lunch of stone-fired pizzas and

exceptional pub food. Its beef

comes from cows that are fed

leftover brewing grain.

hemingwaysbrewery.com

Drinking there

Spend cocktail hour at Barbados,

an open waterfront bar and

restaurant in the marina that

offers expertly mixed drinks and

a modern menu of fresh seafood,

antipasto platters and creative

salads. barbadosportdouglas.com.au

Playing there

Visit the colourful Great Barrier

Reef with the Quicksilver Group.

Experiences include a trip to

its own pontoon at Agincourt

Reef. Snorkel or dive from the

submerged platform, stay dry on

a semi-submersible boat, or take

a helicopter ride for a bird’s-eye

view. quicksilvergroup.com.au

CLOCKWISE FROM

LEFT: Revamped and

five-star once again, the

Sheraton Grand Mirage

Resort; High and dry at

Hemingway’s Brewery

and (below) the wet stuff;

Tropical blooms in town; Port

Douglas’s famous Four Mile

Beach. OPPOSITE:

Poolside luxury at the

Sheraton Grand Mirage.

There’s definitely something in the water
here. From the marina, the launching point to
the incredible Great Barrier Reef, you’ll see the
iconic St Mary’s by the Sea chapel, torn apart
by the cyclone, then uplifted and relocated to
the harbour. The Coral Sea coastline frames the
town, and the constant waterfront views and
seaside lifestyle are hard to beat.
It’s the final morning of my trip, and I have
just enough time for a coffee stop before my
flight back home. Sparrow Coffee, a bright blue
takeaway coffee shop on the town’s main drag,
Macrossan Street, is attached to a colourful
beach-themed homewares store Ahoy Trader,
which is just the spot for seaside souvenirs.
With original locations in Bangalow and
Byron Bay, Sparrow was opened in Port Douglas
in June 2015 by husband-and-wife team Tristan
and Kassia Grier, and co-owner Brooke Hudson.
For Tristan and Kassia, it was only a matter of

time before they returned to Port Douglas, after

falling under the town’s spell 10 years ago. “Port

Douglas for us has always been a bit personal – it

was the first place my wife and I went when we

first fell in love. When we left Port, we were so

in love with the place, we wanted to come back

once a year, at least,” says Tristan.

While the town may be in the throes of a

much-needed facelift to keep up with the rest

of the world’s big tourist draws, Tristan believes

that it’s Port’s natural attractions that make it

a place that people want to come back to.

“When you get off the plane in Cairns, the

Daintree is right there and it’s just pumping

energy into the world... then you take the drive

from Cairns to Port Douglas and there’s just

nothing like it,” he says. “You’re so far from

everything, but then you get here and actually

have [what feels like] a metropolis and great

hospitality – it’s wicked.”