Port Douglas & The Possum Returns

We timed our pack up of the campervan to perfection this morning at Mission Beach as moments after, the heavens opened up and we had tropical rain for our drive up the coast.

DRIVE: Mission Beach to Port Douglas via Cairns Airport (203km).

A FIFO is arriving today. For those overseas who may be unsure what FIFO stands for, its Fly In, Fly Out. It generally refers to remote station mining workers who do shifts away from home so they fly in and fly out.

The FIFO arriving today from Melbourne to Cairns Airport is our beloved Jaime. Cairns Airport is on our way through to Port Douglas so we get there in time to grab a coffee and wait for possum to land and come through customs. It’s so good to catch up as we miss her and have been on the road for a while now. Jaime will be with us in PD for the week.

We are looking forward to finally reaching Port Douglas to stay a week at our villa. We have a lovely 3 bedroom apartment at Cayman Villas on Mowbray Street, PD. It’s in a great spot too being 400m to 4 mile beach, 400m to the marina and a stones throw to the Macrossan Street and my favourite coffee hang outs.

The 50 minute drive up to Port Douglas on the Captain Cook Highway, State Route 44 is one of the most scenic drives in Australia. It hugs the coral coastline with palm lined beaches on one side and mountain tops with tropical rainforests all the way to the shore on the other. It’s especially fun this time round as this is the last drive on our East Coast Trip and we finally get to drive our Victorian number plates up to Port Douglas. Yeah!

We are greeted by Lee and Bryce, who manage Cayman Villas. I store the campervan and car in the underground car park and we quickly settle in to our villa with crisp white sheets and clean linen. I think it’s well deserved as we have been on the road for 70+ days now. Jen is looking forward to the rest.

On Sundays, theres a live band playing at The Court House Hotel, one of our favourite hang outs in Port Douglas.. So we dress up “thongs, T-shirt and shorts”, and walk Port’s Main Street to the hotel on the corner of Macrossan Street and Wharf Street, overlooking Anzac Park and the harbour. It’s just before sunset so as usual, hundreds of birds are chirping in the trees as they settle in for the night.

Built in 1878, “The Courty” as it has become affectionately known, is the oldest pub in Port Douglas and one of the most iconic pubs in Australia. It has a magnificent heritage Queenslander façade and wide open verandas. It’s the perfect place to sit with a crisp tall glass of Peroni as the sunlight fades over the harbour.

Jaime can’t resist a good steak and myself and Jen enjoy a seafood curry.Läs mer