eats and snapshots from port douglas.
wow, i really dropped the ball on getting these australia posts done.. work has been pretty hectic and the past six months just flew by. anyway… after sydney, we took a flight to cairns in northern queensland. there are lots of diving options from there, but we opted to rent a car and drive up to port douglas instead. based on our online research, it was just more our speed - and closer to the outer reef where we really wanted to dive.
we stayed at one of the super cute apartments at retro port douglas. not only was it super cute, but also super comfortable with a little kitchenette and laundry in the bathroom.
we arrived on easter friday, and the town was pretty dead. even the supermarket was closed as were most restaurants and bars. however, we managed to grab a table at sassi la cucina + bar and had a really amazing seafood-centric italian feast.
4 Macrossan St, Port Douglas QLD 4877, Australia
after both of our amazing dive days, we just stuck around the marina where the boats dock and ate dinner at hemingway’s brewery. while they had a great selection of amazing beers, the food was really good too and all of it was exactly what we wanted after a day of diving.
1L “CROWLER” to go at Hemingway’s.
hummus with sumac, spiced lamb, grilled flatbread.
double hero burger with wagyu beef, red onion jam, american chedar, smoked mayo, bacon, lettuce, tomato, fries.
tiger prawn & soba noodle salad with red chilli nam jim, avocado, herbs, ginger, sesame.
Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina, 44 Wharf St, Port Douglas QLD 4877, Australia
we found sparrow coffee, the cutest littlest coffee shop, on the main drag through town (if you hadn’t noticed, cute is a great word for port douglas).
39 Macrossan St, Port Douglas QLD 4877, Australia
we stopped into the little larder for a yummy brunch, which included house-made kombucha, and some lovely sandwiches and salads. it felt very much like LA.
kombucha!
smoothie.
prawn po boy: pan fried creole spiced prawns, shredded iceberg, remoulade drizzle on crusty sourdough.
duck salad: roasted szechuan duck, asian rainbow salad, ripped herbs, fried shallots, peanuts, chili lime dressing.
487/40 Macrossan St, Port Douglas QLD 4877, Australia
port douglas is really pretty casual all round, but we managed to squeeze in one fancier dinner at 2 fish restaurant, also on macrossan. it was our five year wedding anniversary, and the super fresh and tasty seafood was nothing to complain about.
oysters.
crispy fried shrimp with wasabi mayo.
three pepper calamari with bean sprouts, chilli, coriander, peanut nahm jim, pickled paw paw.
bug tails with panang curry, spinach, green beans, lychee, coriander.
affogato.
Coconut Grove Complex, 11/56-64 Macrossan St, Port Douglas QLD 4877, Australia
one of the things port douglas is also famous for is the beautiful four mile beach. unfortunately, it was still rather stormy the one chance we had to check it out, but i can only imagine how gorgeous it is when the sun is a-shining.
on our non-dive day, we decided to drive out to mossman gorge in the daintree rainforest.
it’s a short drive from port douglas, and features an easy raised pathway through the rainforest. it was really pretty and peaceful until we arrived at the watering hole where several tourists were taking a swim.
at the end of our stay in port douglas, we drove back to cairns to catch a flight to the red centre! and boy, going from 90s and humid, humid tropical weather to 90s and dry, dry desert was a welcome relief!
on the road from port douglas to cairns.
