This Aussie holiday mecca is finally atoning for its tourism sins

When I first visited Port Douglas in the 1980s, it was before Christopher Skase, the late – and later disgraced – property developer, had turned the cute Far North Queensland village into a tourist mecca by developing the sprawling Sheraton Mirage resort along Four Mile beach.

I remember sweet little timber houses, wide avenues, the tropical gardens of Nautilus restaurant and Mocka’s pie shop. Forty years later, Nautilus and Mocka are still there but tourist booms and busts have changed the town’s character. The streets are now lined with shops selling gaudy kaftans and swimwear and busy with minibuses shuttling tourists back and forth to resorts and motels.

That long beach and the Sheraton Grand Mirage Port Douglas.Credit:

The vast Daintree National Park, the oldest living rainforest in the world, and the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system, frame the towns and settlements. The traditional owners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people, care for both the Madja (rainforest) and the Jalun (reef).

The Sheraton Grand Mirage has existed for just a second of the rainforest’s 180 million years. It opened about the time that the Daintree became a sanctuary, in 1988, when it was given World Heritage Area status.

A 45-minute walk along Four Mile Beach from the town itself, the resort is set in two hectares of artificial saltwater lagoon, with a manicured 18-hole golf course and 147 hectares of gardens blooming with 400 species of plants.

It’s a sophisticated, family-friendly hotel with 295 rooms, but it also takes seriously its responsibility to the extraordinary natural environment that surrounds it, in line with parent Marriott’s commitment to having 100 per cent of its hotels achieve a recognised sustainability certificate by 2025.

Poolside at the Sheraton.Credit:

Over the past year, the resort has invested more than $9 million in sustainable initiatives, resulting in a 22 per cent improvement in energy use. This includes the use of electric vehicles, a filtration system that allows treated saltwater to be used in swimming pools, and the introduction of energy-efficient laundry systems – behind-the-scenes stuff that guests rarely notice.

I’m staying at the resort on a Green Getaway, a special package designed to connect guests with the region’s most lauded natural experiences while offering all the restful qualities one expects from a tropical resort, such as cocktail sipping in poolside cabanas and massages in the small but excellent Kaia day spa.

Food waste is composted.Credit:

The getaway includes deals for sailing and snorkelling on the reef with Sailaway Port Douglas, a leader in sustainable reef ecotourism, drifting through the Daintree on rafts with Backcountry Bliss, and a Dreamtime Walk with an Indigenous guide from the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre.

I’ve checked in to a king suite directly on one of the saltwater lagoons, which is accessible via steps, allowing me to “swim up” to my on-water balcony.

There’s a bottle of pink organic wine waiting for me as part of the “green” welcome. I can refill the glass water bottle in my room from dispensers near the elevators in each bank of rooms, which eliminates plastic and water waste.

The resort creates a strong sense of place. Food and produce leans into the local in both fine diner Harrison’s restaurant and the Lagoon al fresco restaurant and bar by the pool. That translates to dishes such as citrus-cured reef fish and betel leaf barramundi, with desserts inspired by Aussie classics the Iced VoVo and Cherry Ripe. At the Daintree Bar, guests can sample a flight of different rums from the FNQ Rum Co.

As part of the getaway, I’ve signed up for two eco tours. The first is a meander through part of the rainforest with guide Trevayne, a Kuku Yalanji man, which starts at the nearby Mossman Gorge centre.

Climate-conscious Sailaway Port Douglas’ wind-powered catamaran on the Great Barrier Reef.

After an aromatic smoking ceremony in the bush, and morning tea of damper, we head off on a track to hear about traditional medicine and ceremonial rituals. If I ever brush up against the painful stinging nettle, I now know how to make a soothing paste from its roots.

Next afternoon, I’m at the Port Douglas marina boarding a beautiful wind-powered catamaran operated by Sailaway Port Douglas, a leading business for climate action.

The winner of a National Sustainability Award for best practice, this small company employs marine biologists who not only educate guests but actively monitor reef health and take part in initiatives such as coral planting.

On this windy day, we head for Low Isle, which has a working lighthouse and a small museum and is one of 900 islands across 3800 reefs off Far North Queensland. It is desperately sad to see that most of the coral is grey after successive major bleaching events, consistently warming waters and heavy rains.

It’s no longer the 1980s, and tourism operators recognise they must not only preserve but heal their exquisite natural environment for Port Douglas to remain a truly green getaway.

The details

Stay
Sheraton Green Getaway rates start at $409 a night, with a minimum four-night stay, including breakfast daily, full-day use of the poolside cabana, a daily credit of $50 for use across the resort’s seven restaurants and bars, and exclusive offers with popular eco-tour operators. Until March 31, 2025. See marriott.com

The writer was a guest of Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas.