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Port Douglas





                         Reefs and Rainforest







                                ropical Northern Queensland sounded especially
                      Tenticing as I pored over my Lonely Planet months
                    before my journey. I realized Brisbane was so close to the
                    Great Barrier Reef I’d be a fool to not check out at least one
                    portion of the planet’s largest living organism. Queenslanders
                    pointed me toward Port Douglas, where I could snorkel at the
                    reef in and hike through the world’s oldest rainforest.
                      I slotted three Port Douglas nights into the middle of my
                    Brisbane stay and flew to Cairns—the most popular jumping-
                    off point for the reef. The hour’s drive north echoed parts of
                    California’s Highway 101, with rock-strewn beaches beside the
                    choppy blue-gray sea on one side and an ever-greener tangle
                    of trees on the other. The swimming pool at my hotel looked
                    like a tropical lagoon, and my room had a washer and dryer. I
                    envied the families staying a week or more at Peppers Beach
                    Club, and wished I had allotted more time for Port Douglas, a
                    pretty seaside town with a bustling marina, excellent casual
                    bars and cafes, a serene four-mile beach and endless options
                    for adventure.























                    STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIBETH MELLIN





          154  WDT MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018
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