Cairns to Port Douglas Road

It is one of the most beautiful coastal roads in Australia - our own "Great Ocean Road" up here in north Queensland, and it is easily just as good as the Victorian one!

The best part of it, where you are driving right on the ocean front is between Ellis Beach and Craiglie (if only it's a sunny day, the colours will be magnificient).


There is a good place to stop and enjoy it - the Rex Lookout.
  

The road is only 60km long but takes you a while to drive because it's very curvy in places and you have to slow down a lot.

Cairns
Cairns is a beautiful tropical city and the gateway to the Cape York peninsula. 
There is a lot to see and do in and around the city, so if you are not coming back to the area, it's a good idea to stay a few days at least and enjoy Cairns as well as its day trips and other actitivies.

Cairns Northern Beaches
Just north of Cairns are the Northern Beaches. 
Some, like Machans, are quiet local communities, others, such as Trinity Beach and Palm Cove are popular with tourists and heavily commercialised. 
All have nice sandy beaches great for a walk or jog.


Ellis Beach
The Northern Beaches are  Machans, Holloways, Yorkeys Knob, Trinity, Kewarra, Clifton and Palm Cove, but north of Palm Cove, the beaches actually continue. 

The next one north is Ellis Beach, which has a popular roadside Bar and Grill, as well as a nice beachfront caravan park.

Wangetti
The next one on Cairns Port Douglas road is Wangetti, also home for the famous Hartleys Crocodile Adventures. 

The community itself is separate from the beach - which you can reach from the Wangetti Beach Road in the northern end of the community.
 

Oak Beach
The next one on the Cairns Port Douglas road is Oak Beach - another small community with a nice sandy beach. 

In the northern end of the beach is a river mouth that is good for fishing. 
There are also some places to stay: Oak Beach Boathouse, Coral Sea Retreat and Thala Beach Lodge.

Craiglie
The next community on Cairns Port Douglas road is Craiglie, which is actually a southern suburb of Port Douglas. 

There is some accommodation here that can be better value than in the expensive Port Douglas, and it's only ten minutes drive in. One place I know is the Plantation Resort.

Port Douglas
Port Douglas is a touristy town with colourful shops and excellent bars, restaurants and accommodation. 

It's a bit like Noosa or Byron Bay - one of those places where it's always tempting to stay for a while and spoil yourself. Very easy to spend money but not cheap.

Ellis Beach

Ellis Beach is a beautiful beach to stay.

It is north of Palm Cove and south of Wangetti, along the beautiful coastal drive between Cairns and Port Douglas.

It is a lovely long beach, great for a walk or a jog, and there is also a section that is watched by life savers.
   

And there is a great place to stay - the Oceanfront Bungalows Holiday Park.
   

Even if you don't want to stay, it is a great place to stop for a lunch - right on the highway there is the Pub,
   

... and the Bar & Grill.
   

And on the beachfront are barbeques and picnic tables.

Wangetti Beach

Wangetti Beach is on the road from Cairns to Port Douglas.

To be correct, the beach and the community are actually separate, even though not by far.

The community is right next to the highway, but there are no beach views there.

The beach is behind the vegetation, and as far as I know, the only beach access is from the Beach Road that turns east from the main highway just north of the community.


The beach is beautiful - good waves and palm trees, and it is long enough for a good walk or jog. And there are picnic tables too.
 

Just north of the beach and the community are Hartley's Crocodile Adventures (a great place!), and the beautiful Rex Lookout.


The whole drive between Cairns and Port Douglas is one of the most beautiful coastal drives in Australia.

Oak Beach

Oak Beach is a coastal community north of Cairns.

It is north of Cairns Northern Beaches along the beautiful road between Cairns and Port Douglas.

It is a sleepy little community with only a few streets and nothing much happening, but the beach is beautiful.


And there are a few nice places to stay.

Thala Beach Lodge
This five star lodge is right on the beach front in Oak Beach.
It is a wonderful luxury retreat on 145 acres of land and the only beach lodge of its kind between Cairns and Port Douglas.
There are 83 bungalows with all modern amenities, a spa, a swimming pool, a bar and a restaurant. 
 

Coral Sea Retreat B&B
This bed and breakfast Oak Beach accommodation is a nice a quiet place to stay.
There is a swimming pool, a gazebo, non smoking rooms with TVs, air conditioning and high speed internet.
And a great thing is the brekky menu that changes daily - you have to stay seven days if you want to try it all.

Oak Beach Villa
This Oak Beach accommodation is an open plan beach house on the absolute beach front that has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, dining and lounge area, laundry, BBQ, and a large swimming pool.
Massage and catering available if requested.

Oak Beach on the Sand
This is a modern beach house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, fully self contained gourmet kitchen, three TVs, CD and DVD players, and a fully equipped laundry.
Outside is a private swimming pool, BBQ and outdoors dining area. Child minding and catering can be arranged.

Oak Beach Cottage
This is a luxury beach house on the absolute beach front that has three bedrooms that accommodate up to six people. Luxury and fully equipped kitchen, two bathrooms, dining and lounge room, two TVs, games and DVDs, laundry with washer, drier and ironing facilities, landscaped gardens, outdoor dining tables, lounges, hammock and daybeds, outdoor shower, private saltwater swimming pool, BBQ and beach-side fire pit. Massage, babysitting and catering available.

Plan Your Trip... the FREE Cape York Travel Pocket Guide

Get this 50 pages guide totally for FREE. It contains information that helps you getting started with planning of your trip. You get to make early-stages desicions such as when to go, how long time you should take, how to get there and get around, where to stay (general info), what will it cost.. and a short insight to what is there to see and do in Cape York.

Plan and Bring to the Trip... the full Destination Cape York Travel Guide

This complete 300 pages travel guide is all you need before and during your trip. Besides the background chapters on the peninsula's history and wildlife; and the comprehensive detail about all the places (down to prices, opening hours and full contact detail), it has invaluable information on at least 10 four wheel drive tracks, at least 30 guaranteed FREE camping spots on the Cape (and at least 150 on your way to the Cape), at least 40 best swimming holes, all mapped; as well as practical things - from fuel, roads, wireless internet and mobile phone reception, how to deal with the national parks booking rules; and Aboriginal land entrance and camping permits and alcohol restrictions - to vehicle preparation and accessories and necessary recovery gear by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner). Not to mention locals' tips on how to spot that croc and palm cockatoo ;-)

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