Other sights from Port Douglas

While we'd planned to go on two snorkeling trips while we were in Port Douglas, T used the phrase "never again" while we were on the first one. Plus, I had actually come down with a wicked cold the day before we left Sydney, and wasn't up to 100%. So we actually had two more days in Port Douglas to fill with actual vacation-like activities. 

Port Douglas is pretty far north, so even though it's starting to get cool in Sydney, it was still pretty hot there! All of the days we were there, the weather was in the mid to upper 90s, and a fair bit more humid than Sydney too.

Luckily, Port Douglas is designed for relaxation. I thought it was like the Australia version of Gatlinburg, just more toned down. Well maybe a lot more toned down. There is a main street in the town where all the restaurants and shops are. You aren't spoiled for choice, particularly, but it's nice for strolling around and staying in the shade.   

T making a subtle statement on his feelings about walking around in the sunshine

The walk into town from our resort took us about 10 minutes. We could either go along this quiet sidewalk, or walk down this quiet, shady street that reminded us both of being back home.  

Our resort was really nice. There was a big lagoon pool that wound through the buildings. We had a lot of fun in it both days until the kids came out in force. Then we'd find some deck chairs in a quiet spot and just read. A pretty good way to spend an afternoon!

Probably our favorite thing was walking through the little bush path to Four Mile beach. The beach is actually four miles long, and we managed to walk most of it over our two days on land. 

The beach was no good for swimming though, as this sign made really clear. 

T was really hoping to see a croc, and he kept up the search faithfully. 

 

This spot looked prime for one...

I thought it was a long shot, but I googled it and just a few years ago, the beach was shut down because a four meter croc was swimming around! So I stayed ready to run if T came across one.  There was a netted area for swimming at one end of the beach. The water was super warm - in the upper 80s. Waaayyy warmer than in Sydney, ever!

We saw lots of other fun wildlife too. Like this bandicoot...  

  And this cute lizard in our bathroom...  

And even though we weren't able to find a croc at the beach, we hung out with this guy at the pool. 

But of course one of our faves was stumbling across a grove where the flying foxes nested. We were walking to lunch and heard this crazy racket. It was the foxes, talking to each other up in the trees! There were hundreds of them, and since they were just hanging out in what looked like a park, we walked right up to them and watched for a while. Still one of my top favorite animals!  

All in all, we had a really long weekend, even though it involved more time on land than we'd planned. Next time, we'll make sure to find a croc!