Port Douglas

Hi all,

Well last night's dinner at Nautilus capped off a magnificent day up here in far north Queensland. Nautilus is a very exclusive restaurant which is beautifully set amongst palm trees on a deck in the hills of Port Douglas. When I looked in May, all of the days we were up here were already fully booked out. When we heard before we left that Sydney was going in to lockdown, we capitalised and added ourselves to the wait list multiple times. We were lucky enough to get a call on Thursday asking if we were free at 6.30pm Friday and we jumped at the chance. We felt sad that we got in due to someone else being in lockdown, but then again we have more than done our time in lockdown as Melbournians.

We opted for the seven course tasting menu (which was kind of eight course as they served us delicious bread first!). I have attached the menu, but in short our courses were:
- Sugarcane Cured Barramundi
- North Queensland Crab Roll
- Murray Valley Pork Belly
- Grilled Moreton Bay Bug Tail
- Steamed Duck Dumplings
- Beef Duo
- Mango Souffle

It's hard to say, but my favourite was probably the Moreton Bay Bug Tail. There is nothing quite like seafood from Queensland. Rob's favourite was the pork belly. It was also excellent. I am not usually a pork belly fan, but I enjoyed it too. All the courses were fantastic. We sipped on some equally excellent cocktails throughout, and enjoyed the warmth and our beautiful dimly lit surroundings. It was certainly an experience we will never forget.

We had a great night's sleep and slept in a bit today. Then we headed to Four Mile Beach which is one block from our resort. From here, we walked along the beach into town where we wandered up Macrossan Street. We looked in some shops and ended up at Rex Smeal Park, which overlooks the ocean in the direction that we headed to the reef yesterday. We sat for a while and it was very peaceful.

Then we had lunch at the Grant Street Bakery - myself a delicious ham, salad and brie roll and a smoothie, Rob a caramel milkshake and a beef pie. All were delicious. It was so nice sitting there and just taking our time to eat with not a rush in the world. The man at the table next to us put it well - "this is nothing like COVID-19 in Melbourne. Everyone is relaxed. There is no worry. It feels like 2019." In a way, it does. The only difference is that once per day I check the news headlines to hear what is happening around the country in terms of restrictions and lockdowns. But being up here really is like a different world, which I think is what we both needed.

After lunch, we walked back towards the park and saw the Old Courthouse from 1879. Along the way we read some historical signs about the town. Port Douglas was established in 1877 when a boat of businessmen arrived and started a wharf and some stores. It was named after the then Premier of Queensland - John Douglas. Over the next year or so, Port Douglas became a hive of activity due to the nearby Hodgkinson goldfields. As these dried up, however, miners were elsewhere and the town's population dwindled. The decision to build the inland railway to Kuranda from Cairns instead of Port Douglas did not help. The town took another hit in 1911 when a bad cyclone damaged and destroyed many original buildings. From then on, Port Douglas was a sleepy fishing village until the 1980s when tourism came to the area due to an investor financed the construction of the ever popular Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort. Since then it has grown and grown in popularity, and we can see why. It's so beautiful and relaxing up here.

We then ascended Flagstaff Hill along a nice walking path. We stopped at lots of lookouts along the way, and at one a butterfly landed on my hat. The view up the top over Four Mile Beach was lovely. We then walked back along the beach to the resort and have spent the afternoon chilling by the pool, swimming, drinking cocktails at the swim up bar and going in the spa.

Tonight we are heading in to town for dinner and some drinks. We are both feeling very relaxed which is just what we needed after a crazy year in Melbourne. It's like being in a different world up here.

Love to all,
Claire
Xoxox