← Cairns Marathon·2 nights

Port Douglas and Mossman Gorge: Reef Meets Rainforest

Two nights beside Four Mile Beach, with a shuttle into Mossman Gorge in the Daintree and the reef boats leaving from the marina.

Duration2 nights
TransitAbout 1 hr by car or transfer along the Captain Cook Highway
DepartsCairns

After the Cairns Marathon: Port Douglas and Mossman Gorge

The Route: Cairns → Port Douglas → Mossman Gorge → Port Douglas → Cairns Airport Logistics: Hire car or airport transfer and local shuttle. North along the Captain Cook Highway coast road, two nights, then back south to the airport. Marathon Month: July Duration: 2 nights

Cairns ──(about 1 hr by car, Captain Cook Highway)──> Port Douglas ──(about 22 mins by car)──> Mossman Gorge Centre
                                                            │                                        │
                                                            ◄──────────(return same way)─────────────┘
                                                            │
Cairns Airport (CNS) ◄──(about 1 hr by car, 65 km)──────────┘

The Cairns Marathon finishes at Fogarty Park, and Port Douglas lies about an hour north. It is the town where two World Heritage areas, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, are both within easy reach, and two nights is enough to see both without rushing either.

July in Port Douglas: the dry season, from May to October, brings warm days, lower humidity than summer and the best reef visibility of the year. It is also peak season, so book accommodation and any reef trip well ahead. The Port Douglas Sunday market, held in Anzac Park on Macrossan Street, runs only on Sundays, so a stay starting on the Monday after the race misses it.

The drive from Cairns takes about an hour on the Captain Cook Highway, much of it along the coast. Cairns Airport is 65 km from Port Douglas, and shuttle services link the two for runners without a car.

Nights One and Two: Port Douglas

Port Douglas is a small town on a peninsula, with Macrossan Street as its main street of cafés, bars and shops, and the marina on the inlet side where the reef boats leave.

The primary recovery walk is Four Mile Beach, a long, straight stretch of sand running south from the town. The surface is firm near the waterline and completely flat, and it is long enough to walk as far as the legs want before turning back. Early morning and late afternoon are the coolest times.

Flagstaff Hill, at the northern end of town, has a 1.5 km walk with a lookout halfway over the Coral Sea and the Low Isles. It climbs, so leave it for the second day if at all.

Mossman Gorge is the day's trip into the Daintree, 20 km north of Port Douglas and about 22 minutes by car. Visitors park at the Mossman Gorge Centre and take the shuttle bus into the gorge: there is no footpath along the narrow road, so walking in is not an option. Shuttles run every 15 minutes from 08:00, with the last return at 16:30, and cost A$15.50 (£8) for adults. In the gorge, boardwalks lead through the rainforest to the river, and they are the gentlest way into the Daintree on tired legs.

Reef trips leave from the marina for the outer reef and the Low Isles. The dry season is the best time of year for visibility. Choose a larger boat with plenty of seating if going in the first days after the race.

Where to stay: By The Sea Port Douglas has beachfront apartments with kitchens, useful for a quiet recovery breakfast. Temple Resort and Spa Port Douglas has direct access to Four Mile Beach and a spa.

Where to eat: Hemingway's Brewery in Port Douglas brews its own beer and serves food, and makes an easy evening. For something more formal, walk Macrossan Street, where most of the town's restaurants sit within a few hundred metres of each other; book ahead in July.

Getting to Cairns Airport

Cairns Airport (CNS) is 65 km south, about an hour by car along the Captain Cook Highway. Shuttle services run between Port Douglas and the airport; book a seat when planning the trip, as July is peak season.