Page 66 - Port Douglas Magazine 35

CHOO CHOOS @ THE MARINA

GREAT FOOD, VIEWS, TRAIN DINING AND NOW ICE CREAM!

A Destination in its own right!

long time favourite with locals, Choo Choos @ of volunteers allowing it to operate over many years in Port
the Marina has amped up the pulling power with Douglas between the Marina and St Crispin’s. Now the
A the addition of two new star attractions. forever home for the trains is at the Marina, where they’ve
First, the old Bally Hooley sugar train and carriages from been lovingly restored and refurbed by a team of local
Mossman Mill have been restored and set up as dining cars artisan craftspeople.
right at the station, and recently opened is the new Choo At one time Port had a population of 12,000 with 27 pubs
Choo’s Ice Creamery - designed for ice cream connoisseurs. when it was a service town for the goldfields, and in 1897
With great views over the Marina, Choo Choo’s Chef Jens the Mossman Sugar Mill was established and started carting
has created menus that feature locally sourced produce, sugar and passengers throughout the shire. In the year of
great coffee as well as breakfast and lunch. The Ice 1900, 23,000 passengers were carried. Thirty five years
Creamery is a great addition as we now start to see more later, the last passenger was carried on Christmas Eve.
visitors arriving. We all know there’s nothing like an icy cold
ice cream at any time of the day. CHOO CHOO’S ICE CREAMERY
Designed by the same artisan carpenters who restored the
TRAINS train, the Ice Creamery features the renowned Connoisseur
The much-loved Bally Hooley Steam Trains that have been ice cream selection, as well as local Biodynamic Mungalli
a part of the Douglas Shire since 1897 have taken on a new options. Favours range from rich dark chocolate to tropical
life that shares the remarkable part they have played in the mango and more.
region’s history with a new generation of locals and visitors. Perfect for a hot afternoon, or after a day out on the reef!
Now refurbished as traditional, but very cool, dining cars at
the Marina Station, the trains are proving a hit with young
and old. choochoosatthemarina.com.au
Purchased from Mossman Mill in 2002, the John Morris
family has owned and maintained the trains, as well as
the tracks, with a core team including a dedicated group