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THE SUGAR WHARF:

Surviving The Waves Of Time…

Almost every visitor to Port Douglas will encounter Premier of Queensland at the time. It was created A reversal of fortune occurred when railways were
the Sugar Wharf, one of the town’s most significant as a port to service Hodgkinson Goldfield, newly developed away from Port Douglas.
remaining links to its past. established in a district west of the Great Dividing From the 1890s to 1958, the township survived
It was here that cart loads of raw sugar were brought, Range. The wharf also provided a vital link to the primarily as a sugar port. It was also Douglas Shire’s
by narrow gauge railway, from the processing mill outside world for general cargo. Its predecessor, a administrative centre until that, too, shifted, to
at nearby Mossman. Once loaded onto ships, the Mossman, heart of the growing sugar industry.
cargo was transported to markets in southern “For a time, Port Douglas grew faster than The 60m long wharf was last used for a shipment
Australia and overseas. Cairns, 60km to the south west. of sugar on 1 April 1958. For a couple of decades it
The heritage listed wharf sits on Port Dickson’s In the 1880s, there were 14 hotels, banks, was used for a shipwreck museum and some locals
Inlet, a stone’s throw from Anzac Park and the two newspapers and numerous pubs in still use the name.
picturesque chapel, St Mary’s by the Sea. But Port Douglas went into decline, becoming a
Both the chapel and wharf storage shed are distinct Port Douglas. fishing and agricultural township with a population
for their white-washed, timber construction. of just 100 by 1960.
The wharf was funded and built by Douglas Shire stone jetty, also at Island Point was the primary In the 1980s, it emerged as an exclusive tourist
Council in 1905. It remained in use for more than pedestrian access to the township for many years. destination.
45 years. For a time, Port Douglas grew faster than Cairns, Today, Sugar Wharf is used for functions and
Few wharves could boast a prettier outlook with 60km to the south west. In the 1880s, there were 14 weddings or a simply beautiful place for a walk with
views of the Coral Sea and Daintree Rainforest. hotels, banks, two newspapers and numerous pubs spectacular tropical views.
It was gold that brought Port Douglas into being, in Port Douglas. They even staged race meetings on
established in 1877 and named after John Douglas, Four Mile Beach.

PHOTO CREDIT Perrin Clarke Photography
PORT DOUGLAS MAGAZINE 75