Shire Profile

The Douglas Shire covers an area of 2,445km from north of Ellis Beach in the south to the Bloomfield River in the north. The economy of the shire depends mainly on tourism, with 1.2 million visitors annually exploring our many natural wonders, and agriculture of sugar cane farming and processing.                                                          Read More

History of the Shire

The First Peoples of the Douglas region are the Kuku Yalanji whose country extends from Mossman in the South to Cooktown in the North and Palmer River in the West. The Kuku Yalanji are rainforest people whose connection to the region extends back 50,000 years to be among the earliest human occupations in Australia.                      Read More

Natural assets

The Douglas region is a world-renowned tourist destination enveloped by several of Australia’s World Heritage listed, magnificent natural boundaries: Wet Tropics rainforest-covered mountain range to the west and north, and 95km of Coral Sea coastline and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to the east.                                                  Read More

Daintreepedia – Your Definitive Guide to the Daintree Region

This guide lists all the fabulous activities in the Daintree region, from river cruises, rainforest canopy tours, snorkelling and fishing tours to the Great Barrier Reef, guided and self-guided walks, yoga retreats, spas, horse riding, barramundi fishing, bird watching and photographic tours, fruit tasting, indigenous experiences and 4WD tours.

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Flora and fauna

The Wet Tropics region of Douglas is home to around 3000 plant species from over 210 families, many of which are only found here and some of which are threatened. Twelve of the world’s 19 families of primitive flowering plants grow here, including the cycads, ferns and mosses whose ancestors were amongst the first flowering plants on Earth.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Read More

Economy and industry

To access Douglas Shire Economic Data click HERE.

The economy of the Douglas region has been reliant on the two key industries of tourism and agriculture – predominately sugar cane farming and processing – since the 1980s. Much of the agricultural land of the shire is utilised in sugar cane production, once the economic base of the region, although the pre-eminence of cane farming and production has been superseded by a vibrant tourism industry.                                                                                                                                                                                        Read More

Tourism

Tourism has surpassed the sugar industry to become the lynchpin of the economy for the Douglas region. Figures from Tourism and Events Queensland demonstrate that, with an 80% economic reliance on tourism, the Douglas Shire ranks as the most tourism dependent region in Australia.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Read More