Port Douglas’ Anzac Park is a relaxing place providing great spots to watch the cruise boats heading out to the Great Barrier Reef. This headland park faces the Dickson Inlet and provides scenic views of the Coral Sea, the Sugar Wharf jetty and peculiar-looking mangroves against the backdrop of mountains rising to the west.
The park was named in honour of the joint Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Fig trees with enormous root systems dot the park and palm trees line the waterfront.
Laze in the shade of a tree with a book or let the kids look for shells while you cool your feet in the shallow water on the small beach to the south of the park.
Take a ball for a game of soccer or fly kites when the wind picks up.
Sunsets over the park are spectacular, with the distant mountains in the backdrop and the last boats sailing past on their return from the Great Barrier Reef. After dark, cook a steak on one of the barbecues and enjoy a picnic.
On the edge of the park stands St. Mary’s by the Sea chapel, built in 1914. These days the idyllic little white church is a popular wedding venue.
One of the biggest attractions in Anzac Park is the collection of craft markets, held each Sunday morning for over 20 years. Local artists, jewelers, and farmers bring their wares to the water’s edge for sampling and purchasing. Ask a local to skillfully split open a coconut so you can drink the fresh milk. Taste locally grown sugar cane if you love sweet treats. You’ll find plenty of authentic local art for sale, so this is a great place to pick up handmade bags, colourful reef photos or other souvenirs.
Anzac Park lies at the northwestern end of central Macrossan Street and is bordered by the Dickson Inlet and Wharf Street. You can find a parking lot in town and walk the short distance to the park. Public toilets are available.
