Gold sugar and sunshine - Port Douglas - QLD - Australia
Posted by: 
CADS11
S 16° 28.759 E 145° 27.780
55K E 335934 N 8177419
#08 information sign of the Port Douglas Trail
Waymark Code: WM11P33
Location: Queensland, Australia
Date Posted: 11/24/2019
Views: 1
The sign reads:
Exercising Coastcare
08 Gold sugar and sunshine
In 1876, gold fever brought European settlers to Port Douglas. The local population soared and the town became a thriving community with banks, a court house, a hospital and more than 20 hotels (Mining was thirsty work!) But the gold rush did not last and Port Douglas soon switched its attention to sugar cane.
On 16 March, 1911, a tropical cyclone devastated the town and its future was no longer certain. The population dwindled. Industry declined. The last shipment of sugar left the wharf in 1958 and the school closed a few years later. Port Douglas was slowly fading away.
Then in the 1980's, tourist operators realised that Port Douglas offered extraordinary opportunities — access to the Reef, to the rainforest and the relaxed attitude of the locals — and the town was re-energised as an internationally renowned holiday destination.
Age/Event Date: 1876, 1911, 1958, 1980
Type of Historic Marker: Plaque only
Type of Historic Marker if other: Not listed
Related Website: Not listed
Historic Resources.: Not listed
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