Where to spot crocodiles in and around Port Douglas

Carla GrossettiBy Carla Grossetti
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Port Douglas is home to a large population of crocodiles. Here are five top places to spot them.

Crocodiles are one of the less friendly and laid-back residents of Tropical North Queensland. Embark on an organised tour of the mangroves and creeks and it’s highly likely you will see a crocodile in the wild, which is regarded as one of the No. 1 things to do while visiting Port Douglas.

There are two species of the large predatory semiaquatic reptile in Tropical North Queensland – the saltwater (or estuarine) crocodile and the freshwater crocodile. The easiest way to tell the two species apart is by their size: saltwater crocodiles are much larger (and more aggressive) than their freshwater cousins. Here are five top places to spot Port Douglas crocodiles.

1. Croc Arena: Swim with Salties

swimming with a croc at Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas
Experience up-close encounters with crocs at Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Swimming with whales and dolphins are items on many a traveller’s bucket list. But the concept of swimming with saltwater crocodiles? That’s a new kind of terror. There are signs all over Tropical North Queensland warning of the perils of swimming with these apex predators. But the Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas has created a new experience that is immersive in the truest sense of the word. Book a Couple Swim and descend into the 180-degree clear underwater viewing area where you can #BeTheCrocBait and get up close to Big Al and Ton and watch them from the perspective of potential prey.  If you don’t want to face your fears and enter the croc-infested pool, you can watch the four-metre-long toothy crocodiles being fed from the safety and comfort of the purpose-built CrocArena.

2. Mowbray River Pedestrian Bridge

The Mowbray River crocodile viewing platform has become a destination for day-trippers keen on spotting crocodiles in the wild. The $5.7 million pedestrian bridge is located at the Mowbray North section of the Wangetti Trail, which features a 2.25-kilometre mangrove experience boardwalk and five-kilometre walking trail to Four Mile Beach. The dedicated crocodile viewing platform is a popular spot to fish and locals love showing off their crocodile-spotting prowess to visitors. While wild encounters with crocodiles are considered dangerous – there are warning signs erected near every body of water around Port Douglas – it’s safe to be stand on this purpose-built platform away from the water’s edge while looking for large estuarine reptiles.

3. Lady Douglas River Cruise

an aerial view of Four Mile Beach and Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas
The Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas is a great base for croc spotting. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Join the Lady Douglas on a calm-water cruise up Dickson’s Inlet, where you are likely to see crocodiles sunbaking on the shore. The Lady Douglas River Cruise is a family-run business owned by Lucas and Kate Agrums, who bought the business about a decade ago. The boat ploughs its way up the inlet from the iconic Sugar Wharf in Port Douglas several times a day until it reaches a section of the river called ‘three-ways’ where laconic skipper Lucas can choose between the tributary that heads to a local prawn farm, the section that stretches towards the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas and the arm that meanders deep into the mangrove forest. In between spotting fearsome crocodiles, which have a long jaw, long tail and leathery textured skin, passengers are treated to a complimentary drink and snack box filled with local produce.

4. Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures

an estuarine crocodile at Hartley’s Lagoon, Port Douglas
Hartley’s Lagoon is home to estuarine crocodiles. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

You get to play “Is it a log? Or is it a croc?" while navigating around the man-made lagoon at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures . The reptiles use submersion and stealth to move through the river systems and if you listen and learn from your charismatic guide, who has a practised eye, you will be able to spot the V-shaped wake rippling after the man-eating predators as they power through the muddy creek. Watch in awe as your guide affixes a chicken to the end of a four-metre-long pole and dangles it within striking distance of a giant beast that propels itself out of the water, yanks its prey from the pole and returns to the water with a violent splash. The adventure park is located halfway between Cairns and Port Douglas on Djabugay Country and is surrounded by World Heritage-listed national park. In addition to cruising up Hartley’s Lagoon in search of saltwater crocodiles, visitors can enjoy the land-based Crocodile Attack show.

5. Crocodile Cruise River Tour

a Crocodile Cruise River Tour on a Solar Whisper boat, Daintree River
Glide up to the crocs on a two-hour Daintree River cruise. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

The Solar Whisper is the only zero-emission boat on the Daintree River (Julaymba), which means you can approach the crocodiles in the same sly manner they might approach you. Get close to the crocodiles on a two-hour eco crocodile- and wildlife-spotting tour onboard an electric boat which quietly glides up to the crocs without scaring them or hurting their habitat. The owner, David White, runs a Days of the Daintree Facebook page that brings to life these prehistoric creatures, which he tracks using his unique ‘Croc Cam’. While the Solar Whisper has a 99 per cent success rate for spotting huge saltwater crocodiles – such as Big Nick and Scarface – your experienced interpretative guide will also point out birds, snakes, green tree frogs, mud crabs and fish.

Discover the best Port Douglas accommodation for your visit

Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti avoided accruing a HECS debt by accepting a cadetship with News Corp. at the age of 18. After completing her cadetship at The Cairns Post Carla moved south to accept a position at The Canberra Times before heading off on a jaunt around Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America. During her career as a journalist, Carla has successfully combined her two loves – of writing and travel – and has more than two decades experience switch-footing between digital and print media. Carla’s CV also includes stints at delicious., The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian, where she specialises in food and travel. Carla also based herself in the UK where she worked at Conde Nast Traveller, and The Sunday Times’ Travel section before accepting a fulltime role as part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK. Carla and has been freelancing for Australian Traveller for more than a decade, where she works as both a writer and a sub editor.
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What it’s really like to stay on the world’s largest sand island

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
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    Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

    The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort  with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

    But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

    Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

    Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

    Exploring K’gari

    ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island
    Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

    This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

    If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

    The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

    kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island
    Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

    If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

    While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

    The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

    Unwind at sunset

    two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort
    Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

    As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

    The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

    When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

    Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

    Indulge and disconnect

    woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa
    Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

    Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

    The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

    Getting there

    kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island
    The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

    Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.