Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
served with lotus root and bean shoot salad, sweet chile sauce, and steamed rice
or yellowfin tuna poached in broth with tofu, Vietnamese mint, cilantro, chile,
and Nori tempura oysters. Or you may prefer to go for the fresh mud crab, bar-
ramundi, or one of the many choices for non-seafood eaters.
17 Murphy St. (entry also from Macrossan St.), Port Douglas.
&
07/4099 5330.
www.nautilus-restaurant.
com.au. Reservations recommended. Main courses A$26-A$38 (US$17-US$25). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily
6:30-10:30pm or until the last diners leave. Closed Feb.
Port O' Call Bistro
CAFE/BISTRO Locals patronize this poolside bistro
and bar at the Port O' Call Lodge (p. 298) almost as often as guests do, because
it offers good, honest food like lamb shanks and steaks in hearty portions at
painless prices. The atmosphere is fun and friendly. Tuesday is curry night, and
if it's Sunday, there's a roast. Every night you can try one of the “chef 's black-
board surprises,” including local seafood. Kids' meals are all A$6 (US$3.90), and
there are burgers, nachos, and pastas to appeal to everyone.
Port St. at Craven Close.
&
07/4099 5422.
Main courses A$7.50-A$14 (US$4.90-US$9). MC, V. Daily
6-9pm. Happy hour 5-7pm. Bar opens 4pm.
Salsa Bar & Grill
MODERN/TROPICAL This trendy restaurant,
in its lovely timber Queenslander with wrap-around verandas, has terrific food,
great value prices, and lively, fun service. Open for brunch, lunch, or dinner,
here you can choose between the simplest of fare such as gnocchi, Caesar salad,
or fantastic spring rolls, or such mouth-watering delights as sand crab panna
cotta or panfried Atlantic salmon with pickled ginger, coriander mash, and green
papaya salad. Even if you usually resist dessert, don't. The buttermilk and
almond nougat panna cotta is to-die-for, and the chocolate Cointreau soufflé is
a must. On Sundays there's a salsa band and the place really gets jumping.
26 Wharf St. (at Warner St.).
&
07/4099 4922.
www.salsa-port-douglas.com.au. Reservations essential.
Main courses A$20-A$25 (US$13-US$17). AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 8am-midnight.
Kids
Kids
4 The North Coast: Mission Beach
™
, Townsville
& the Islands
For years the lovely town of
Mission Beach
was a well-kept secret. Farmers
retired here; then those who liked to drop out and chill out discovered it; today,
it's a small, prosperous and stunningly pretty rainforest town. The beach here is
one of the most beautiful in Australia, a long white strip fringed with dense tan-
gled vine forests, the only surviving lowlands rainforest in the Australian trop-
ics. It is also one of the least crowded and least spoiled, so clever has
Mission
Beach
been at staying out of sight, out of mind, and off the tourist trail.
The nearby
Tully River
is white-water-rafting heaven for thrill-seekers. You
can also bungee jump and tandem sky dive when you're not rushing down the
rapids, flanked by lush rainforest.
From Mission Beach it's a short ferry ride to
Dunk Island,
a large resort
island that welcomes day-trippers. You can even sea kayak there from the main-
land. Mission Beach is closer to the Great Barrier Reef than any other point
along the coast—just an hour—and cruise boats depart daily from the jetty,
stopping en route at Dunk Island.
A few hours' drive south brings you to the city of
Townsville,
also a gateway
to the Great Barrier Reef, but more important to visitors as a gateway to
Magnetic Island, a picturesque, laid-back haven for hikers and watersports
enthusiasts.
