Face your fears or explore ancient ecosystems in the newly crowned nature and adventure capital: Port Douglas.

Tipping the scales at 500 kilograms, Goliath could take me out with a yawn. But here I am, snorkel mask secured, as the world’s largest living reptile snaps up a chicken carcass just centimetres from my face. The estuarine crocodile suddenly slows to devour. His stumpy legs soften and his arms sway like a tempo-soothing conductor. With two palms against the Perspex sheet separating us, I’m overcome with affection.

Wildlife Habitat’s ‘Swim with the Salties’ in Port Douglas, Australia’s newly crowned nature and adventure capital, is the only thrill of its kind in Queensland, schooling guests in the unappreciated balletic qualities of saltwater crocodiles. But over the following days, I learn that Port Douglas — about 66 kilometres north of Cairns — cascades with heart-stopping moments to rival a dip with Goliath.

A tropical paradise sandwiched between the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, this top town offers an incomparable bush-to-beach adventure, which is why it won the title of Australia’s best town for nature and adventure – and second-best town overall –in Australian Traveller’s 100 best Aussie towns to visit list.

Port Douglas’ most unique rainforest experiences

Once you’ve ticked Goliath off your list, there’s profound storytelling in the Daintree’s Mossman Gorge to tune into. The trail-filled portion of the World Heritage-listed Daintree, one of the most biodiverse tropical rainforests on earth, is accessible via the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre.

I join one of the centre’s daily Dreamtime Walks. I’m guided by Levi, who initiates a traditional smoking ceremony to fend off bad spirits before sharing creation stories of the Kuku Yalanji land.

As the 1.5-hour tour weaves through red cedar trees, sweet sarsaparilla leaves and ochre pigment, Levi decodes hidden bush medicine characteristics to enlighten our surroundings. The experience wraps with scones and tea, before a bus transports guests back to the centre.

FNQ Nature Tours also runs tours that hop between the rainforest and the reef, including private charters led by naturalists who tailor itineraries to your flora and fauna hit list. I’m picked up from my hotel at 8am by Gavin, who politely gathers my interests (more crocodiles and other wildlife, I tell him) as we head off. We jump aboard a Solar Whisper crocodile tour of the Daintree River (currently only partially operating as boats recover from March’s Cyclone Narelle) to spy two baby crocodiles sunbaking on branches.

By the end of the day, I’ve also seen two snakes, a sacred kingfisher, a colony of flying foxes, barramundi, a water-spurting archer fish, and ice cream made from the locally cultivated yellow sapote fruit. Gavin is passionate, poised to share his knowledge at every turn. “Evolutionary processes in the Daintree, where the strongest survive to pass their genetics on, are still going on after 100 million years," he raves. “The Daintree is a living biological warehouse the planet is so special to have."

Port Douglas’ most unique Great Barrier Reef experiences

There are multiple gateways to the Great Barrier Reef, but Port Douglas is the only place to uncover the environmental game-changer that is The Forever Reef Project.

Based at the town’s Superyacht Marina, within walking distance from the centre of town, “coral mum" Shania and the team have taken living specimens of more than 200 coral species (did you know they’re animals and not plant-like structures?), built ideal habitats to help them thrive, and, in turn, are extending the reef’s phenomenal biodiversity into the future.

On a purely aesthetic level, peering into the project’s meticulously monitored tanks offers a rare, rainbow-hued window into the reef’s treasures, forming the world’s largest living structure. One-hour tours run daily, and Shania’s enthusiasm is contagious.

No trip to Port Douglas is complete without visiting the reef, as this town offers high-speed boat access to the famously vivid Agincourt Reef. This visit, however, I hop on a full-day snorkelling tour with Sailaway tours to experience the Outer Great Barrier Reef, which is its easternmost point.

Travelling via a 25-metre catamaran, it’s a glamorous way to reach the spectacular Clam Gardens dive site, where I audibly gasp over the gargantuan, Little Mermaid-reminiscent scale of its residents. My day also includes a wander around the flawless Mackay Coral Cay sand island, plus a generous lunch and snacks.

Nature-drenched stays in Port Douglas

From the exclusive 40-room Silky Oaks Lodge to the Big4 Port Douglas Glengarry Holiday Park, there’s accommodation for every budget. I’m a repeat customer at Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas, which is one of the best accommodation picks for families, thanks to an on-site kids’ club, sprawling swimming pools (they feel endless), comfortable cabanas and spacious rooms. Some are even fitted with swim-out patios to keep outdoor escapades flowing from the comfort of your suite.

Where to find the best Port Douglas meals

Refuelling daily adventure is done in style in Port Douglas, a town renowned for its energetic village centre. Harrisons Restaurant, within the Sheraton, is a standout as the duo who run it — Michelin-starred Spencer Patrick and wife Reina — are culinary superstars. The annual Taste Port Douglas food festival is their brainchild, and beyond that, Harrisons’ dishes are locally driven and beautifully plated.

There’s also Seabean Tapas Bar Restaurant with buzzy curb-side seating. Expect authentic pintxos (itty-bitty tapas dishes) and a standout crème brulee inside a half-coconut, dusted with roasted and candied coconut slivers. A delicious way to showcase Tropical North Queensland’s sublime natural beauty? It’s what Port Douglas does best.

How we chose the winners

Australian Traveller’s 100 best Aussie towns to visit were selected by a voting panel of much-loved Australians, industry experts and category authorities from across the country. The expert panel consisting of 15 travel experts, including the likes of Accor’s Adrian Williams, Ernie Dingo and Catriona Rowntree. Port Douglas was voted ‘Best Town for Nature and Adventure’ and came second overall in ‘Best 100 towns’ in Australia.

Here is the shortlist of what not to miss in Port Douglas

• For rainforest immersion: Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre’s Dreamtime Walk
• For wildlife enlightenment: FNQ Nature Tours
• For adrenaline junkies: Wildlife Habitat’s ‘Swim with the Salties’
• For reef education: The Forever Reef Project
• For crocodile spotting: Solar Whisper Eco Tours