Where to spot crocodiles in and around Port Douglas

Carla Grossetti 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.

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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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Exploding supernovas & gold fever: discover the past at this outback Qld town

    Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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    Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

    While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

    Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

    Getting there

    car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland
    Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

    You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

    Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

    Best accommodation in Clermont

    Theresa CreekDam in clermont
    Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

    Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

    To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn .

    Things to do in Clermont

    three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting
    Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

    One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters , Four Mile , Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings . To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting . They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

    Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum . Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

    The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

    Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland
    See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

    Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services . Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

    Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs . The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

    Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

    meal at Commercial Hotel
    Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

    Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

    Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

    For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

    Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

    Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.