| 1770 |
Captain Cook passed the
coastline heading north. His ship the ‘Endeavour’ struck
the Great Barrier Reef and was beached at Cooktown for
repairs. |
| 1873 |
Palmer River Gold Rush |
| 1876 |
James Venture Mulligan
discovered new goldfields on the Hodgkinson River but
access was difficult. Christy Palmerston and William
Little set out to discover a route. A track was planned
and ships began to arrive into what we now know as Port
Douglas. |
| 1877 |
Cooktown businessmen
established branch offices in Port Douglas and a wharf
and stores were erected. On 6th September the ‘Bump
Road’ was opened which provided access to the
goldfields, tin and copper mines and the growing
pastoral industry. The Bump Road ran from Port Douglas
to Molloy.
In October, the town of Port Douglas was surveyed by Mr.
F. Warner. During November, the Hon J. R. Dickson, Hon
C.S. Mein and John Macrossan M.L.A., visited and brought
official notification from the Queensland Government
that the area was to be named Port Douglas after the
then current Premier of Queensland. The inlet was to be
called Dickson Inlet.
The first mail was dispatched and businesses transferred
from the Smithfield area (Cairns) in December. |
| 1878 |
More businesses moved from the
Cairns area to Port Douglas, including several
Government offices and Banks. A Road Board was
established and improvements made to the Bump Road.
Craiglie set up as a Packers and Tramsters village.
Farms became established growing bananas, corn, rice,
sweet potatoes, yams and pumpkins. |
| 1880 |
Queensland Parliament Act to
set up local government. Don Hart, a native of Jamaica
had settled on the Mossman River in 1878, the second
resident was Thomas Wilson who grew corn, fodder, fruit,
dairy cattle and experimented with sugar. |
| 1882 |
Opening of tin mine at
Herberton district and growth in cutting of timber
(cedar). In July, Messrs. Murphy and MacDonald
established a coach service from Port Douglas and in
September Cobb and Co. began operating. The number of
Hotels in Port Douglas grew to fourteen. |
| 1883 |
A Sugar Mill is erected in the
Mossman area by a wealthy Melbourne investor, Mrs.
Parker, which was not successful. |
| 1884 |
Mining communities requested a
railway connection. Cairns and Geraldton, by now well
established, due to the sugar industry, and Port
Douglas, vied for the rail link. |
| 1885 |
The Government announced in
favour of Cairns and this killed any further development
of Port Douglas. |
| 1896 |
Tick Fever, or Redwater,
appeared in cattle herds of the district and the farmers
turned to cane. |
| 1897 |
The Mill commenced receiving
and crushing sugar on the Mossman River. |
| 1899 |
The Sugar Milling Co. commenced
rail passenger service from Mossman to South Mossman, a
distance of 2 1/2 miles. |
| 1900 |
Government grant of 22,000
Pounds to build extension to the rail line. The line ran
to a small wharf in Port Douglas provided by the
Council. The Sugar Mill provided rolling stock and
locomotive and the line was used for transporting
freight and passengers. |
| 1901 |
The Shire Council provided a
locomotive and two passenger cars for the rail service
which increased to two return services each day, Mossman
to Port Douglas. The population of Port Douglas grew to
331 with 6,000 in the district. |
| 1904 |
Despite a dwindling population,
the town still had an extensive range of businesses,
Government and Local Government plus banks and places of
worship. |
| 1911 |
16th March. A cyclone razed
Port Douglas and surrounding countryside. Two people
were killed. Within twenty four hours, sixteen inches of
rain fell. |
| 1914 |
Population 250. |
| 1920 |
Business centre began to move
to Mossman. |
| 1927 |
One hundred and forty eight
cane growers in the Mossman area. |
| 1933 |
Opening of the Cook Highway
along the coast between Cairns and Port Douglas. |
| 1935 |
Passenger rail service between
Port Douglas and Mossman discontinued. |
| WWII |
A bomb was dropped eight miles
north of Mossman. Due to the shortage of labour, most
farmers were forced to abandon dairying. Many turned to
cattle fattening and stud farming. |
| 1958 |
Last rail transportation of
sugar to the wharf in Port Douglas. The cargo is sent
via road to Cairns. |
| 1972 |
Port Douglas reverts to a
sleepy fishing village and to a certain extent becomes
the forgotten gem of the north. |
