Port Douglas, Australia

About Port Douglas

Port Douglas sits where two World Heritage sites meet — the Great Barrier Reef offshore and the Daintree rainforest behind — and the trade winds that blow through the Queensland dry season make it a kitesurfing destination as well as a diving one.

The season runs April through October, peaking in the southern winter, with August usually the strongest and most consistent month. Trades average 12 to 18 knots on a normal day and gust past 25 around the Low Isles. Expect sixteen to twenty windy days a month from April to September, easing to about fourteen from October to December.

Four Mile Beach is the spot: shallow, knee-deep water for thirty to forty metres offshore, and a beach wide enough at low tide to give plenty of room for launching and landing. The water is mostly flat, with swell building as the wind does, and it suits every level and discipline.

Three hazards need naming. Box jellyfish season runs November to May — stinger suits are recommended and the main beaches are netted at the peak. Saltwater crocodiles live around the Daintree and Mowbray river mouths, particularly September to April, so the open beaches are where you ride. And stingrays are common on the sand: shuffle your feet.

When to go

Best months: May, June, July, August, September, October.

Kite areas

1 distinct riding area documented within this destination.

• Port Douglas

  Best months: May, June, July, August, September, October.