Port Douglas is located on the coast 68km north of Cairns.

Mossman is inland of Port Douglas and is the administrative centre for the region. Up to 80 per cent of the Shire is World Heritage Listed. The Daintree to Cape Tribulation and Bloomfield River encompasses some of the most pristine and unique rainforest in the world.

The region is a popular destination for domestic and international visitors who experience the wonders of the Daintree rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

Port Douglas became a popular tourist destination for international visitors with the opening of the Sheraton Mirage Resort in 1988. Tourism is now the largest industry in the region, due largely to proximity of the World Heritage listed Daintree rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. Port Douglas has a busy marina with many tourist boats departing for the Great Barrier Reef. It is also the closest departure point for a visit to Low Isles.

Douglas LMAC region

The Douglas LMAC represents the area extending from Obree Point in the north to Buchan Point in the south and includes the towns of Port Douglas, Mossman and Daintree Village.

Who is represented on the Douglas LMAC?

Members of the Douglas LMAC represent a diversity of interest groups including: regional dive operators, long range operators, Low Isles Preservation Society, Agforce, charter fishers, cane growers, recreational fishing interests and local council. Government officers from the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management and Primary Industries and Fisheries and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) are also represented on the committee.

What are some of the current issues the LMAC is concerned about?

• Decline in local grey mackerel stocks
  
• Water Quality in Dickson's Inlet
  
• Reef Guardian Schools program
• Foreshore redevelopment
• Management of Low Isles
• Compliance and self-regulation
• Vessel sewage disposal
• Sustainable recreational fishing practices
  

What the LMAC has accomplished?

• Supported barotrauma project with local tackle shops
• Raised public awareness on local Queensland grouper deaths
• Sponsored surveys of Port Douglas fishing tournament
• Supported International Year of the Reef festival in Port Douglas
• Organised popular Reef Forums led by scientific experts
  

Further information about LMACs

For further information on Local Marine Advisory Committees, please contact:

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Far Northern Regional Office
PO Box 6091
CAIRNS   QLD   4870

Tel:  (07) 4057 0700
Fax: (07) 4051 9866

Email: far.northern.region@gbrmpa.gov.au