Port Douglas is one of the easiest places in Australia to holiday with kids: a patrolled beach five minutes from everything, a brand-new splash park, wildlife you can feed, and the rainforest and reef on the doorstep. These are our 22 favourite things to do with kids, from free beach days to big adventures, with prices and age limits checked in October 2026.
Free · patrolled daily · stinger enclosure November to May
The beach starts at the end of Macrossan Street, so you’re never far from sand. Swim in the patrolled area at the northern end near the Surf Club, between the flags. From around November to May the council puts in a stinger enclosure, and stinger suits are a good idea for kids in those months. There are toilets, showers and barbecues nearby. Check Beachsafe for today’s patrol hours.
Free · all ages · behind the Surf Club
Opened in September 2025 at Jalunbu Park on Garrick Street, the splash park has a rainforest-meets-reef theme with three play zones. There’s no standing water, so it suits toddlers too, and it won Queensland’s top parks award in 2026. It’s right by Four Mile Beach, so a beach-and-splash morning is easy.
Free · accessible · pram and wheelchair boardwalk
The new playground, opened in July 2024 in shady Rex Smeal Park by the water, is designed for children of all abilities, with a boardwalk from the car park and toilets. The big fig trees give plenty of shade, and the Sunday markets are right next door.
Free · about 1.5 km · steps, so not for prams
A short walk from the northern end of Four Mile Beach around the headland to Rex Smeal Park, with a lookout over the beach towards Low Isles and Snapper Island. There are steps and uneven sections, so it’s best for kids who are happy walking, and early morning is the coolest time.
Free entry · Sundays 8am–1:30pm · Market Park, Wharf Street
Around 150 stalls of fresh fruit, food, crafts and local goods. Grab a fresh juice and some tropical fruit, then let the kids loose in the Rex Smeal Park playground next door. It gets busy in peak season, so go early with a pram.
Kids’ bikes from $22 for 4 hours · trailers and baby seats available
Port Douglas is flat and compact, and riding along the beach at low tide is a holiday highlight. Port Douglas Bike Shop & Hire on Warner Street has kids’ bikes, trailers and baby seats, with helmets and locks included, and even runs a kids’ treasure hunt.
$15 per person, $50 for a family of four · 10am–5pm · 2 and under free
You don’t need to be staying at BIG4 Port Douglas Glengarry Holiday Park in Craiglie to use its water park. Day passes include six waterslides, a big tipping bucket, a pool, a jumping pillow and a playground. Buy your wristbands at reception; no booking needed. Day passes aren’t sold on Easter Saturday and Sunday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day.
Adults $5, kids 6–12 $2, under 6 free · 15 minutes north
A great-value swim if the kids need a break from the beach, with a 50 m pool and a shaded toddler and wading pool. Mossman Pool is open weekdays 6am–7pm and weekends 8am–5pm.
Adult $50, child (4–14) $30, family $130 · 8am–4pm daily · entry valid for 5 days
Our top pick for families, and only five minutes from town. Wildlife Habitat has five habitats with elevated boardwalks, and kids can hand-feed kangaroos (buy roo food at reception), see koalas and cassowaries, and catch keeper talks throughout the day. Your ticket gets you back in for five days in a row, so you can split it into short visits around nap times.
Ages 4 and up · about 3.5 hours with pickup · 9am and 2pm daily
This is our own tour, and families love it. About 20 minutes north of Port Douglas, you walk up a crystal-clear stretch of the Mossman River with a local guide, swim in the pools, then float back down on a river sled under the rainforest canopy. Kids need to be at least 4 and comfortable in the water, and children under 7 wear a life jacket. Pickup from Port Douglas and Mossman is free, and our guides check the river every day before anyone gets in. See the River Drift Experience, or read about our river safety.
Shuttle: adult $15.50, child $7.75, family $38.75 · boardwalk suits prams
Mossman Gorge, 20 minutes north, is Eastern Kuku Yalanji Country. Park at the Mossman Gorge Centre and take the shuttle (every 15 minutes, 8am to 5pm; under 5s ride free). The Baral Marrjanga boardwalk is a flat 660 m return that suits prams and wheelchairs, and the Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk with a Kuku Yalanji guide is a wonderful way for kids to learn about Country (adult $105, child $53, under 5s free). It’s a popular spot for a swim, but the river can rise quickly, so check the conditions and the signs, and keep kids close and out of the water if it’s high or fast. Our Mossman Gorge guide has all the details.
Half day $190, full day $245 per person · pickup included · small groups of 2–11
Local Aboriginal guide Juan Walker’s Walkabout Cultural Adventures is 100% Aboriginal owned, and takes small groups onto Kuku Yalanji Country around Mossman, Mossman Gorge and the beaches and mangroves of the southern Daintree. Kids love tasting bush tucker, learning how plants are used for food and medicine, and having a go at throwing a spear or boomerang, and if you’re lucky you might catch a mud crab. Pickup from Port Douglas, Mossman and Daintree Village is included. Children pay the adult price, and activities depend on the tide and season.
We also team up with Walkabout for one of our private tours: a morning on Country with a local Aboriginal guide, lunch in Mossman and a private River Drift. See our private tours.
Cross the Daintree River on the cable ferry, climb the canopy tower at the Daintree Discovery Centre, try the fruit ice cream and walk the boardwalks at Cape Tribulation. Our Daintree with kids guide has everything you need to plan it.
Wavedancer: adult $276, child (4–14) $148, family $710 · under 4s free
A small coral cay off Port Douglas, with calm, shallow snorkelling straight off the beach, turtles, a lighthouse and marine biologists on board. It’s the gentlest reef day for young kids. Wavedancer has child-size snorkel gear, flotation aids and lycra suits for all ages, and Sailaway‘s full-day trip on a sailing catamaran is suitable for all ages too.
Quicksilver: adult $338, child (4–14) $179, family $864 · plus a fuel surcharge
For older kids keen to see the outer reef, Quicksilver runs to a big pontoon at Agincourt Reef with a semi-submarine and free kids’ snorkel gear and buoyancy vests. Prams are fine on board, and kids 12 and over can try an introductory dive. Wavelength’s snorkel trips are a great option for confident swimmers aged 6 and up.
From $63 an hour, 2-hour minimum · no licence needed
Port Douglas Boat Hire has stable, covered pontoon boats you can drive yourself from the marina, with safety gear supplied and fishing rods to hire. Pack a picnic and cruise the calm waterways of Dickson Inlet.
$75 per person · ages 2 and up · daily 5–6:30pm
Sail out of the marina on a traditional Chinese junk for the sunset, with yum cha canapés included. Shaolin welcomes children aged 2 and up with supervision, and infants under 2 sail free.
Saturday 22 May 2027 · 9am–3pm · Four Mile Beach
If you’re here in late May, don’t miss Port Douglas Carnivale. The main weekend in 2027 is 21–23 May, starting with the Macrossan Street parade on the Friday afternoon, and the Family Beach Day on Four Mile Beach has sandcastle competitions, treasure hunts and games.
Adult $50, child (4–15) $25, family $125 · 8:30am–5pm · 25 minutes south of Port Douglas
Halfway between Cairns and Port Douglas, Hartley’s breaks up the drive nicely. Your ticket includes a short lagoon boat cruise and the day’s shows, and it’s valid for three days. In the school holidays there’s a kids’ activity at 1pm.
Adult $61, child (3–14) $35, family $173 · 9:30am–3:30pm daily
A brilliant rainy-day option in the middle of Cairns, with reef and rainforest exhibits, a touch tank and free talks through the day. Allow about two hours, and add the turtle hospital tour if your kids love turtles. Cairns Aquarium is fully accessible.
Free · lifeguards on duty at the lagoon
Cairns’ big saltwater lagoon on the Esplanade has lifeguards on duty, and Muddy’s Playground at the northern end has water play, a flying fox, rope bridges and an all-abilities swing, with a cafe right there. The lagoon opens 6am–9pm (from noon on Wednesdays), and Muddy’s is open 9am–7pm.
The Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail are classic family days, but check before you book. Skyrail is part-way through an $85 million upgrade: until 1 November 2026 only a Kuranda to Barron Falls loop runs, Wednesday to Sunday; from November 2026 to June 2027 the full trip between Smithfield and Kuranda runs; and from July to November 2027 only Smithfield to Red Peak return trips run. The railway has planned maintenance closures from 2 to 6 November 2026, 10 to 14 May 2027 and 7 to 11 June 2027.
Our River Drift Experience is a family favourite for kids aged 4 and up, and our Mossman Gorge Adventure Day (ages 5 and up) adds a guided gorge walk, lunch and a smoking ceremony. Or let us plan a private day around your family, with your own guide and vehicle.
Yes. It’s small, flat and easy to get around, with a patrolled beach, a free splash park and playgrounds in town, wildlife parks, and the reef and rainforest close by. Most family activities are within 20 minutes.
Four Mile Beach, the Port Douglas Splash Park, the Rex Smeal Park playground, the Flagstaff Hill walk and the Sunday markets are all free.
Yes, in the patrolled area near the Surf Club, between the flags. From around November to May, swim inside the stinger enclosure and wear a stinger suit.
Kids need to be at least 4 and comfortable in the water, and children under 7 wear a life jacket. The Mossman Gorge Adventure Day is for ages 5 and up. When the river is higher, the tour suits confident swimmers only, and we’ll contact you if conditions change.
Low Isles is the gentlest option, with calm, shallow snorkelling off the beach and kids’ gear supplied. For the outer reef, a pontoon trip like Quicksilver suits families, with a semi-submarine and free kids’ snorkel gear.
Wildlife Habitat (with five-day entry), the Daintree Discovery Centre and the Cairns Aquarium are all great on a rainy day, and the Mossman Pool and BIG4 water park are fun in light showers.
Mostly. Macrossan Street, the Rex Smeal Park boardwalk and the Baral Marrjanga boardwalk at Mossman Gorge all suit prams, and Wildlife Habitat hires strollers. Flagstaff Hill and the beach and mangrove walks don’t.
