Hunter Douglas

Port Douglas and beaches are synonymous. It offers a unique experience to the tourists. Yes, it is far from the madding crowd. Here you can have your own little space, your own apartment or holiday house, your own tropical beach, and your own private dinner.

Perhaps, if you are in the mood to declare your lifelong devotion, you might plan your own lavish wedding – on a pristine beach, in a tropical rainforest, under water surrounded by corals, or up in the air.

It is not for nothing that Port Douglas is called the wedding capital in these parts of the world. Yet, close by Port Douglas lie other enticing places that you may visit if you are in need for variety. Today, we take you to a charming place not a terribly long drive from Port Douglas, called Lake Tinaroo.

So, very close to Port Douglas lie different charms which are otherwise equally attractive, one of them being Lake Tinaroo. A man-made reservoir created by the Barron dam, this huge lake provide opportunities for a dozen water sports and other activities, taking your aquatic adventures inland away from the well known coastline.

Tinaroo is the heart of the Atherton Tablelands now also known as the Cairns Highlands. The Tablelands is a huge plateau west of the coast, at an average height of about one kilometre. During prehistoric times volcanoes in this region were a little too active, but fortunately resulted in creation of the charming crater lakes on the Tablelands. Tinaroo, however, is a different story, as it’s man made, created by the plugging of the Barron River for a dam. The low-lying areas then filled up to create a huge reservoir called Lake Tinaroo.

Created during the mid-fifties, the Barron dam was a multipurpose dam, preventing flooding, providing drinking water supply, generating power (only since 2004) and providing the irrigation needs of an area covering more than 400 square kilometres. Of course, most multi-purpose dams do that; so what’s so special about Tinaroo? You have to see it to believe it! Tinaroo is a creature of developmental need that has turned into an object of beauty, a venue of real lakeside romance and adventure.

Tinaroo is the darling of the Tablelands. People come in groups, as couples, or alone to savor the multifarious beauty of this lake. It looks different at sunrise, daytime or sunset, in autumn or in summer, under a torrential rainfall or during the dry season. The still waters of the lake are the right recipe for sweet-water fishing, and anglers from near and far crowd here for some prized fish.

Here you can find the prized barramundi, black bream, mouth-almighty or the famous red-claw yabbies. Spread over more than 33 square kilometres, Tinaroo is also the theatre for a variety of water sports. Water skiing is hugely popular, although for safety reasons, it is held mainly in the far end of the lake, leaving the main sections for swimmers, sail and paddle boating, and others. Although windsurfing has waned a little during recent years, the fluctuating winds reflecting off the mountains, and the huge placid expanse of the lake, make it ideal for such pursuits.