Thala Beach Nature Reserve

Arrival at Thala means a walk down through rainforest before the Coral Sea appears below a private headland near Port Douglas. The reserve covers 145 acres, once a sugar cane plantation, replanted by its founders into eucalypt woodland, vine thicket forest and mangrove since the 1970s. Seventy-five bungalows and suites sit at different heights on the slope. Jungle Walk Bungalows sit at the foot of the headland among dense green cover. Eucalypt Bungalows climb higher, with views filtered through the canopy. Coral Sea Bungalows take the top of the ridge, facing open water and coastline. Each bungalow runs to 45 square metres including its balcony, with a separate bath and walk-in shower inside. The Sandpiper Suite sits just metres from the sand, with its own lookout reached by a short track. Two pools, left unheated to sit easily within the surrounding bush, offer a cooler alternative to the sea. Guests can walk the tracks alone or join a ranger for a nature walk, a coconut plantation tour, or a night of stargazing from the on-site observatory. Wallabies, lace monitor lizards and close to 200 recorded bird species move through the grounds, a return born of decades of tree planting. Osprey's Restaurant looks out over the Coral Sea for breakfast through to dinner. Port Douglas is a fifteen-minute drive away.