Ode to 1960s seaside town Debut novel offers fascinating insight to coastal life more than 60 years ago

l PORT

Douglas

| Isabella Guzman Gonzalez

PORT Douglas-born author and poet Sandra McCallum has put her fascinating life to paper with her first novel, The Kid from Port Douglas.

In her first autobiographic novel, Ms McCallum brings audiences into the Port Douglas of the 60s to tell the tale of her family heritage and her adventures as a child and teenager in the shire.

“It’s taken me seven years to write this book,” she said. “And it got to the point where I could no longer not write the book.

“It starts with my grandmother being born in Port Douglas in 1902, and her father was the editor and part owner of the Port Douglas and Mossman Gazette.

“He fought for the railway line to be put into Port Douglas so that sugar could be shipped into town. It added new life to the town after its demise following the huge boom of the 1800s with the Palmer River gold rush, and my great-grandfather was a part of that.”

Ms McCallum’s father would arrive in Port Douglas in 1966, where they would take ownership of an iconic local restaurant that would be the setting of her childhood adventures and misfortunes.

“We took a lease on the Nau- tilus, a very iconic, beautiful restaurant on the hill,” she said.

“We were there for two years. After the restaurant went bust, they bought a shop opposite the sugar wharf and turned it into a restaurant, the Catalina, where I spent all my life until I left home and joined the navy when I was 17.”

Ms McCallum said that what made The Kid from Port Douglas a must-read went beyond her stories. It would appeal to history enthusiasts and locals whose families had been in the shire for generations.

“The book’s got a lot of Port Douglas history,” she said.

“They can read about the people that first came to town, what they did, when they left. Iconic people from Port Douglas, I’ve blurred their names, but people who were there at the time will know who they are. “The book also goes through my life after I left Port Douglas and joined the navy and went overseas and worked in London for Arabs.

It’s just an interesting read.”

It covers her reign as Miss Mossman in 1976, to joining the

New road links two suburbs

l NORTHERN BEACHES

A NEW road connecting two of Cairns’ northern beaches has opened to traffic more than two months ahead of schedule.

The $6 million project to extend Miami Rd, connecting Kewarra Beach and Trinity Beach, started in May 2022 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of June this year.

Division 9 Councillor Brett Olds said the new road would greatly improve safety for residents and reduce congestion on the Captain Cook Highway.

“A link between the two beaches was essential and council considered various options and undertook extensive community consultation before landing on the current route,” he said.

“The road provides a vital link between the two suburbs and a more flexible and efficient local network for all road users.

navy at 17, and becoming a reality tv star.

The Kid from Port Douglas has no shortage of funny and dramatic stories that tell a coming-of-age tale of Ms McCallum and the town that raised her.

The Kid from Port Douglas can be bought online or at Cairns Books in Cairns Central shopping centre.

“Importantly, it makes it safer for children to ride between the suburbs and provides a critical second entry/exit route for Kewarra Beach residents. The project included an upgrade of street lighting along Miami Rd and at the intersections with Poolwood Rd and Trinity Beach Rd, a new roundabout at Miami Rd/Poolwood Rd, and landscaping and tree plantings.