A journey back in time: Newsport reader shares memories of Port Douglas in 1950

NOSTALGIC TALES

Jamie Jansen

Journalist

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Left: James Murdoch and his brother Peter Murdoch near the tank stand. Picture: James Murdoch

In the heart of Port Douglas today, with its lively streets and bustling scene, it's easy to forget that our thriving town was once just a small fishing village with only two buildings and about a hundred people.

Meet James Murdoch, a Newsport reader, who takes us on a delightful trip down memory lane. 

Travelling back to the year 1950, young Mr Murdoch and his family bid farewell to their home in Collaroy, NSW, and embarked on a new chapter in Port Douglas.

Mr Murdoch’s father, the harbour master, oversaw the harbour's activities, while James himself was a wide-eyed 10-year-old, experiencing the world in all its innocence.

“I recall arriving by train in Cairns,” Mr Murdoch said. “When we got to Port Douglas, things looked very different. The town wasn't fancy at all back then.”

Nothing fancy

Their initial nights in Port Douglas were spent at The Central Hotel, owned by Mrs Peasley, fondly referred to as MA. 

It was here that the Murdochs temporarily settled until the completion of the M.M. Cottage beside the lighthouse. 

The transition was a shock for Mr Murdoch’s mother, who went from the modern comforts of electricity and running water to pressure lanterns and water tanks. Their concrete washing bowls served as a substitute for the familiar bath.

It was not until 13 April 1957 that electricity was switched on in Port Douglas.

“The main street was nothing more than dirt, and there was just a single store with only one browser for petrol,” Mr Murdoch recalls.

“This gravity unit required hand pumping fuel into a glass tank set at a specific level, before transferring it into your car's tank.”

Unique memories

Mr Murdoch has some interesting stories to tell about his past. 

Like the time when they had to change the gas bottle for the lighthouse, and the whole school got a day off. 

“The kids had a blast riding on an ex-army duck from the beach to a ship and back,” he recalls.

“I also remember catching baby carpet snakes and putting them on the teacher's desk. Or that time I was locked in the police cell so that my father and the local police sergeant could have a few beers or more. My mother must have been frantic.

“Wild horses, called ‘brumbies’, were very numerous up on the headland and I would try and catch one using a bread crust and string.

“My father had said stop or I will lock you up. What a challenge! Just to say I didn't catch the brumbie and the lock up followed. 

“Evidently I had been forgotten. When they found me the following morning hungry and tired, I received a belting. You can guess my mother was devastated. It did not cure my intent to catch a brimbie or even another belting.”

Following a direction they received from The Queensland Maritime service Board in 1953, Mr Murdoch and his family moved to Facing Island Gladstone. Mr Murdoch’s experiences in Port Douglas stayed with him throughout his lifetime.

 

Left: James Murdoch with his brothers on the Sugar Wharf, getting paid a penny a truck to push them off the wharf. Right: Looking at the lighthouse and cottage from the ocean. Picture: James Murdoch
Right: Outside the cottage with mother, father, MA Peasley, James and Peter.
Left ; Old sugar locomotif in the park near the wharf. Right: Outside the Central Hotel. Picture: James Murdoch

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