Still calling Douglas home with four decades of stories

Shaun Hollis

Journalist

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The Shaolin junk ship would have some stories to tell if she could talk. Picture: Shaolin
Shaolin skipper Richard talking about the history of the ship. Picture: Shaun Hollis

Have you ever wondered how a Chinese junk ship has ended up ferrying tourists around the picturesque beaches of Port Douglas?

The Shaolin has been doing just that for about the past 40 years - except for the years after she was sunk by a cyclone and then rebuilt - but many have not heard the rich history of how the iconic vessel made it to Far North Queensland.

Built in Hong Kong in 1969 as a replica of a traditional Chinese boat, the Shaolin first arrived in Port Douglas in the mid 1980s after the widow of the previous US owner sold it to a local man called Broomhall.

“About that time Port Douglas was starting to become more tourism-centric,” Shaolin skipper Richard tells a captive audience of tourists as he ferries them out along Four Mile Beach, while looking as relaxed as the speed of the ship.

I have taken my 18-year-old daughter, who is visiting from interstate, on a Shaolin sunset tour so she can see some more of the sights of the region.

“That was about the same time that Chris Skase built the Sheraton, the Mirage Country Club, the resort and the marina,” he says.

“The boat’s been up here ever since, except for a short stint.”

The time the junk was not floating atop the ideal seas of FNQ was when she was sunk by Cyclone Yasi in 2011.

The former owner made the fatal error of leaving two portholes open when the cyclone hit while she was tied at Dickson’s Inlet, Captain Richard says.

“It sank up the estuary,” he says.

“During cyclones, the Cairns harbourmaster, that’s our harbourmaster, will order an evacuation of the marina.

“The owner at the time had a brilliant idea, so he got into a spot where he could tie it to both sides, but how he did it wasn’t a good idea.”

The owner reportedly tied a rope through two open portholes to secure her better.

“You can imagine what two open portholes in a cyclone will do,” he says. 

“The boat filled with water and sank down into the mud.”

“It was brought back up, they had to hose all the mud out and it was fine.

“That was the one and only time it was sunk.”

After being refitted, the Shaolin spent a short stint in northern NSW before returning to Port Douglas, where she could continue with her rich history of hosting locals and tourists alike.

For example, in the 1980s I Still Call Australia Home singer Peter Allen famously entertained guests at some of the parties onboard.

As my daughter and I watch the sun go down behind cloud-shrouded hills above the marina, we can almost hear the dulcet tones of Peter echoing up the estuary, calling us home.

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