General News
21 January, 2026
Mayor ‘confident’ about 2026
DOUGLAS Shire Mayor Lisa Scomazzon is confident 2026 will be a great year for the Shire.
“The community has been really banding together and helping each other out, which is fantastic,” she said.
Ms Scomazzon reflected on some of the positives of 2025 and the new year to come, while showing her appreciation for those individuals who make a difference in the community.
“The water park has been a great success story from last year. We’ve always got people commenting how great it is,” she said during an interview on Douglas FM.
“It’s great for both our community and tourists. There’s always heaps of children, grandparents, mums and dads having a great day. It has brought families together,” she said.
Ms Scomazzon said she was delighted that the well established website Booking.com had rated Port Douglas in the world’s top 10 of visitor destinations.
“That’s just fantastic, both Port Douglas and the Douglas Shire is an amazing location. People really enjoy coming here, so to me, it is no surprise that we are so highly rated,” she said.
Ms Scomazzon also expressed her delight with events just prior to the summer break.
“The Christmas Extravaganza at Mossman Showgrounds was just such a great success. We had choirs there, children singing, even Santa arriving in the helicopter,” she said.
“Before Christmas, we had the Mayor’s Christmas appeal with over 60 hampers delivered to families in need in our Shire. Also, the Mossman Pool Drive resulted in a huge number of toys being donated to children.”
Cr Scomazzon also welcomed the announcement of new acts for this year’s Savannah Sounds, at Rex Smeal Park, in May, including “some true Aussie acts”.
