Dickson Inlet

The area of the Dickson Inlet estuary reporting zone can be defined by the pre-cleared extent of mangrove and saltmarsh remnant vegetation which is characterised by species that require periodic inundation of sea water.

This area extends approximately 6.5 km north-east and 3.5 km south of the inlet mouth along the coastline and extends approximately 3.3 km inland. The area includes several coastal tributaries that drain into the Inlet.

Land use within the Dickson Inlet estuary area is dominated by residential and tourism service developments. There is a marina located within the Inlet.

The town of Port Douglas (population 3,205) is located within the estuary area and is a major tourism centre which attracts many national and international visitors each year.

The Dickson Inlet estuary grade has remained ‘good’ in 2022-23 and the score increased slightly from 68 to 69 since the previous year.

Key results

• The water quality grade for Dickson Inlet remained ‘good’ and the score increased slightly from 71 to 72, although several indicators changed substantially since the previous year.
• Dissolved oxygen remained ‘moderate’ and decreased in score from 59 to 54. 
• Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) declined from ‘good’ to ‘moderate’.
• Chlorophyll a improved from ‘good’ to ‘very good’.

The diagram below shows the detailed results for each indicator by year. Click on the timeslider to see data from previous years.