The Mossman Basin has an area of 479km2 with Mossman (~1,700 people) and Port Douglas (~3,200 people) being the major population centres. The basin consists of 76% natural/minimal use lands, 3% grazing, 10% sugarcane, 4% urban and 6% other land uses.

    Steep mountains and hills dominate the Mossman Basin, with a narrow coastal plain which has been cleared and developed with agriculture (predominantly sugarcane) and urban land uses.

    The Mossman Basin grade has remained ‘good’ in 2022-23 and the score increased from 69 in the previous year to 70.

    Key results

    • Water quality remained ‘good’ and improved from 64 in the previous year to 68.
    • Whilst dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) declined from ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’, sediment, comprised of the total suspended solids (TSS) indicator, 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.

    Further Information

    For a detailed breakdown of the results and trends, visit the results dashboard or read the methods and results technical reports.