Cooktown

Introduction

On the coast of the Coral Sea in the state of Queensland. Cooktown, which is across from the Great Barrier Reef, is a tourist destination. It also serves as a center for the surrounding agricultural area. 
The town has a small airstrip and a port and lies off the Peninsula Development Road connecting Cairns with Cape York. 
Cooktown is home to several museums, including the James Cook Museum, which has several historical items from the voyages of British explorer Captain James Cook. Cook beached his ship Endeavour at the site of Cooktown in 1770 after it had been damaged on the Great Barrier Reef. Cook and his crew were on peaceful terms with local Aborigines, and British naturalist Joseph Banks (later Sir Joseph) collected many samples, which he included in his writings on native plants and animals. In 1873 gold was discovered in the Palmer River and Cooktown, named for Cook, was founded nearby to serve the rush. Thirty thousand miners, many of them Chinese, flocked to the town and nearby Port Douglas. Cooktown declined after the boom.

Attractions

• Visitors have a selection of sight seeing menus from Grassy Hill which Captain Cook climbed to find a clear passage through the reef 

• The James Cook Museum, a statuesque convent building built in the 1880's and housing the actual anchor and cannon Cook had to jettison in order to refloat the Endeavour off the reef. The building was also used by American Forces during the war during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

• There's also the Botanical Gardens first planned and built in the 1880's

• The cemetery with Mrs. Watson's grave and the Chinese Shrine.

Activities

• Visit eerie Black Mountain, a place of weird smells, loose boulders, alive with snakes and goblins - many visit, few only return. 

• From Cooktown many guided safaris leave daily to explore National Parks, nearby Islands and Reefs. 

• This is heaven for the adventurous 4WD enthusiast. While camping out near beautiful waterfalls, quaint billabongs and rivers always be careful and watch out for crocodiles. 

• Fishing is also a popular past-time in the area, Beach Fishing, Deep Sea Fishing, Estuary Fishing, Reef Fishing and River Fishing are all catered for. 

• Adventure sports such as Bungy Jumping, Canoeing, Diving, Snorkeling, Swimming, Water Skiing, White Water Rafting and Wind Surfing are all enjoyed by visitors 

• If you prefer leisure activities, there is Beachcombing, Bird watching, Bush camping, Bush walking, Croc Spotting, Horse Riding and Hiking as well as, Island Cruises, Reef Cruises, River Cruises.

Cooktown was settled by Captain Cook in 1770 when the Endeavour boat was beached here, and is where Joseph Banks gathered 186 different species of Australian plantlife along the Endeavour River. Cooktown grew to the second largest town in Queensland after the Palmer River Gold Rush, although WWII and various cyclones almost destroyed Cooktown.

Webber Esplanade is to the north of the town and starts at the tip of Grassy Peak, where you will find the Powder Magazine which is the oldest brick building in Far North Queensland. There is a great view from the headland as well as from the top of the hill and it makes a pleasant walk back towards town, along the Endeavour River. Once in town, the road turns into Charlotte Street and is where you will find a bank, some cafes and restaurants, many shops, a post office and several pubs. There are also some memorials and monuments along Charlotte Street, for Captain Cook and other explorers.

You can find out about the area at the Cooktown Museum and the wonderful James Cook Historical Museum. There is also a good display in the window of Jackey Jackey. Another great place to visit is the Mt Cook National Park, and well worth the climb nearby Mt Cook. The walk to the top takes and back down again takes about 3 hours, although the views are fantastic.

Cooktown is also a great place from where to explore the surrounding National Parks, with a variety of different tours offered. Around the town you can cruise along the river with Cooktown Cruises Ph: 4069 5712. Heading further afield, you can visit the Black Mountain National Park, Coloured Sands and Lakefield National Park with Cooktown Tours Ph: 4069 5125.

There are several places to stay around the town, with a few campsites, and several guest houses, motels and hostels. There are also some good places to eat out. If you didn't fancy the drive from Cairns to Cooktown, then you can either hop on a Transtate Airlines flight Ph: 13 1528, or catch one of the Coral Coaches Ph: 4031 7577 from Cairns via either the Cooktown Developmental Road or the Bloomfield Track.

LOCATION: 341 km north of Cairns

POPULATION: Approx. 1600

In 1770 James Cook landed at the Endeavour River, the place where Cooktown now stands. It was the firstwhite settlement in Australia and Cook's Pillar, a stone monolith on the banks of the Endeavour, marks where Cook beached his damaged vessel.

Cooktown is covered in history with most stone buildings dating back almost a century. It also has an ancient historic cemetery and a historical museum featuring original artifacts recovered from James Cook's vessel. When it was the gateway to the Palmer River goldfield in the late 1800's, Cooktown had a population as high as 30 000 and a main street more than 2km long.

Today the population has died down to a few hundred, and has become a sleepy little town. Tourists can still experience the tranquil, unspoilt beauty of the area which remains much the same as Cook and the Aboriginal inhabitants knew it 1770.

They can also visit the other attractions such as walking trails, river cruises, botanical garden, freshwater swimming holes, beaches, mountains and rainforest.

Cooktown, Far North Queensland has plenty of accommodation including motels, hotels, caravan parks, but the main attraction is the historic buildings including the James Cook Museum, the Black Mountains and the barramundi fishing along with the great fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and of course the Endeavour River, renowned as home to James

Caravan Park .. Units .. Camping ...Peninsula Van Park

It was the site of Australia's first European settlement 18 years before the official birth of the nation.

Captain James Cook lived there for 48 days while his ship was repaired so he could return to England to report the discovery of "Terra Australia".

Torres Strait prawn trawlers now dock here, and across the palm lined Charlotte Street stands the historic gold rush hotels and shops which braved the onslaught of diggers and good time girls.

Permanent settlement began in 1873 with the discovery of gold in the Palmer River which became known as Australia's "River of Gold". With a population of 35,000 Cooktown was home of one of Queensland's most colourful good time girls like Palmer Kate, who won the affections of bold adventurer, Christie Palmerston, a most prolific explorer and bushman.

Back then, the town consisted of 163 brothels, (35 of them Chinese) and 94 licensed premises.

Cooktown, a tiny tropical port on Cape York Peninsula, is an historic frontier town where the Great Barrier Reef, rainforests and the vast outback meet.

When the gold ran out the population began drifting away and by 1970 only a few hundred were left to celebrate the town's bi-centenary with a visit from Queen Elizabeth who opened the James Cook Historical Museum.

Along with buildings and relics of Cook and the gold rush days, Cooktown offers the special atmosphere of a remote outback town.

Visitors have a selection of sight seeing menus from Grassy Hill which Captain Cook climbed to find a clear passage through the reef, the James Cook Museum, a statuesque convent building built in the 1880's and housing the actual anchor and cannon Cook had to jettison in order to refloat the Endeavour off the reef.

The building was also used by American Forces during the war during the Battle of the Coral Sea. There's also the Botanical Gardens first planned and built in the 1880's and the cemetery with Mrs. Watson's grave and the Chinese Shrine or over 100 years, Cooktown has been the end of the road, even for the adventurous North Queenslanders.

Nowadays, Cooktown shows its other face to the world. Visitors come for the tranquil beauty of the magnificent 15 minutes from shore diving reefs, and miles of long sandy beaches bounded by greenery and wildlife.

Just outside town is the bizarre Black Mountain where many a local has lost his life over the years. Rumoured to be alive with snakes, boogy men, unsafe boulders and a strange gaseous smell, even search parties are reluctant to go to the mystical mountain to find lost adventurers.

To the north on the bank of the upper reaches of the Endeavour River is the tiny township of Marton. This is as far as Joseph Banks got when he travelled up the river in a whale boat collecting specimens. The sandbank that stopped his progress is still there.

Overlooking the Endeavour River, hotels, motels and van parks ensure comfortable accommodation without sacrificing any of the traditional values of the past.

Come on in and hear the tales of Cooktown's characters..