Cooktown

Fishing the Endeavour River from the jetty at Cooktown is a popular pastime for locals and tourists.

Latest news: The inland road to Cooktown is now sealed all the way!

Cooktown is one of Australia's most historically significant towns, in 1770 on the banks of the Endeavour River pictured above James Cook and his crew managed to fix his ship after their disastrous crash on the Great Barrier Reef. They spent seven weeks here, discovered many species of flora and fauna, most notably the kangaroo, and then managed to continue their journey further north where they planted the Union Jack and claimed Australia, otherwise this country might have still been New Holland today, which was its name before Cook claimed it.

James Cook, the man Cooktown is named after

A hundred years later gold was discovered in the Palmer River and this put Cooktown on the map as a port and trading centre was needed to service the goldfields. It may be hard to imagine today when you walk through the sleepy village but once upon a time this town was the second biggest in Queensland with 4000 inhabitants and 30,000 people passed through the town during the goldrush, it had direct shipping lines with China, thousands of Chinese lived here and a hundred bars and brothels kept the miners entertained. A walk through the cemetery will give you a feeling of how tough life must have been in those days. After the goldrush the town was reduced to about 400 people, it was further hit by two devastating cyclones and was evacuated during World War Two but has since then grown to the current 1600. Locals are very happy with the completion of the sealed inland road, now that you no longer need a four wheel drive this will no doubt bring changes and more people to the town.

Cooktown still has some fine old buildings dating back from the prosperous goldrush days

The Cooktown Hotel is another historic building and a good place for a cold beer

Cooktown is located on the inland side of a headland which shelters it from the ocean winds that can blow quite strong along this coast and looks out over the Endeavour river. The shelter of this headland has also helped some rainforest to survive, there are a few patches of rainforest within walking distance from the town centre which form a nice oasis in the otherwise dry and dusty surroundings of the town. The town is packed with history, a visit to the James Cook Museum will give you a good insight on the colorful history of this town, they also have some items recovered from the ocean floor that Cook had thrown overboard to stop his ship from sinking. In the main street you can see some of the old buildings left over from the goldrush days and one time I observed from the balcony of the Cooktown Hotel how the kangaroos hopped through the main street in search of green grass when the traffic stopped after midnight.

View of Cooktown from the Endeavour River

View of Cooktown from the Grassy Hill lookout

Another bit of history is the lookout on the top of Grassy Hill where the lighthouse stands. James Cook spent quite a bit of time on this hill in 1770 to observe the mouth of the river with its treacherous sandbanks to plan a passage out to sea, the last thing he needed was to get stuck again! Nowadays this lookout is a good spot to watch the sunset over the Endeavour river, a rare treat on the Queensland coast where in a lot of places the sun just disappears behind the Great Dividing Range.

The lighthouse on Grassy Hill, a good place to watch the sunset

Sunset over the Endeavour River seen from Grassy Hill lookout

What to do:

Cooktown is famous for its fishing, you can try your luck from the wharf but for some real fishing get on a boat and head up the river or out on the ocean. To the right you see some happy fishermen on Mark Privett's fishing charterboat "Gone Fishing" showing off their catch. Mark knows all the best spots and has many years of fishing experience in the local area. Contact him on 07-40695980 or visit his website fishingcooktown.com for more info on all styles of fishing, charters, scenic cruises, croc spotting etc.

Cooktown also has a couple of nice beaches at Quarantine Bay and Finch Bay where you can go for a swim (outside stinger season). On the way to Finch Bay there is a very good botanical gardens and the impressive art gallery Nature's Powerhouse.

For information and bookings during your stay go and see "The Best Little Toure House In Cooktown" in the main street at the northern end of town. Phone 07-40695381 or contact via email

Cooktown is also the departure point for flights to Lizard Island, a beautiful Great Barrier Reef island about 100kms. north, here you can either camp in the National Parks campground for a couple of dollars or go for the other end of the scale and stay at the Lizard Island Resort;

Lizard Island Resort Lizard Island Resort is located right on the Great Barrier Reef. It is a private paradise with 24 powdery white sandy beaches and a lagoon. It lies 240 kilometres north of Cairns and 27 kilometres off the coast of north Queensland. Lizard Island offers a total of 40 rooms, which are all well furnished with modern conveniences. The resort's relaxed bar and lounge are the ideal place to sit and enjoy a drink. Dining is one of Lizard's many pleasures. You can share the panoramic coastal views while dining seated on the broad sweeping verandah, or enjoy an intimate dinner, beachside, in a private marquee. PLEASE NOTE: Children under 10 years are not catered for. More info and reservations....

 

Where to eat:

For breakfast from 7 am onwards you can't beat the food and the view of Cook's Landing Kiosk.

Bart getting some breakfast before heading out for a day's touring with Bart's Bush Adventures

Breakfast with a view

For dinner try the RSL club or the Bowls Club next door to them.

Accommodation in Cooktown

Now that the road is sealed there will be more people heading up to Cooktown, you are advised to book your accommodation well in advance for the July/August peak season.

Pam's Place Cooktown, the most northerly town in the east coast of Australia. Pam's place is a modern hostel catering for people of all ages with twins,doubles and single rooms,all with air conditioning,ceiling fans and refrigerators. Three and six bed dorms also available.We have a large kitchen,TV and pool room,laundry and licenced bar The Hostel is set in tropical gardens with salt water pool and an out door fire place . Click here for more info and reservations