Cooktown Accommodation

Cooktown used to be a lot more remote, but things have gradually changed and particularly since the road was sealed in 2006, a lot more people started to come up here.


Nowadays there is a fair bit of accommodation to choose from.


In the main street are some old country pubs, there is a resort, a few motels, even a backpacker hostel, bed and breakfast accommodation, and four caravan parks.
 

Cooktown Accommodation - Places to Stay

Cooktown Hotels
There are two good old hotels in Cooktown - the so-called Top Pub or Cooktown Hotel, and the West Coast Hotel. Both are in the main street, and have hotel rooms as well as a public bar, and both serve meals. The Top Pub puts live music nights on sometimes.



Cooktown Motels
There are four motels - the Seaview Motel in the main street has views over the river front. The River of Gold Motel is one block back from the main street, not far from the Top Pub. A little further south is Alamanda Inn; and even further is Pam's Place.

Cooktown Resorts
There is a great resort in town - the Sovereign Resort, which is in the main street, across the street from the town's post office. It is very nice, and it also has a great restaurant upstairs, and a bar downstairs that is very popular.

Cooktown Hostels
There are usually not many backpackers in town, but if you happen to be one, there is the Pam's Place in the southern end of the main street. It also has motel rooms, units, and a few different kinds of hostel rooms, self catering kitchen, a bar, laundry, internet and a salt-water swimming pool.

Cooktown Lodges and Bed and Breakfast
There are a few lodges and bed and breakfast accommodation. Milkwood Lodge is just south of the town. Mungumby Lodge is further south, closer to the famous Lions Den Hotel. And the Shadows of Mount Cook B&B is in the southern end of the town.

Cooktown Camping

Cooktown Caravan Parks
There are four caravan parks in town. The most central one is the Cooktown Orchid Caravan Park, the cheapest is the Cooktown Caravan Park, and the most expensive is the Big 4 Caravan Park. About 30km north of the town is also the Endeavour Falls Caravan Park.

Cheap Camping in Cooktown
It used to be that there was no cheap camping amongst Cooktown accommodation, but that has changed to the better :-) There is now also cheap camping at the Racecourse. There is no power, and no facilities, and your van has to be totally self contained which means own toilet and shower.

Cooktown Farmstays and Safari Camps
There are some great farmstays outside Cooktown, such as Hill Top Farmstay and  Hazlemere Farmstay; and Hilltop Farmstay  also has a safari tent. Another place to safari camp is Endeavour River Escape near Cooktown Airport, north of the town.

Cooktown Hotels

Cooktown hotels are great historical places to stay.

In Australia, the old country hotels are also pubs, and more than anything they are drinking establishments.

But if you want to stay in one, there are hotel rooms upstairs.

Just remember that they can be noisy if you want to have an early night, but other than that, they are good places to stay.

There are two of them in Cooktown.

Both Cooktown hotels are old and they are some of the most historical amongst all Cooktown accommodation.



The Top Pub is the most popular, and it does have hotel rooms upstairs. It is an old building, which has changed name a few times, but is now commonly known as the Top Pub. It has a nice beer garden and serves both lunch and dinner. Every now and then on the weekends there is a live music night that can get a bit noisy (if you stay upstairs).



The other one, the West Coast Hotel, is not far - just a few buildings up along the same street. It's also a nice old building with rooms upstairs. Downstairs is a public bar, and it also serves meals. UPDATE - this hotel lost the roof in cyclone Ita and and is currently closed (May 2014).

Cooktown Motels

Cooktown Motels are all great places to stay.

All have good facilities, including a swimming pool, and all are fairly central.

Seaview has the best location and is the largest one, but there is nothing wrong with the others. 

Seaview Motel
This Cooktown motel is large, and it is right on the waterfront in Charlotte Street. Rooms have bar fridges, colour TVs, coffee and tea making facilities, direct dial phones and balconies with views over the water.
There is a swimming pool, a BBQ area, and off street parking.

River of Gold Motel
This motel is two streets back from the main street, but still walking distance to the waterfront, pubs and the supermarket.
There are self contained units, a saltwater swimming pool, a bar and a restaurant, off street parking and laundry services.

 

Alamanda Inn
This place is a little further down the same street as the one above.
It has motel rooms, self contained units, and guesthouse rooms. The rooms have air conditioning, TVs, fridges, and outside there are BBQs, a swimming pool, a guest kitchen, laundry, and spacious parking.

Pam's Place Motel and Hostel
This place is in the other end of Charlotte Street, along the main road that goes north from Cooktown.
It is a popular backpackers accommodation too, and has all modern amenities.
There are motel rooms, self contained units and hostel rooms. Also laundry facilities and a swimming pool.

Other Cooktown Accommodation

Sovereign Resort
This fantastic resort is in the main street in Cooktown. The guestrooms are tastefully decorated and have mini bars, coffee and tea makers, TVs, direct dial phones and room service. Amongst the palm trees in the landscaped gardens there is a swimming pool. There is also a bar and a restaurant, conference rooms and free parking.

Seagrens Inn
Another beauty Cooktown accommodation in the main street, this old queenslander building is full of character. It was built in 1880 and named after P E Seagren, the mayor at the time. Rooms are all unique and have views from the large balcony. Downstears there is a pub and a dining room.
 

Hillcrest Guesthouse
This guesthouse is on the base of Grassy Hill, still walking distance from the main street. It is a lovely Cooktown accommodation with big verandahs, beautiful gardens and a swimming pool. There are eight different types of bedrooms inside, as well as a shared kitchen and bathrooms.

Endeavour View Cabins
This small Cooktown accommodation has a great location in the main street, right across the Charlotte St from the Endeavour Lions Park. The cabins have air conditioning, and TVs, there are also barbeques, off street parking and laundry facilities.

Riverview Holiday House
Right next door - also in the main street and with the views of the river/beachfront park, is another nice Cooktown accommodation. It is a fully self contained holiday rental house that you can have all for your own mob of travellers. Enquire at the cafe next door - the Capers.

Milkwood Lodge
Milkwood Lodge is a few kilometres  outside the town, and another lovely place.
It has six self contained ensuite cabins with a/c, fans, TVs, fully equipped kitchenettes and large private verandahs.
There is a BBQ area, a saltwater swimming pool, a tour desk, laundry service, car hire, breakfast packs and airport pickup.

Mungumby Lodge
This lodge is near the famous Lions Den Hotel, 35km south of Cooktown.
There are 10 wooden bungalows with mini bars, tea and coffee makers and spacious living areas.
There is a swimming pool, a spa, high speed internet, large tropical gardens, free parking, a bar and a restaurant.

Cooktown Caravan Parks

Cooktown caravan parks are all nice places to stay.

They are all well maintained and looked after, with clean amenities and friendly service.

There is four of them in town, and further down the page are also three that are north of the town.

Cooktown Orchid is the most central one, and Big 4 is the most expensive.

Cooktown Orchid Caravan Park
This caravan park is in the main street, and as often with centrally located places, is not so cheap.
There are camping sites, on site vans, and a swimming pool.
The grounds are small and can get packed during the high season. The old managers are lovely.

Peninsula Caravan Park
This caravan park is in the end of Howard Street in eastern Cooktown.
There are cabins, and powered and unpowered camping sites, and the basic camping sites are good value.
There is a swimming pool, laundry facilities, showers; and all other amenities are good too.

Cooktown Caravan Park
This caravan park is not far from Pam's place in the southern end of the town. It is a great park with very friendly service.
There are powered and unpowered sites, cabins, laundry area, and a small shop in the reception area. And it's the cheapest caravan park in town.

Cooktown Holiday Park
This is a G'Day Parks holiday park, and it is the most expensive caravan park in Cooktown. There are only powered sites - no unpowered sites available. One and two bedroom cabins, and standard and family units. Very nice, large, green grounds, a swimming pool, a camp kitchen and all other amenities.

Endeavour Falls Caravan Park
This is a very nice and friendly caravan park at Endeavour Falls, about 30km north of Cooktown. Powered and unpowered camping sites, laundry and showers, and a great shop that sells almost everything. In the back of the park are Endeavour waterfalls, but no swimming due to crocodiles.

Cheap Camping in Cooktown

There is now some cheap camping in Cooktown.

There is officially no free camping in or around Cooktown, and if they catch you, you risk heavy fines, according to the signs at least.

So for years there used to be no option except caravan parks and other accommodation.

That has thankfully changed, for fully self sufficient travellers who want to get it cheap.

In Adelaide Street - one street back from the main street, walking distance to everywhere in the central town, there is now a cheap camping ground.
   

There is no power, and no showers or toilets, so you have to have a fully self contained vehicle.
   

The other thing is that there is 48 hours max stay, during which you do manage to see all the most important things in Cooktown.

UPDATE this camping ground has since moved, all detail and all other cheap / free camping grounds are in the Destination Guide.

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